'Justice League' News, Update: Film Fails to Meet Expectations; Is DCEU in Trouble?
The future of the DC Comics Extended universe is in jeopardy with "Justice League" failing to meet blockbuster expectations Warner Bros. Pictures set for it.
The years-in-the-making ensemble film was projected for a $110-million opening weekend, but ended up getting $20 million shy of the target.
In fact, "Justice League" became the lowest-opening film in the DC movies by Warner Bros. so far raking only $96 million, which is $70 million less than "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" and $37 million less than "Suicide Squad."
Going into its debut, the film's major problems were no secret. Director Zack Snyder had to leave following a personal tragedy, prompting Joss Whedon to step in for reshoots of a whopping 20 percent of the film. He apparently injected some jokes to lighten the tone.
Warner Bros. also mandated the "Justice League" run time not to exceed two hours, leading to tons of scenes cut, which resulted in an uneven pacing and messy overall plot of a film that should have been around almost three hours.
"Justice League" is not exactly a hit with the critics and its opening was blighted by harsh criticisms. Many were turned off by the "ugliest" and "most pointless" computer-generated imagery and special effects as The Washington Post described it, calling the film "depressingly haphazard and thoughtless." Associated Press was not one to sugar-coat either describing the CG as "oh-so-dumb."
Warner Bros. domestic distribution chief Jeff Goldstein is not losing hope though. Speaking to Business Insider, he said that things can still turn around for "Justice League":
I did have a higher expectation for the three days, [but] this is a big vacation week, and we have an opportunity to get a big audience to see us in a different pattern.
"Justice League" did much better abroad with a $185.5 million opening in 65 markets. He is also counting on the overall B+ rating for the film by CinemaScore and the fact that female moviegoers, who make up almost half of its audience, rated it A– overall.
Clearly there is interest in the movie.
However, one can only wonder how it will affect the cinematic universe it is bound to jumpstart especially with the reputation that it is being painted with and the possibility that Ben Affleck is stepping down from the Batman role.
