This is a point that has almost been taken for granted for some time: in the web 2.0 era, where the audience/producer divide is unclear at best, the power of the traditional media critics is gone.
Batman vs Superman SEEMS to be a good example of this: awful ratings but record-breaking opening figures (ahead if Avengers, the 3rd biggest hit of all-time).
HOWEVER... word of mouth has not been great, and it seems doubtful that the film will enjoy sustained success. Many believe that this is a conspiracy of paid-off hacks protecting Marvel's empire by trashing the Warner Bros/DC rival, for which this film marks the start of a 5 year schedule of comic book movie adaptations, seeking to replicate the huge success of the ultra-converged Marvel Universe which skips between TV and cinema routinely.
Moreover, 9/10 of the year's top 10 biggest hits had 60%+ RottenTomatoes ratings (a new shorthand for critical consensus).
The modest examples of Warp's '71 (low opening Friday night turnout but box office staff in Bradford correctly predicted that once The Guardian had reviewed it the audience would pick up) and Le Donk (placing trailers for a theatrical release that was never planned to generate newspaper reviews to boost DVD and VoD sales) also show that the established, traditional media continue to play a part in determining movie's success.
After all, the stars of this mega-budget tentpole ($250m and same again on prints and marketing) duly trooped over to the UK to film a Graham Norton Show Special, looking to boost its appeal beyond its core youth audience and firm up it's four quadrant credentials!
Is the biggest Batman v Superman smackdown between fans and critics? http://gu.com/p/4hqkd?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Blogger
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