Before directingX-Men: First Class, directorMatthew Vaughnwas hired asBryan Singer’s replacement onX-Men: The Last Stand; Singer went off to directSuperman Returnsfor Warner Bros. instead. Vaughn eventually dropped out of the project as well, and was replaced by the now-cancelledBrett Ratner.The Last Standremainsone ofthe least-liked installments of the original X-Men trilogy, which, in many ways, shaped modern superhero cinema. It was a hit, but it was also unusually expensive. The movie has now been overtaken by directorJames Gunn’s less-than-two-week-oldSupermanat the domestic box office.
In just 10 days of release,Supermanhas grossed $236 million at the domestic box office, which puts it $2 million ahead ofThe Last Stand. Released in 2006, the X-Men film grossed $460 million worldwide, againsta reported budget of $210 million. It wasan extremely expensive film at the time, and didn’t do nearly as well as it was expected to. For context,Supermancost only slightly more, and it’s been nearly two decades sinceThe Last Standcame out. The movie earnedmixed reviews, and is currently sitting at 56% onRotten Tomatoes, where the critics' consensus reads, “X-Men: The Last Standprovides plenty of mutant action for fans of the franchise, even if it does so at the expense of its predecessors' deeper character moments.”
The franchise was rebooted by Vaughn’sFirst Class, which grossed around $100 million less, but received significantly better reviews.First Class inspired three sequels, the last of which,Dark Phoenix, was essentially a remake ofThe Last Stand. The X-Men franchise will be rebooted once again, underthe Marvel Cinematic Universeumbrella. The MCU is all set to introduce its “first family” this week, withThe Fantastic Four: First Steps. The colorful superhero film will have to fend off competition from the tonally similar Man of Steel film.
‘Superman’ Has Emerged as a Massive Hit
Supermanopened topositive reviews10 days ago, and has since generated over $400 million globally. The movie is sitting at an 83% score onRotten Tomatoes, but its audience rating is far higher, at 92%. Incidentally, when Vaughn was approached to reboot the character, he made it clear that Superman can’t be dark and brooding. He’d be impressed with Gunn’s film, which presents the character as a colorful beacon of hope. The filmmaker was initially said to have dropped out because of a tight production schedule, but he recentlyrevealed some rather sinister details behind his departure. you may watchSupermanin theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Follows the titular superhero as he reconciles his heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way in a world that views kindness as old-fashioned.
