Kick-Ass Success

Kick-Ass is an extremely controversial film, in so aspects it can be seen to be extremely successful however it can also be seen as a lack lustre film. The film generated $96 million worldwide with a production budget of $30 million. Due to this the film could be seen as being a flop as it is part of the superhero genre as most superhero films generate a huge income. However the gross is amazing considering the film can be seen as alternative and breaks many of the typical superhero conventions and expectations of the genre. The film was released in 3,065 theatres worldwide which is quite a small amount considering the amount of money the film did generate.

Another reason why this film can be considered a success is the amount of awards it was nominated for (61) and won (17) including the Empire award for best film. These awards reinforce the global impact the film had as it was very well known by all people not just film buffs but the mainstream also attached to this film and it could be seen as the film created a trend as it was in the know and everybody was talking about an alternative twist to generic superhero films. The most awards won were by Chloe Grace Moretz (Hit Girl/Mindy) for MTV breakthrough, MTV biggest badass, Empire best newcomer etc. However this can also be seen as a weakness of the film as considering the hype around the film during the marketing overall it only won 17 awards and these were not big well known awards they are in ways average awards.

One of the key signs that a film is a success is the publicity from audience members as well as critics, according to Rotten Tomatoes the film has a 74% positive review from top critics, 81% from audiences and 76% all critics. However the publicity surrounding this film is extremely controversial and on the fence “Hit Girl is a perfect and perverted fantasy, abused and abusive, tearfully vulnerable and ingeniously cruel” – Cynthia Fuchs, Rotten Tomatoes. This shows that although the person did like the character they could see the different characteristics of her and what made the character who she is. However not everyone liked the character of Hit Girl and saw her as nothing more than a sex icon “she’s fetishized in precisely the same way as Angelina Jolie in the Lara Croft movies” – Christopher Tookey, he is known for his scathing review of the film as he saw it as no more than a pathetic excuse to portray sex and violence in a movie in the most provocative and brutal way.

The film is alternative in its nature and has alternative character types, it is not typical for the audience to see an 11 year old girl murder grown men and women. Many saw the film as conventional and not alternative in anyway, but more of a simplistic and childish way to show extreme violence. However this film can also be seen to be part of a sub-genre of its on with films such as Scott Pilgrim Vs the World as it is a playful edge on superhero movies influenced heavily on video games and comic books.

To conclude Kick-Ass is a success in its own respects due to the fact it is part of a sub-genre that is still yet to be established. In addition to this the film had a sequel that showed the established audience wanted more of what they had previously seen which generated a worldwide gross of $60m showing Kick-Ass is a success in its own rights.