With the news that Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, the critically panned superhero movie hoping to launch DC’s franchise of grim and gritty comic-book blockbusters, suffered a massive fall off in revenue after its opening weekend, the producers can take some solace in knowing they’ve inadvertently made Simon & Garfunkel score a hit in the charts. The folk duo ‘s 1964 hit Sound of Silence is rising in the charts thanks to the ‘Sad Affleck’ meme.
Those unfamiliar with the viral video, which became a universally enjoyed hit during the press tour of the much-maligned movie, can watch it below. It features the Oscar-winning writer and director Ben Affleck staring morosely into the vacant space between him and an interviewer, while his co-star Henry Cavill responds to a question about the film’s dire reviews.
Simon & Garfunkel’s song then starts playing in the background, before coming to close so Affleck can offer a disinterested answer to the question.
Given the popularity of the meme, the song, which last topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in 1966, has now jumped back to the No 2 spot on the Hot Rock Songs chart.
Nielsen, the ratings agency, has said the song’s popularity comes from a huge increase in its streaming online, with more than 5.1m of its estimated 5.6m plays coming from YouTube alone.
