Justice league box office: What went wrong

[Da Boat]

Movie only made 219 domestically. Holly crap, I didn't know it was this bad. I thought it would reach at least 800 globally. Which even then it wouldn't have been profitable. Now they get 600?

[robreedwrites]

If the estimates for this weekend end up holding, it looks like Justice League lost to Thor: Ragnarok on Friday, but won the weekend. For as low of an opening weekend Justice League had, it held up pretty well against Thor: Ragnarok, having won every day up until now. That might not mean much, considering it lost the actual battle for dollars, but I was thinking it would have fallen behind Ragnarok before December was over when Star Wars flattened everything else.

On more of a downer note, it's pretty much going to end its theatrical run at ~$230m domestic and ~$660m Worldwide, less in both categories than any other DCEU movie.

[Osiris-Rex]

If the estimates for this weekend end up holding, it looks like Justice League lost to Thor: Ragnarok on Friday, but won the weekend. For as low of an opening weekend Justice League had, it held up pretty well against Thor: Ragnarok, having won every day up until now. That might not mean much, considering it lost the actual battle for dollars, but I was thinking it would have fallen behind Ragnarok before December was over when Star Wars flattened everything else.

On more of a downer note, it's pretty much going to end its theatrical run at ~$230m domestic and ~$660m Worldwide, less in both categories than any other DCEU movie.

Though Justice League does have the second highest foreign box-office of the DCEU movies. Only Batman v Superman is higher foreign. Where Justice League crapped the bed is domestic.

[XPac]

If the estimates for this weekend end up holding, it looks like Justice League lost to Thor: Ragnarok on Friday, but won the weekend. For as low of an opening weekend Justice League had, it held up pretty well against Thor: Ragnarok, having won every day up until now. That might not mean much, considering it lost the actual battle for dollars, but I was thinking it would have fallen behind Ragnarok before December was over when Star Wars flattened everything else.

On more of a downer note, it's pretty much going to end its theatrical run at ~$230m domestic and ~$660m Worldwide, less in both categories than any other DCEU movie.

$660m wouldn't be all that bad if they didn't need $750m to break even (assuming the info on Wikipedia is accurate). Not great but not bad. Maybe they just need to work on spending less money on these things. I think at this point it's obvious they're not going to hit the billion mark like the Avengers did anytime soon. So maybe instead of competing with the Avengers, simply focusing on just making a profit is to way to go.

[WontonGirl]

$660m wouldn't be all that bad if they didn't need $750m to break even (assuming the info on Wikipedia is accurate). Not great but not bad. Maybe they just need to work on spending less money on these things. I think at this point it's obvious they're not going to hit the billion mark like the Avengers did anytime soon. So maybe instead of competing with the Avengers, simply focusing on just making a profit is to way to go.

I think it was just not set up as well as they thought. I think they should have had more movies before the JL movie to help build things up. And less CGI. A lot of fans listed that as a complaint.

Spend less on CGI and just do more with sets, locations and wire work with the actors.

[Powerboy]

$660m wouldn't be all that bad if they didn't need $750m to break even (assuming the info on Wikipedia is accurate). Not great but not bad. Maybe they just need to work on spending less money on these things. I think at this point it's obvious they're not going to hit the billion mark like the Avengers did anytime soon. So maybe instead of competing with the Avengers, simply focusing on just making a profit is to way to go.

I remember seeing Richard Hatch at a sci fi convention just before the remake of Battlestar Galactica started.

One thing he said was that he would talk to people in the movie industry in the effects, prop, costuming and pretty much all the departments on a regular basis. These are people, especially the Heads of the departments, who have a very solid idea about how much movies cost to make.

As they watch some of these movies, including ones they were involved with themselves, they are flabbergasted by these claims that a movie cost $100 million or even $200 million to make. Most of them say they cannot see how any of these movies cost more than half or less than half of the claims.

In the opinion of many of these people, what's really happening is the same as most big businesses, that more and more of the budget is really just being funneled into the bank accounts of executives in charge or right back into the business. [Here, Hatch went through the motions of folding money and putting it into his pocket to indicate where he thinks a lot of this money is really going].

Generally, it sounds really impressive to say a movie cost $100 million (or more like $200 million now) because they must really have sparred no expense if it cost that much. But apparently a lot of people in the industry suspect those are jacked up figures because they sound impressive and they line the pockets of people at the top.

So I wouldn't necessarily assume that there won't be a sequel because the movie didn't make money. Then again, I suppose if a significant portion of the budget is in executive pockets, it comes back to the same thing.

[Judge Dredd]

$660m wouldn't be all that bad if they didn't need $750m to break even (assuming the info on Wikipedia is accurate). Not great but not bad. Maybe they just need to work on spending less money on these things. I think at this point it's obvious they're not going to hit the billion mark like the Avengers did anytime soon. So maybe instead of competing with the Avengers, simply focusing on just making a profit is to way to go.

If that is the true breaking even point for them then they messed up even worse on the movie then I thought. I know it is wiki so take it with a grain of salt, but even with blu-ray/dvd release they will probably just break even. Really hope they do a massive creative shake up before doing a sequel.

[Carabas]

I remember seeing Richard Hatch at a sci fi convention just before the remake of Battlestar Galactica started.

