The impact ofBatman v Superman’s box office performance may extend well beyond the current slate of DC Comics adaptations at Warner Bros. The film was and always has beenan insanely important movie for the studio, intended to properly kick off a series of interconnected DC Extended Universe superhero movies while also marking an event unto itself. But when the dust settled after a solid opening weekend,Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justiceis far from the mega-hit Warner Bros. was expecting, and a ripple effect could slightly alter the studio’s entire film release strategy.
Sources tellTHRthat Warner Bros. is now mulling the prospect of releasing fewer “homegrown” films (ie. developed at WB from the ground up) in favor of putting most of its focus on a trio of potential hitmakers: the DC movies, the LEGO movies, and the newHarry PotterspinoffFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. This isn’tentirelydue toBatman v Superman, as Warner Bros. also suffered a disappointing 2015 with pricey busts likeJupiter Ascending,Pan, andIn the Heart of the Sea, but the hefty 69% box office drop forBatman v Superman’s second weekend signals that the filmprobably won’t hit $1 billion worldwide, which is a massive problem considering you have the two most iconic superheroes in history in a movie together for the very first time. The film may even be prematurely unseated from the #1 throne this weekend by theMelissa McCarthycomedyThe Boss.
While some murmuring putsZack Snyder’s involvement inJustice Leaguein doubt, sources tell THR that Snyder is staying put (that movie is set to begin filming on Monday) while the filmmakers evaluate what went wrong withBatman v Supermanand take steps to ensure the ensemble pictureJustice Leaguedoesn’t suffer the same fate. The studio could enjoy a bit of a turnaround whenSuicide Squadhits theaters this August, and reports have swirled that that film has alreadyundergone reshootsto up the levity and character moments so that audiences get, well, an entertaining superhero movie.
But the fact remains that WB has suffered some notable box office disappointments over the last year, despite some of these films actually being pretty OK—I still maintain thatPanis a lot of fun, andThe Man from U.N.C.L.E.is a criminally underseen delight. While the studio maintains there’s no change in policy, sources tell THR that they might be aiming to release fewer in-house films aside from a stable of frequent filmmakers likeBen Affleck,Clint Eastwood,Christopher Nolan, andTodd Phillips. Instead, they’ll be putting more resources into ensuring that the rest of the DC films are up to snuff and that their LEGO andFantastic Beastsfranchises are absolute successes.
The studio actually has a really promising slate coming up, with potential hits later this year in the form ofThe Nice Guys,The Conjuring 2, andKeanu, aside from Eastwood’s adult-orientedSullyand the aforementionedSuicide Squad(although the less said aboutLegend of Tarzanthe better). And of course there’sFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which is one of the most highly anticipated films of the year. Beyond that,The LEGO Batman Movielooks terrific,Wonder Womansounds great, andDunkirkis a World War II action-thriller from Christopher Nolan, so that kind of sells itself. Moreover, Warner Bros. will also release Affleck’s next directorial effortLive by Nightnext fall andSteven Spielberg’s sci-fi blockbusterReady Player Onein March 2018, in addition to theBlade Runnersequel.
All in all, whileBatman v Supermanand last year’s underperformers certainly sting, Warner Bros. remains one of the most robust studios in the business, and I applaud them for backing filmmaker-oriented pics likeMidnight SpecialandMad Max: Fury Road. While it’s a bummer to hear they may become more franchise-focused in the near future, there’s still some solid potential in the lineup that exists, and whileBatman v Supermancertainly had some issues, the first step towards recover is admitting you have a problem. Here’s hoping the course correction for the rest of the DC Extended Universe pays off, because the potential in some of these DC characters is massive.
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