Comic films from Marvel and DC are interesting for both adults and children. Spider-Man, Captain America, Thor, The Avengers, and, of course, Iron Man regularly appear on the box office charts, as well as films featuring DC favorites Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman .
Hundreds of millions of dollars go into creating modern comic book movies. Today, Justice League is the most expensive film on the budget for filming. However, this was not always the case. Before the release of the X-Men in 2000, comic strip films were mostly small budget items, with rude special effects and actors in cheap costumes.
In this list we will consider 10 most famous low-budget superhero movies. And this is not fan art, but films shot by professional directors.
10. Supergirl (1984)
The budget is $ 35 million.
This is the most expensive picture in the ranking of low-budget superhero movies. In 1978, director Richard Donner convinced the world that “man can fly,” releasing Superman in movie theaters. Starring Christopher Reeve. The film delighted viewers around the world and spawned a series of successful sequels.
Supergirl, released in 1984, was an attempt to create a series from a Donner movie. The film was set in the same universe as Superman, and Helen Slater starred as Kara-El, the long-lost Superman cousin from the planet Krypton.
While Superman 1984 was interesting and well filmed, Supergirl was bad at best and terrible at worst. The film currently has a rating of 4.3 / 10 on imdb.com.
9. Mr. Steel (1997)
The budget is $ 16 million.
In 1992, DC Comics killed its most iconic hero, Superman. He was replaced by four heroes. And Mr. Steel was one of them. Although this superhero remained a minor character in the comic book world after Superman rose from the dead in 1993, he still got his solo film.
Starring former basketball star Shaquille O’Neill starred, but that didn't save Mr. Steel from failure. In the world box office, cinema raised only $ 1.7 million. Currently, his rating on imdb.com is 2.7 / 10.
8. The Amazing Spider-Man (1977)
The budget is $ 11 million.
Today, Spider-Man is one of the most popular and beloved comic book heroes in the world. The Sam Raimi trilogy Spider-Man was a huge success, and two more franchise restarts followed.
In 1977, Marvel Studios was already trying to bring Spider-Man to the big screen in the movie Amazing Spider-Man. In a film featuring Nicholas Hammond as Peter Parker and his cobweb alter ego, Spider-Man protects New York from a mysterious hypnotist who can take control of people through telepathy.
The film was a pilot release for the eponymous series, but could not gain popularity among the audience. He currently has a rating of 5.7 / 10 on imdb.com.
7. Captain America (1990)
The budget is $ 10 million.
Before one of the most beautiful actors in the world, Chris Evans played Steve Rogers in the 2011 film Captain America: Captain America: The First Avenger, American actor Matt Salinger played this role in the 1990 film.
One of the low-budget superhero movies shows the story of the origin and life of Captain America for 40 years. This period also included the time of the struggle against the Nazis in the 40s and the time of the battle with the evil "Red Skull" in the 80s.
The film is usually criticized for its bad script, awful acting and cheap costumes. He currently scores 3.2 / 10 points on imdb.com.
6. The Punisher (1989)
The budget is $ 9 million.
The Punisher is perhaps the most violent comic book hero in the Marvel universe. Unlike the “good-natured” superheroes such as Superman, Batman and Spider-Man who value human life, Frank Castle, nicknamed “The Punisher,” gives death sentences to bad guys without any problems.
Frank Castle made his film debut in 1989 in the movie The Punisher, directed by Mark Goldblatt. In the role of Castle, Dolph Lundgren starred, and he had to fight against the Yakuza. The film received mixed reviews from viewers and critics. His current rating is 5.6 / 10 on imdb.com.
5. Decapitate Hydra (1998)
The budget is $ 6 million.
In modern Marvel blockbusters, the role of Nick Fury is played by Samuel Leroy Jackson. But in the late 90s, the role of the Fury was "Knight of the Road" - David Hasselhoff. In 1998, the movie “Nick Fury: Agent S.H.I.T.”, renamed at the Russian box office to “Decapitate Hydra,” was released.
In it, Nick Fury, somewhat similar to Indiana Jones, fought against a terrorist cell called Hydra, which threatened to infect Manhattan with a deadly virus.
The film received a cool welcome from many comic book fans who felt that Hasselhoff had a poor relationship with Nick Fury. The film is currently located on imdb.com with a rating of 3.6 / 10.
4. The Incredible Hulk: The Return (1988)
Budget unknown
Before Edward Norton, Mark Ruffalo and Eric Bana played the Hulk on the big screen, the role of this character was played by two actors: Bill Bixby, who became the Hulk's alter ego, David Banner, and bodybuilding legend Lou Ferrigno, who played the greenest giant. Why David and not Bruce? According to Ferrigno, the name Bruce CBS was considered gay. According to another version, the screenwriter of the first part of The Incredible Hulk, Kenneth Johnson, renamed Bruce to David in order to honor the memory of his dead son.
In this low-budget film about superheroes, the Hulk teamed up with the Norse god Thor to fight against a criminal syndicate obsessed with the desire to take over the world.
The film currently has a rating of 5.6 / 10 on imdb.com.
3. Doctor Strange (1978)
The budget is unknown.
A former neurosurgeon and practicing sorcerer, Dr. Strange is the “Supreme Sorcerer of the Marvel Universe,” a person charged with protecting the Earth from all kinds of evil magic creatures.
In 1978, the role of Strange was played by Peter Houten. From the very beginning, the project sailed upstream: the lack of popular actors, the not-so-famous comic book character, and special effects that did not quite match the original comic strip - everything worked against the film.
The main opponent of Dr. Strange was Morgana Lefey, an evil sorceress from the past.
Doctor Strange received poor reviews from critics. He was also unable to get a movie release and was eventually released on VHS. The film currently has a rating of 5.5 / 10 on imdb.com.
2. Three giant people (1973)
The budget is unknown.
This is perhaps the strangest superhero action movie in history. It is shot by Turkish filmmaker T. Fikret Uchak. Captain America and wrestler Santo, a local Turkish superhero, teamed up to fight the evil psychopath Spider-Man.
The film was not officially sanctioned by Marvel and was not released outside of Turkey. However, over the years the film has become notorious, as rumors of its existence have spread throughout the Internet.
Today, Three Giant Men (aka Captain America and Santo vs. Spider-Man) is a cult classic and a great reminder of how far comic book films have gone over the years.
1. Fantastic Four (1994)
The budget is 1.5 million dollars.
In the early 90s, the comic industry was in a difficult position. Comic book sales were falling, and Marvel and DC struggled to stay afloat. And at the time of weakness, Marvel decided to sell the rights to some of her popular heroes in order to earn some money.
Unfortunately, New Horizons, the production company that bought the rights to the movie Fantastic Four, did an incredibly poor job with its new intellectual property.
As a result, the superhero movie with the lowest budget was a failure of epic proportions. It had terrible directing and script, and the acting left much to be desired. The 1994 Fantastic Four is currently rated 3.9 / 10 on imdb.com.
