Summer Movie Anticipation Reaches a Fever Pitch. But Which Superhero Won the Battle of the Fanboy Hype?

Waiting for The Dark Knight Rises has been more torturous than sitting through a double screening of Batman and Robin and Catwoman.

The suspense reached its peak this week as reviews have steadily been released and special screenings have been announced and viewed. It's incredibly unfair that a group of lucky souls have had the opportunity to watch it whilst we sit at home twiddling our thumbs, counting down the minutes until it's our turn. And no, twiddling thumbs isn't a euphemism, except it total is.

But which of this summer's movies have made people the most excited before their release? Here is a look at how The Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises have piqued our interest.

The Avengers - It was almost impossible not to know that The Avengers were all coming together to save the world on May 4th earlier this year. Thor, Iron Man and Captain America each had their own movies released over several years in anticipation that they would finally assemble together and save the world with viewers going in their droves to watch their solitary adventure. But no one thought that it would be this popular. Joss Whedon and his vast cast went down the normal route of promotion for their movie, attending comic-cons, releasing an advert during the super-bowl and even ringing the opening bell for the New York Stock Exchange, but with its release signalling the start of the summer movie season audience members have so far spent close to $1.5 billion on ticket sales to make it one of the most popular films ever released.

The Amazing Spider-Man - Marc Webb, Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone's reboot of Sam Raimi'sSpiderman adventures were the forgotten blockbuster of 2012. The Avengers was always destined to kick-start this years action releases whilst The Dark KnightRises would sweep up every one else's interest. However Marvel was just able to find a hole in the market from which they could release their film and supply endless marketing campaigns to get audiences to watch The Amazing Spider-Man. Trailers, featurettes and clips were constantly shown in cinemas and on TV, leaving little new footage for us to view when we finally got to our local multiplexes. Good reviews and word of mouth lead viewers to believe that this was a reboot truly worth watching.

The Dark Knight Rises - It's easy for a movie to be eagerly anticipated when its two predecessors have been some of the greatest cinematic creations of modern times. But, Christopher Nolan had done the hard work with Batman Begins and The Dark Knight but an intelligent viral campaign and a hoard of trailers and clips, accompanied by impeccable early reviews made the excitement rise and rise for The Dark Knight Rises. And now it's finally upon us and deserves all the acclaim it has been awarded. If you haven't watched it, stand up from your computer, leave your house now and visit your local cinema. If you have, go and watch it again. You know it's worth it.