Why Superman and Batman are Fighting

Even though some of the preliminary reviews of Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice have been pretty negative, I'm still looking forward to catching the movie (which premieres today here in Rockford).

As a long-time comic book movie fan, I figured this pairing of two of the biggest stars of the genre would be a huge hit. However, based on some of the less-than-lukewarm reviews, I'm beginning to wonder if we might be looking at a super-bomb.

When you factor in the reported $250 million budget for the film itself, along with almost $200 million in advertising and marketing, you've got a movie that needs almost a half-billion dollar haul to just break even. Not to mention that an entire upcoming series of superhero movies featuring the stars of the DC Comics universe is counting on this film to get the ball rolling.

Maybe the name is the problem. Maybe fans don't want to see two guys, who are supposed to be on the same side of things, go after each other with hammer and tongs. I mean, what could cause such a dust-up between the heroic titans?

Maybe this:

Or, maybe not.