Justice league box office: What went wrong

[AJBopp]

That's good for WW but if this movie bombs that's a wrap for an expanded dcu. There's not gonna be a Flash or Aquaman movie.

There already is an Aquaman movie. How about we wait to see how that one does before making predictions beyond that?

[Bukdiah]

Poor reception is probably what doomed it, as well as other factors that many others have mentioned like DC's shittier efforts (BvS and SS). This was the same thing that killed Baywatch and Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man Tell No Tales opening weeks.

[Da Boat]

Reminder that these movies were not huge box office successes. They did just well enough to justify making another one. I suspect JL will, as well. This movie isn't likely to change the game, just continue the game.

The difference is, perhaps, a preconceived notion that Justice League being Justice League, they could put anything on the screen and it would do extraordinary, which does not seem to be born out so far.

Even with horrible word of mouth for B v S and SS, they made 873 and 745. It was especially impressive for SS that is relatively a smaller flick that made this much. I mean the first Guardian of the Galaxy made 773 and was considered a phenomena.

[CliffHanger2]

There already is an Aquaman movie. How about we wait to see how that one does before making predictions beyond that?

Okay but if JL doesn't do well I wouldn't be too optimistic about Aquaman.

[Tomzilla]

It’s very easy to determine what went wrong with Justice League’s box office performance. Simply put, not enough people forked over money to see it. I’ll take my Captain Obvious hat off for a second and give my two cents on what I think they—WB/DC’s executive heads—should do moving forward.

1) At the heart of it all, prioritize your characters. I liked Justice League because they finally got the characters right. Not just in terms of presentation, but in their characterizations. If Superman looks like Superman and behaves like Superman, then you’re getting my money. Don’t even think about the script until you have your characters primed and ready to go. It looked like that didn’t happen until the mid-filming/post-production phase. Better late than never.

2) Reconsider telling origin stories by first creating a demand for one. Mystery and suspense is what makes any story intriguing, but it’s not what defines these characters. Reveal their origin tales only if it adds anything of worth to the overall narrative. I liked Aquaman in this movie because I didn’t know much about his history. Now I’m intrigued; now there is a demand. Give me a little bit of what I want while simultaneously delivering so much more. No matter what you do, make sure the character’s journey runs unabated.

2.5) Please, please have a solid plan. All the stories happening from behind the scenes makes me think they didn’t prepare well.

3) “Aim small, miss small.” Look, world building is fun. It’s the reason why we’re here. But we need to stop planning for that sweet ass future, because there’s no guarantee we will ever get there. At the same time, I get it—a cinematic universe is much more fun, exciting, and profitable. All the more reason why you should never, under any circumstances, compromise the story of a film you’re working on in the present for an imaginary list of films you haven’t even made yet. Current film(s) in the here and now take priority. Always.

4) Consistency is key. Your actors are the literal faces of your stories. We want to keep them in the game from the beginning till end, with very few exceptions. When you bring them onboard, make sure they’re bringing more than just their acting abilities. Are they talented in other aspects? Are they great collaborators? Great! Utilize their talents.

5) If you have an overarching plot, cool. Keep it subtle and simple. Make sure it remains in the background. Only when you combine all these films together does the connecting pieces come together. But you need to earn it.

[kingaliencracker]

LOTS of reasons...

1) Bad reviews.

2) Zack Snyder.

3) WB Interference.

4) Bad release date.

5) Not a very memorable movie.

[Bukdiah]

Okay but if JL doesn't do well I wouldn't be too optimistic about Aquaman.

Aquaman doesn't even seem like a breakout star. I'd lean more towards Flash being a fan favorite during my two viewings of JL. Your results may vary of coruse.

[AJBopp]

Okay but if JL doesn't do well I wouldn't be too optimistic about Aquaman.

It's not a Snyder film, so that's a giant thing in its favor.

That shouldn't be interpreted as me being optimistic. I didn't like Wonder Woman either, but given the critical and popular reception of that film, I have to assume that's on me, and not the film. Still, I doubt Aquaman will work for me personally, but I think that it stands a good chance of doing well.

[Bukdiah]

Even with horrible word of mouth for B v S and SS, they made 873 and 745. It was especially impressive for SS that is relatively a smaller flick that made this much. I mean the first Guardian of the Galaxy made 773 and was considered a phenomena.

It's possible that after viewing BvS and SS, most people gave up on the DCEU in general and didn't bother seeing JL.

[CliffHanger2]

Aquaman doesn't even seem like a breakout star. I'd lean more towards Flash being a fan favorite during my two viewings of JL. Your results may vary of coruse.

I thought Flash was funny and a lot of ppl in theater laughed at his jokes and innocence. He had a bad sense of direction lol I can relate to that. But yeah again it's a crap shoot. Even tho I thought Momoa was good but if ppl don't see his debut...

[Bukdiah]

It's not a Snyder film, so that's a giant thing in its favor.

That shouldn't be interpreted as me being optimistic. I didn't like Wonder Woman either, but given the critical and popular reception of that film, I have to assume that's on me, and not the film. Still, I doubt Aquaman will work for me personally, but I think that it stands a good chance of doing well.

I think what WW had going for it was people clamoring for one for years and the whole "girl power" narrative thrown in a lot of the promotional material for it. I thought WW was alright, but not this Citizen Kane of superhero movies that most touted it to be.

[kingaliencracker]

It's possible that after viewing BvS and SS, most people gave up on the DCEU in general and didn't bother seeing JL.

That would only make sense if Wonder Woman didn't come out in between and do very well.

[Bukdiah]

I thought Flash was funny and a lot of ppl in theater laughed at his jokes and innocence. He had a bad sense of direction lol I can relate to that. But yeah again it's a crap shoot. Even tho I thought Momoa was good but if ppl don't see his debut...

See, I hated Ezra Miller from jump street, so his/their protrayal of Barry as this awkward, unintelligent (I hope this is East) clown really irked me lmao. They basically Felecity Smoak'd his ass. Have him stammer a lot like, "Er, um, uuuuh", high voice, quick speech patterns, and silly facial expressions. I'm just not a fan of that kinda character type, so for that to be the comedic crutch wasn't doing it for me.

[AJBopp]

That would only make sense if Wonder Woman didn't come out in between and do very well.

The marketing made this movie look much more like BvS than Wonder Woman, to me.

[kingaliencracker]

The marketing made this movie look much more like BvS than Wonder Woman, to me.

I thought the marketing focused a ton on Wonder Woman. She featured heavily in the TV spots and trailers.