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Kim Hollis: Given the $225 million budget for Man of Steel combined with your own perceptions about profitability, what are the domestic/global box office totals you believe Man of Steel needs to justify a Justice League movie? What other factors come in to play in your thought process?

Jay Barney: Great question. While each film is different, I believe that the "true" cost of a film is generally almost twice that of the production budget. I am not sure how this breaks down with Superman. There are probably several markers of success for Warner Brothers.

The first measure of success has to be the opening weekend, and by all accounts the executives have to be drunk with glee at this point. With $128 million in the bank by Sunday night, this film has a shot of surpassing the $225 million number somewhere in week two. The next total they are looking at has to be the numbers of the last attempt to do Superman. This opening ensures the total of the last will be left, way, way behind, so that is another victory for the studio. Domestically, Man of Steel should pass $300 million by the end of its run, probably well above that number. It will have the benefit of the July 4th weekend contributing to a solid hold in the coming weeks, which will push the number higher.

It is amazing how much the box office has changed in the last few years. Where many scoffed at the idea of a film relying on overseas numbers (and some did scoff by the way), studios are now banking on a substantial overseas reception for their movies. The international numbers for Man of Steel should be more than the domestic box office, but what that will be, I am not sure.

Bruce Hall: I'm not sure it's even certain that the success of Man of Steel guarantees a Justice League film. Plus, we don't know enough about Warner Bros' strategy. Are they going to methodically introduce the characters over a number of years via separate films set in the same universe, as happened with Marvel's characters? If so, we're a long way off from the Justice League. David Goyer is on record saying that the just concluded incarnation of Batman takes place in its own reality. If that's true, we're at least going to have to be introduced to a new Batman before this idea goes anywhere. And Green Lantern is still up for a rumored reboot. And we just got through meeting Superman again for the first time. As tempting as it might be to jump on the bandwagon and try to carbon copy The Avengers now, it's hard to see this not being a methodical unveiling in much the same mold. I just don't see how you leave all that money on the table.

I don't know what their plans are, but if Man of Steel's success guarantees anything, it's green lights all down the pipeline for movies based on DC Comics. The only thing that concerns me about this is that DC's stable of heroes and villains isn't quite as robust as Marvel's. With a grittier, more conflicted Superman seeming to be a hit with people, I'm actually pretty curious to see what new interpretations of other familiar characters. I can't guarantee they'll be fun to watch, but they'll probably be fun to talk about.

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