Superman Debut Comic sells for $1,000,000

[feeter]

I believe the print run was 200,000 which would eventually hit a million per month.

there you go... 100 left out of about 200,000 is such a small survival rate and in this condition... well worth the money

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

wow

 

[tomandshell]

It was worth every penny I paid. I am going to rip the pages out and sell them individually on eBay to double my money.

 

[josemanuelr8212]

wowowowowowow ... Batman Dectective 27 .. sold today . for more than a $ 1,000,075,500... even in than batman sell better than superman .. !!!

 

[Darth Madden]

It was worth every penny I paid. I am going to rip the pages out and sell them individually on eBay to double my money.

I'll take page # 16.

 

[Batty]

wowowowowowow ... Batman Dectective 27 .. sold today . for more than a $ 1,000,075,500... even in than batman sell better than superman .. !!!

Another amazing amount, but I think you may have a few too many zeros in there.

 

[GuruAskew]

Wikipedia says "Batman Begins" made a gross of $497 million, while "Superman Returns" made a gross of $391 million.

On top of that, "Batman Begins" cost $150 million to make, while "Superman Returns" cost $209 million. Granted, some of that money was spent on other attempts at reboots, but money spent is money spent, whether it shows up in the final product or not.

Assuming wikipedia's numbers are correct, "Batman Begins" should've made about $165 million MORE than "Superman Returns" - hardly "trailing it by a good chunk of change."

Additionally (though this is only anecdotal evidence), I seem to remember a lot more marketing for "Superman Returns" than "Batman Begins." Batman was more under-the-radar, at least as far as advertising (and thus marketing expenses) went.

For starters, you never want to use Wikipedia for a source. Using Wikipedia to steer you towards a source is one thing but it's NEVER a source itself.

Secondly, there doesn't seem to be any consistency between how the two Wikipedia pages for any two movies treat the numbers. Even now reading those two pages I can only assume that the BB page uses the actual definition of "worldwide" whereas the SR page uses "worldwide" when it means "foreign". Edit: I figured it out: some anonymous Wiki contributor took "$125,000,000" (a rounded/estimated number for sure) out of some report on BB's home video sales and took it upon himself to apply this to the box office gross. The SR page, on the other hand, doesn't have as much as one cent from home video sales added to its actual box office gross, but I guess that's Wikipedia for you.

Third, there are sites like boxofficemojo that don't have Wikipedia's credibility problems and present their statistics with consistency, and with that I bring you "Batman Begins" vs. "Superman Returns":

Batman Begins:

Domestic: $205,343,774 55.1%
+ Foreign: $167,366,241 44.9%
= Worldwide: $372,710,015

Superman Returns:

Domestic: $200,081,192 51.2%
+ Foreign: $191,000,000 48.8%
= Worldwide: $391,081,192

So yeah, I'd say that $20 million is a pretty significant chunk of change when it comes to these two. $20 million is a drop in the bucket for an actual blockbuster but that was the problem with both movies: they weren't blockbusters.

 

[haytil]

So yeah, I'd say that $20 million is a pretty significant chunk of change when it comes to these two. $20 million is a drop in the bucket for an actual blockbuster but that was the problem with both movies: they weren't blockbusters.

Ok, but you still have to account for the fact that

A) "Superman Returns" cost a lot more than "Batman Begins"

and

B) "Batman Begins" made a lot more on home video sales than "Superman Returns" has

I also wouldn't be surprised if "Batman Begins" made more on merchandising (indirect profits that are created by the movie but not tallied in its gross), where a lot of the real money is.

Plus, the investment in "Batmen Begins" paid off handsomely when it lead to "The Dark Knight." If you consider "Superman Returns" to be a long-term investment in the same vein, then it hasn't paid off yet (and likely never will - if a Superman movie ever achieves the same levels of success as "The Dark Knight," it'll be independent of - and perhaps despite - the performance of "Superman Returns.")

Neither were box office smashes, but "Batman Begins" had a lot more long-term staying power and proved to be a much more sound investment. You can't really compare the two, as worldwide grosses are just part of the picture.

 

[intothevoid]

Guys, we all know Batman is more commercially successful than Superman. Has been for a very long time. How many of you had tons of Superman figures while growing up?

 

[Mesa]

$1,500,000.00


https://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/03/30/superman.comic/index.html?hpt=T2

Rare comic of Superman debut fetches $1.5 million
By the CNN Wire Staff
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Action Comics No. 1 from 1938 features Superman's first appearance
Comic's buyer has "secret identity and would rather remain that way"
There are thought to be 50 to 100 copies of Action Comics No. 1 floating around
RELATED TOPICS
Books
(CNN) -- The comic debut of Superman has sold for an out-of-this-world price.

