"It's a two-and-a-half hour R-rated movie, and there's no precedent for that type of film becoming a huge blockbuster. What's popular about The Dark Knight is that it's a superhero movie at its core. When Batman puts on his costume, that's badass: 'Yeah Batman, go kick some ass'. Watchmen is an entirely different experience: it punishes the audience. It says: "Oh you like the Comedian? Oh, he's a rapist, by the way."