DCU Movies

[Vordan]

I feel like there's some Captain Ahab-type behavior going on at the top. Their white whale is a $300 million blockbuster that makes $1.5+ billion worldwide and creates massive media buzz and spawns a lot of licensed products.

Their greed to get Avengers numbers is what led to their ruin in the first place, so it’s an apt comparison. Should’ve parted ways with Snyder after BvS but they wanted JL now so they stuck with him, and that led to everything that followed.

[Doctor Know]

I feel like there's some Captain Ahab-type behavior going on at the top. Their white whale is a $300 million blockbuster that makes $1.5+ billion worldwide and creates massive media buzz and spawns a lot of licensed products.

Their greed to get Avengers numbers is what led to their ruin in the first place, so it’s an apt comparison. Should’ve parted ways with Snyder after BvS but they wanted JL now so they stuck with him, and that led to everything that followed.

That's an apt metaphor and comparison.

There's an old video of George Lucas talking about how executives and studio heads are not creative people. They only know that an IP makes money, but they don't understand how. So they end up greenlighting every project they can to replicate another person's success.


Case in point, the DCEU trying to replicate the MCU formula. With WB not understanding why the MCU was successful. The MCU started with it's big name characters (Captain America, Thor, Iron Man) and kept them at the center of the Infinity Saga story events. Used them to introduce smaller characters, kept them (mainly Iron Man) the focus of the Avenger's mega-events and then slowly phased in the obscure characters. Looking at how the MCU is on the decline now with Phase 4 and Phase 5. As they have run out of big name characters to tell stories about.

The WB studio heads and executives thought all they needed was to produce any comic book property and it would sell like hotcakes. Instead their plans are imploding for everyone to see.

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Other studios are not immune to this thinking of course. See how Disney has mismanaged Star Wars into the ground. Before Disney, Star Wars was Teflon. Disney released 5 movies in 5 years. The main trilogy movies having their box office returns cut in half from the Force Awakens to Rise of Skywalker. This main trilogy of films being unoriginal copycat clones of Lucas's original movies from the 70s and 80s. The other two movies troubled with productions issues as well. With Rogue One needing 60% of its film to be reshot before completion. And Solo being reshot after the directors Lord and Miller (who are doing gangbusters with their Into the Spider-Verse films) were fired after shooting 80% of the movie. Solo, predictably losing the studio money on release. Add in a series of lackluster shows on Disney+.

Star Wars is in shambles. Their last theater release was in 2019, and there is no date for a return to theaters 4 years later. Disney has had a rotating door of announcements and directors (including WW's own Patty Jenkins assigned to a Rogue Squadron movie) and all of these plans have fallen apart.

With the reported budget of Indiana Jones 5 (another Lucasfilm acquisition), at $295 million. I don't think things are set to change when that film is released later this week.

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Sticking with Disney. Look at how their live action adaptations of their animated catalog has gone over.
Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Jungle Book and the Lion King made a billion each for the studio.


With almost everything else failing to find an audience. These films teetering between bomb and flop.
Dumbo, Mulan, Cruella, Alice Through the Looking Glass, and The Little Mermaid.

The Disney+ exclusives didn't set the world on fire either. Pinocchio, Lady and the Tramp, Peter Pan and Wendy.

A series of diminishing returns with these remakes is what Disney is looking at. And yet they have no plans of stopping.

The Latina Snow White film has been cast. Lilo and Stich and Moana movies are coming next as well. The animated Moana came out 7 years ago. Milk it for all it's worth.

The executives are chasing that billion dollar success they had previously by throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks.

[Leancarp900]

Their greed to get Avengers numbers is what led to their ruin in the first place, so it’s an apt comparison. Should’ve parted ways with Snyder after BvS but they wanted JL now so they stuck with him, and that led to everything that followed.

They didn't really stick with him after BvS. The real problem was that Justice League started filming two weeks after Batman V Superman's release so they didn't have much room for manouver.

Even then, they tried to pivot as much as possible hiring Johns and Berg to rewrite the film on the go and Whedon who eventually took over.

[Leancarp900]

WB isn't immune to this thinking of course. See how Disney has mismanaged Star Wars into the ground. 5 movies in 5 years. The main trilogy movies having their box office returns cut in half from the Force Awakens to Rise of Skywalker. This main trilogy of films being unoriginal copycat clones of Lucas's original movies from the 70s and 80s. The other two movies troubled with productions issues as well. With Rogue One needing 60% of it's film to be reshot before completion. And Solo being reshot after the directors Lord and Miller (who are doing gangbusters with their Into the Spider-Verse films) were fired after shooting 80% of the movie. Solo, predictably losing the studio money on release. Add in a series of lackluster shows on Disney+.

I'm not sure if Lucasfilm really made a mistake firing Lord and Miller from Solo if the latest reports about the Spider-Verse movies are true. These Hollywood studios are dumb but deciding to fire the directors and reshoot 80% of a film is not a decision taken lightly.

