Oh, those crazy Salkinds. If you’re not a Superman fan you probably don’t have a clue who Ilya and Alexander Salkind are. Back in the ‘70s and early ‘80s they had huge aspirations for the U.S. film industry. They wanted to be the next Cecil B. DeMille or David O. Selznick.
They were off to a great start with the back-to-back hits of The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers in the mid-‘70s, and then they scored a grand slam with Superman: The Movie. Unfortunately, each succeeding film in that series suffered diminishing returns until they crashed and burned with 1984’s epic failure Supergirl. 1987’s Superman IV: The Quest for Peace also bombed, but at least it wasn’t on the Salkinds’ watch. Golan-Globus is to blame for that debacle.
Looking for a new pop-culture figure to turn into a huge franchise, the Salkinds set their sights on jolly old Saint Nick. It seemed like a perfect fit. He’s sometimes called Kris Kringle while Superman goes by Clark Kent. He can leap from chimney to chimney in a single sleigh ride. He has the power to stop time one night a year while Superman can reverse time. Donner is now relegated to a reindeer rather than the film’s director. And, to top it all off, Santa is practically Superman’s neighbor at the North Pole.
Unfortunately, Santa Claus: The Movie didn’t even earn back half of its budget at the box office. It proved to be surprisingly underwhelming when you consider the talent, money, and seemingly surefire concept that went into this film. What went wrong when this film shares so many similarities to the far-superior Superman: The Movie?
Let’s find out by comparing Santa Claus: The Movie and Superman: The Movie. Continue reading →
Think about it. A rich guy spends years in an Asian country learning skills to fight crime by hiding in the shadows. He then faces a villain with the same skills as him who threatens to destroy the city the hero protects. Plus, both of these films are inspired by radio shows and comics dating back to the 1930s and 1940s.