One thing he said was that he would talk to people in the movie industry in the effects, prop, costuming and pretty much all the departments on a regular basis. These are people, especially the Heads of the departments, who have a very solid idea about how much movies cost to make.

As they watch some of these movies, including ones they were involved with themselves, they are flabbergasted by these claims that a movie cost $100 million or even $200 million to make. Most of them say they cannot see how any of these movies cost more than half or less than half of the claims.

In the opinion of many of these people, what's really happening is the same as most big businesses, that more and more of the budget is really just being funneled into the bank accounts of executives in charge or right back into the business. [Here, Hatch went through the motions of folding money and putting it into his pocket to indicate where he thinks a lot of this money is really going].

Generally, it sounds really impressive to say a movie cost $100 million (or more like $200 million now) because they must really have sparred no expense if it cost that much. But apparently a lot of people in the industry suspect those are jacked up figures because they sound impressive and they line the pockets of people at the top.

So I wouldn't necessarily assume that there won't be a sequel because the movie didn't make money. Then again, I suppose if a significant portion of the budget is in executive pockets, it comes back to the same thing.

I would not be surprised if this is true, but it does not change the fact that the movie does need 750 million to break even.

[choptop]

I would not be surprised if this is true, but it does not change the fact that the movie does need 750 million to break even.

I really don't think 750 is true.

[Emperor-of-Dragons]

I remember seeing Richard Hatch at a sci fi convention just before the remake of Battlestar Galactica started.

One thing he said was that he would talk to people in the movie industry in the effects, prop, costuming and pretty much all the departments on a regular basis. These are people, especially the Heads of the departments, who have a very solid idea about how much movies cost to make.

As they watch some of these movies, including ones they were involved with themselves, they are flabbergasted by these claims that a movie cost $100 million or even $200 million to make. Most of them say they cannot see how any of these movies cost more than half or less than half of the claims.

In the opinion of many of these people, what's really happening is the same as most big businesses, that more and more of the budget is really just being funneled into the bank accounts of executives in charge or right back into the business. [Here, Hatch went through the motions of folding money and putting it into his pocket to indicate where he thinks a lot of this money is really going].

I have heard people bring this up before about other movies. I forget which ones but the budget definitely wasn't for the film lol

[kidfresh512]

Its not the audiences fault that a movie featuring some of the most well known characters in comics/pop culture period isn't wildly profitable and blowing people away.
They can't blame anyone but themselves. The production was a mess, the reshoots were expensive and lavish and changes at that late a date just added to the disjointed hacked together mess.

Warner/DC has a fundamental production writing problem on these things. They sway too much DURING production and writing and even filming at what they "think" audiences want. Rather than being confident and having a vision and sticking with it. It shows every time.

[Osiris-Rex]

I think it was just not set up as well as they thought. I think they should have had more movies before the JL movie to help build things up. And less CGI. A lot of fans listed that as a complaint.

Spend less on CGI and just do more with sets, locations and wire work with the actors.

I hear this a lot. People think just because Marvel did it that way they assume everyone else needs to do it the same way. But what works for Marvel isn't always going to work for everyone else. I think just
the opposite is the case. I think the problem with Justice League was Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad coming before it. Even Man of Steel. The poor reception of those movies is what tanked
Justice League. If Justice League had come out first I think it would have done a lot better. In fact having a movie with all the characters in it first paves the way for solo movies of each character. You got to
meet them in Justice League, now here is their story. It was sort of how Wonder Woman was introduced. You got to meet her in BvS, then you got her story.Plus we have been overloaded with CGI by now
and have become jaded. I think if JL had come out first people would have been blown away by the CGI. It's what made the first Star Wars and Avatar work, people had never seen effects like that before.

[skyvolt2000]

I really don't think 750 is true.

Well think about this-

Cost for the movie and everyone on the staff including actors.

Cost for ads for the movie on and offline.

Cost for all those TOYS and merchandise that no one wants. While some of that stuff was repaints of older stuff, how much was new designs and molds? Like Cyborg? It can't be by accident that some of his figures looked like the Goldar old from movie Power Rangers.
You think Wal-Mart is really happy with those unsold JL toys? That are in bulk? While last minute release Black Panther toys vanished off the shelves and in some places here SOLD OUT within hours of release on New Years?

Cost for Dvd, Blue Ray and whatever else for the home market.

How many other folks have to be paid from that 750?

[Da Boat]

Though Justice League does have the second highest foreign box-office of the DCEU movies. Only Batman v Superman is higher foreign. Where Justice League crapped the bed is domestic.

I find more and more that domestic people are smarter than the foreign ones. Don't worry I'm foreign.

[choptop]

Well think about this-

Cost for the movie and everyone on the staff including actors.

Cost for ads for the movie on and offline.

Cost for all those TOYS and merchandise that no one wants. While some of that stuff was repaints of older stuff, how much was new designs and molds? Like Cyborg? It can't be by accident that some of his figures looked like the Goldar old from movie Power Rangers.
You think Wal-Mart is really happy with those unsold JL toys? That are in bulk? While last minute release Black Panther toys vanished off the shelves and in some places here SOLD OUT within hours of release on New Years?

Cost for Dvd, Blue Ray and whatever else for the home market.

How many other folks have to be paid from that 750?

I don't know about the toy stuff but as far as I do know it doesn't count for the movies budget or profit.