[Holt]

Reshoots of that size also generally don't happen just because the directors are being assholes and overworking the crew. While the Spider-Verse reports about the working conditions are pretty damning, I still think the initial claim of differences in artistic vision are what led to the parting of ways for Solo make sense. Particularly when you look at how their response to the divisiveness of The Last Jedi was to create the blandest, safest nothingburger of a movie since... well, the final version of Solo. We'll never know if the Lord and Miller version of Solo was good, but I have a hard time believing it was worse than what was eventually churned out.

[DochaDocha]

I'm not sure if Lucasfilm really made a mistake firing Lord and Miller from Solo if the latest reports about the Spider-Verse movies are true. These Hollywood studios are dumb but deciding to fire the directors and reshoot 80% of a film is not a decision taken lightly.

What was included in these reports? I read a rumor that Miller and Lord had creative clashes with Kathleen Kennedy. If, as a fan, I had to choose the creative direction of A) Kathleen Kennedy or B), I pick B).

[Frontier]

Well, at least people liked Solo .

[Rac7d*]

I feel like there's some Captain Ahab-type behavior going on at the top. Their white whale is a $300 million blockbuster that makes $1.5+ billion worldwide and creates massive media buzz and spawns a lot of licensed products.

Are you a grace Randolph fan?

[DochaDocha]

Are you a grace Randolph fan?

No, don't watch her videos. Apologies if my analogy is not original.

[Vakanai]

I hate the idea of MCU-style consolidation.

Me too. Let's be honest, Joker and The Batman sequels wouldn't happen if Gunn had a say, literally everything would be in his shared universe if he had a choice. So we're not going to get more like that with other characters.

I like Gunn's style and movies, I really do. Super is one of my favorite superhero movies, GotG is a fun ride as was TSS, and Peacemaker was brilliant. But I also like variety. What happens if one of these shared universe movies bomb? They won't reboot one character into a separate universe, the hero who's movie flops just won't get another for as long as the new DCU lasts. Plus over the years I've gotten less and less attached to the MCU because personally it all feels so same-y to me. Say what you will about DC's inconsistency but largely one movie hasn't been same from the last. I like having different styles. I think Gunn is going to push for more of everything feeling the same.

Really wishing we could just go back to superhero movies without the attached universe.

[Colossus1980]

It would be easier to accept the BO bomb of The Flash if it was rotten. But it's still fresh and has a decent rating on IMDB. Too bad the audience couldn't overlook the actor's crimes and sexual orientation.

[Amadeus Arkham]

It would be easier to accept the BO bomb of The Flash if it was rotten. But it's still fresh and has a decent rating on IMDB. Too bad the audience couldn't overlook the actor's crimes and sexual orientation.

I don’t think audiences are even remotely aware of the controversy surrounding Ezra Miller, and Flash’s RT rating isn’t great, or particularly good. It’s barely fresh on the tomato-meter.

[ayanestar]

I don’t think audiences are even remotely aware of the controversy surrounding Ezra Miller, and Flash’s RT rating isn’t great, or particularly good. It’s barely fresh on the tomato-meter.

I highly doubt that because even the mainstream media in my country have been reporting on Ezra nonstop. His controversy stopped being just a Twitter discourse a long time ago.

[Amadeus Arkham]

I highly doubt that because even the mainstream media in my country have been reporting on Ezra nonstop. His controversy stopped being just a Twitter discourse a long time ago.

Well I don’t know about your country but over here in the USA(the biggest box office market in the world). Most aren’t particularly aware, and don’t even know who they even are. I’m sure there are people who refuse to see the movie out of protest over Miller but I’m dubious if it was enough to ever meaningfully impact the box office. Most people I know who saw the film who aren’t on social media wasn’t even aware of the scandals.

[bat39]

Honestly after Arrow I think it's kind of time for a more classic Green Arrow and I think that's what Gunn is going to do.

Me too. Let's be honest, Joker and The Batman sequels wouldn't happen if Gunn had a say, literally everything would be in his shared universe if he had a choice. So we're not going to get more like that with other characters.

I like Gunn's style and movies, I really do. Super is one of my favorite superhero movies, GotG is a fun ride as was TSS, and Peacemaker was brilliant. But I also like variety. What happens if one of these shared universe movies bomb? They won't reboot one character into a separate universe, the hero who's movie flops just won't get another for as long as the new DCU lasts. Plus over the years I've gotten less and less attached to the MCU because personally it all feels so same-y to me. Say what you will about DC's inconsistency but largely one movie hasn't been same from the last. I like having different styles. I think Gunn is going to push for more of everything feeling the same.

Really wishing we could just go back to superhero movies without the attached universe.

This.

I'm already worried that The Batman Part II will be the end of the road for the Reeves/Pattison version in favor of the 'DCU Batman'. A DCU Batman who I hope will be great, but there's a slim chance he might not be (or at any rate, not be remotely as interesting as Pattison's take).