The copy of Action Comics No. 1 from 1938, which features the first appearance of the "Man of Steel" was bought by an undisclosed buyer for a record $1.5 million Monday on the online auction site ComicConnect.com.

"This is the Holy Grail of Holy Grails," said Vincent Zurzolo, co-owner of the Web site.

A copy of the same issue sold for $1 million in February, but this one fetched a higher price because it is in better condition. It was stored inside a movie magazine for the past 50 years, Zurzolo said.

"The book looks like it just came off the presses yesterday," said Zurzolo. "The colors are extremely vivid, the whites behind the 'Action Comics' logo are snow white. It's just a stunning copy -- it almost looks brand new."

The sale of the Superman book marks the third time this year that a record was set for the sale of a comic book. The other copy of "Action Comics" No. 1 held onto its record for only three days before a comic book featuring Batman's debut sold for $75,000 more at an auction in Dallas, Texas.

It's widely believed that there are 50 to 100 copies of Action Comics No. 1 floating around, which makes it exceedingly rare. However, the copy sold Monday has received the highest rating to date from the Certified Guaranty Company, an independent comic grading company in Sarasota, Florida. The company inspects comic books for imperfections, ranging from yellowing to slight creases.

J.C. Vaughn, the associate publisher of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, an annual publication considered the authority on comic book pricing, said the Action Comic No. 1 book sold Monday is worth every penny.

"The older any comic book gets, obviously the more unlikely you'll find it with a high rating," said Vaughn. "A book this old, featuring Superman's first appearance? I think this book warrants the price."

Back in 1938, there were 200,000 of these first editions printed and 130,000 sold, said Vaughn. The 70,000 other copies were destroyed.

Zurzolo said it could be a while before another comic book sets a new mark, because only a few other comics have this type of value.

"You will see a lot of very high-priced comic books selling in the next few years," he said. "But until these books hit the market again I don't think you'll see the same exact type of numbers in the near future."

ComicConnect wouldn't reveal the buyer of the $1.5 million Superman book.

"Our buyer, much like most of the superheroes out there, has a secret identity and would rather remain that way," Zurzolo said.

However, he added that the customer has a tremendous passion for superhero comic books and is especially fond of Superman.

"Superman was the first superhero," said Zurzolo. "Without Superman there would be no Batman, Spider Man, Wolverine, Wonder Woman -- they all came about because of the immense success of Action Comics and the first appearance of Superman."

Alex Rae, the back issue buyer for Midtown Comics, one of the nation's largest comic book dealers located in New York, said if he had his choice of any comic book in the world, it would be the one just purchased.

"It revolutionized the comic book industry," he said. "Without this issue, we might not ever have a Batman or Spiderman."

CNN Radio's Matt Cherry and CNN's Eddie DeMarche contributed to this report.

 

[EVILFACE]

Crazy money. I think it is the highest graded, a 8.5 or so. The Mile High copy is rumored to be a ungraded 9.2, which is extremely rare for a Golden Age comic alone.

 

[thenammagazine]

Sad thing is, the only reason Batman outsold Superman here (with Superman's auction closing at a ridiculous price anyway), is because some childish ********* couldn't let the Kryptonian outsell the dark knight.

 

[Batty]

I bought them both. One to keep sealed and the other to read in the bathroom.

 

[thenammagazine]

I bought them both. One to keep sealed and the other to read in the bathroom.

They better check those bills.

 

[EVILFACE]

Sad thing is, the only reason Batman outsold Superman here (with Superman's auction closing at a ridiculous price anyway), is because some childish ********* couldn't let the Kryptonian outsell the dark knight.

Well they both are THE key books to have. Batman is just a bit hotter right now.

But since that 8.0 Tec 27 is the highest known copy, Action 1 (with a 9.2 known) will always be the most valuable.

 

[thenammagazine]

Well they both are THE key books to have. Batman is just a bit hotter right now.

But since that 8.0 Tec 27 is the highest known copy, Action 1 (with a 9.2 known) will always be the most valuable.

Then there's the bullet proof, UV proof, fire proof, water proof, theft proof acrylic case with a state-of-the-art security/alarm system and absolute environmental control system with triple redundant backup power supplies to purchase too.



...yeah, I'm fine with the reprints.

 

[the angry orc]

...yeah, I'm fine with the reprints.

lol...yah, i think mine cost me $2. cool cnn story though. superman rules.

 

[Bezzerkerr]

That is TRULY AWESOME. A TRUE collectors item.

 

[Watko]

That thing should be in a museum somewhere. I'd only end up spilling coffee on it or something.