New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

Jason Barney: I think the course can be corrected, but it certainly feels like the DC Universe is floundering a bit right now. I finally saw the film this weekend, and it wasn't as bad as I had heard. However, walking out and saying, "well, that didn't suck as much as I thought it would," is not a ringing endorsement either. I think $1 billion worldwide is now out of the picture, but I wouldn't be surprised if Batman vs Superman chugs along and passes $900 million. It will be tight, and at the end of its run it is going to need much better holds. Of course, much smaller numbers are involved now.

In the end, the difference to WB will be in the details. If it was truly mega expensive and it needed to get over $1 billion worldwide to make a profit then the future of the brand has some questions. If it was a bit cheaper than some are speculating, then it is already approaching profitability. If that is the case, the effort of expanding the DC universe will continue.

I think the best way to look at this though is such a missed opportunity. If you think of box office potential here, Batman vs Superman failed miserably. When a film creates significant buzz - like Star Wars did, Jurassic World, like The Jungle Book did this weekend - then the support from movie goers can bring a studio A LOT of money. Here we are, Batman v Superman has been in theaters for four weekends and it is already below $10 million dollars for the weekend? Ouch. Think of it...two of the most iconic comic book characters, and this is the result? Maybe I am being critical, but the final result could have been so much better. It could have earned so much more money.

Felix Quinonez: I think that DC/WB definitely left a lot of money on the table. I really believe that this should have been a way bigger movie. I think that it is insane that a Deadpool movie will most likely outgross a Batman/Superman movie domestically.Up until a couple of months ago most people hadn't even heard of Deadpool. But Batman and Superman are icons. People who have never even picked up a comic book know these characters, yet somehow their first time on the big screen together won't outgross Deadpool.

And as far as the future of the DC Cinematic universe goes, I definitely think that they are losing audience interest. Their situation is by no means a disaster, but I believe DC definitely needs to make some changes.

David Mumpower: I called it a disaster weeks before anybody else since the underlying math of it was so pointed. This is the box office equivalent of jumping off Mount Everest sans a parachute. The audience reception to Batman v Superman on opening weekend was harshly negative (a B Cinemascore from superfans might as well be an F), and the situation has only degraded from there. Worldwide, its box office performance is as consistent as it is stunning. The film sits at $95 million in China, and it won't reach $100 million since it's dying at such a historic pace.

Putting a bow on this one, many of us expressed disappointment over the performance of The Dark Knight Rises. That film debuted four years ago and was promptly met with headline-grabbing tragedy. Despite all its struggles, it's going to surpass Dawn of Justice by more than $100 million domestically AND internationally. That's despite four years of box office inflation plus international theatrical expansion. It simply shouldn't be possible, and that's before we factor in the introduction of a second iconic intellectual property in Superman. Three years ago, I repeatedly stated that Man of Steel was a much larger failure than anybody appreciated. Man of Steel 2 bears the onus of its infrastructural failures. Audiences wanted to see a more engaging, less oppressive and - let's be honest - LESS STUPID version of Batman and Superman. Zack Snyder couldn't even clear a hurdle that low.

I've maintained for the body of a year that the most important WB/DC film this year is Suicide Squad. That's because I saw Dawn of Justice's disappointment as a foregone conclusion. The story of DC villains can redeem the brand a bit if it's good and, most importantly, less oppressive. Then, they can follow with Wonder Woman, the only DC character that wasn't damaged significantly by Batman v Superman, even if her introduction was lacking overall (my non-comic reading brother asked me after the movie who she was...that's how poorly Snyder handled her character). If Suicide Squad AND Wonder Woman are both good movies, they can regain the momentum they've lost here. Should either of those films bust, the WB/DC slate of movies that they're promising will each face a difficult uphill struggle to excel.

To a larger point, if I sat on the Time Warner board of directors, I would have wanted everybody involved with this fiasco's resignation on my desk two weeks ago. A failure this total on a project this seminal to the short term future of the company is wholly unacceptable.

Continued:       1       2