And more and more of them are being derived from a comic book source.
Furthermore, its not even the summer alone thats playing host to such films, either.
Next January, for instance, in a completely out-of-season slot, we getThe Green Hornet.
Thats just for starters, and theres lots more weve missed out on.
The catalyst, if you trace all of this back, was the success ofX-Men.
Sure, before then, there had been comic book movie hits.
It wasnt that there werent any.
As well come to see, there were plenty.
But they were regarded differently.
Lets get the 90s big hits out of the way first.
Nonetheless, it wasnt just Disney that had absorbed the lessons thatDick Tracyhad taught.
Contrasting withDick Tracy, and arriving in the same year, wasTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
And, boy, was that a lesson Hollywood was quick to embrace.
That fared a lot better than Billy Zane asThe Phantom, though.
Zane and the comic book genre have wisely been kept apart since.
The films, meanwhile, where Hollywood did take some kind of gamble were failing to perform.
Perhaps the highest profile of these was theJudge Dreddfilm, with Sylvester Stallone in the lead role.
Well, it was Sly, wasnt it?
We do, too, take every opportunity possible to mentionMystery Men, a flawed yet welcome little flick.
Still, most of the projects weve talked about nonetheless had something in common.
They were low budget, lacking in ambition, or both.
Would something akin toREDhave been possible in the 90s, for instance?
Its doubtful that the budget would have been signed off, even if similar star power could assemble.
That never happened, as the budget involved would have been too big a risk.
But, then, today the comic book movie bandwagon is in full flow.
Marvel Studios has a slate to rival any major studio, and DC is heading the same way.
And small comic book publishers are being scoured for potential future hits.
Who says progress is a bad thing?
