Is Super Mario mightier than Aquaman? In terms of popularity, it appears that video game adaptations are winning over more and more viewers, who are gradually turning away from comic book adaptations.
This is demonstrated by the latest report from UK firm Ampere Analysis, which looked at average consumer search volumes for the latest versions of comic book and video game adaptations. According to the data, there has been a downward trend in the popularity of comic book adaptations since 2021 and 2022.
While the blockbusters “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, directed by Jon Watts and released in 2021, and Matt Reeves’ 2022 movie “The Batman”, stand out from the crowd, shows like “WandaVision” and “Loki” on Disney+ score lower, as does the second instalment in the DC Comics franchise, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”, directed by James Wan and released at the end of last year.
Conversely, adaptations of certain game franchises have enjoyed an uptick in popularity over the past three years. The “Uncharted” game adaptation starring Tom Holland – who also happens to play Spider-Man in “No Way Home” – largely dominated consumer searches in 2022, as did the HBO series “The Last of Us”, starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.
“The Super Mario Bros Movie” also topped the search charts last year, well ahead of the third instalment of “Guardians of the Galaxy”, reports Ampere Analysis.
“Growing consumer interest in video game adaptations has paralleled a surge in gaming activity over the last few years, partly influenced by the impact of Covid-19 lockdowns. The global gaming industry – despite facing a tough 2023 – has grown by a quarter since the end of 2019, according to estimates,” the report explains.
The movie and TV industry has always been able to profit from the world of gaming, as in the case of the “Tomb Raider” movie franchise starring Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft, which was revived in 2018 with Alicia Vikander. But now, these kinds of adaptations are bringing in big bucks at the global box office.
Last year, the animated “Super Mario Bros Movie” took second place at the global box office with over US$1.3 billion, ahead of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” which grossed over US$845 million.
Recently, the “Fallout” series has rekindled interest in video gaming: following the show’s release on Prime Video, the number of concurrent players more than doubled on the Steam platform.
“Following the success of game adaptations such as ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’, ‘Pokémon: Detective Pikachu’, ‘Uncharted’, ‘The Super Mario Bros Movie’ and ‘The Last of Us’, risk-averse studios have begun a smooth transition into the gaming realm,” Ampere Analysis said.
“These adaptations have already demonstrated their capacity to match or even exceed the success of comic adaptations. However, studios need to establish a consistent approach to ensure they become reliable hits, akin to the achievements of comic adaptations.”
As recalled by Business Insider, superhero movies generated around US$1 billion in revenue in the United States last year, marking a 42% decrease on the previous year, according to Comscore.
At the same time, movies based on video games made US$712.2 million, more than double the 2022 total.