Let’s not split hairs on exact numbers. The point is that between 1989 and 1997, we had four Batman movies, and between 1989-2005, we had five Batman movies. On the other hand, between 1987 and 2005 (18 years), we had zero Superman movies, and between 1980 and 2005 (25 years), we had zero well-liked Superman movies.
So again, I think 18-25 years of waiting for a big-screen adaptation made people pretty rigid in what they’d accept.
As a kid in the 90s, I grew up on STM. I was dying for another great movie in 2005. Then we got a dud of a suit. Talk about disappointing.