As a seasoned movie critic with decades of experience under my belt, I must say that the recent string of events unfolding at Warner Bros. Discovery is nothing short of a spectacle. The saga of “The Flash” and its colossal flop status has left an indelible mark on Hollywood’s landscape, but it seems that the tale doesn’t end there.
This weekend, as “Joker: Folie a Deux” flopped in cinemas, sparking conversations among film and comic enthusiasts on social media, a common topic was the missed chances that Warner Bros. has overlooked and the questionable decisions they seem to make whenever given an opportunity. The scrapped “Batgirl” movie is often brought up in these discussions, whether it’s during the aftermath of a major box office bomb or when another project meets its end.
In the film “Batgirl,” starring Leslie Grace as the lead character, we see a younger Batman (played by Michael Keaton) guiding her through her superhero journey. However, she must keep her heroic identity a secret from her father, portrayed by J.K. Simmons. The story also features a confrontation with Firefly (Brendan Fraser). Initially budgeted at approximately $90 million and slated for release on Max, the new executives at Warner Bros., following its acquisition by Discovery, decided to substantially cut back on their investments in Max original productions.
Initially planned as a TV production, Batgirl was rumored to possibly debut in cinemas due to its being a major IP. However, its budget being relatively small and the original intention of screening it on smaller devices reportedly made it seem less expensive when transferred to the big screen, potentially giving it a cheap feel.
At approximately the same period, several ventures were either halted or postponed that adhered to similar fundamental criteria: they were too vast for Max’s capabilities and not yet suitable for cinemas. In a select few instances, such as Batgirl, the movies were almost finished before they were axed. The film is said to have received varied feedback during test screenings; however, the decision to discard it was more about finances than creativity. By terminating the movie and listing it as a bad debt, Warner Bros. Discovery allegedly recovered around $30 million in tax benefits.
There was widespread disappointment among fans, filmmakers felt justified (except for Michael Keaton who seemingly accepted his payment and departed), and there have been recurring discussions online about potentially reviving the movie. However, it’s a challenging task since the movie wasn’t fully finished when production halted. Consequently, anyone aiming to distribute it would need to finance the completion of the film and also reimburse the government its $30 due to WBD’s agreement not to profit from this project during the write-down process.
Let’s revisit the topic of “Joker: Folie a Deux”. Comparing the two isn’t straightforward due to the immense success of the original “Joker”, which surpassed $1 billion and dethroned the “Deadpool” movies as the highest-grossing R-rated comic book adaptations, except for the brief period when “Deadpool & Wolverine” took the lead this year. Given its previous earnings, it was logical for Warner Bros. to anticipate a good profit from the sequel. However, they seem to have placed some challenging conditions (a nod to the character’s name, ‘Joker’) in their favor for the second installment.
The estimated budget for “Joker” ranged from around 50 million to 75 million dollars, depending on the reference used. Compared to other comic book movies, this is a relatively small budget. Given its massive box office earnings, it’s expected to hold the title as the most profitable comics adaptation for quite some time. Contrastingly, the second movie reportedly cost 200 million dollars to produce. This means that it would need to earn approximately 400 million dollars just to cover production costs, marketing, and distribution expenses. While this is a significant amount, considering the success of the first film, it does place the second movie at a financial disadvantage, a situation neither “Joker” nor “Batgirl” faced in their productions.
Regarding Batgirl, it seemed Warner Bros. and DC were counting on the film to capitalize on The Flash’s success, as Michael Keaton’s Batman made a significant comeback in that movie. However, unfortunately, The Flash turned out to be one of Warner Bros.’ most costly flops, so there were no coattails for Batgirl to leverage – but it didn’t matter much because Batgirl was already cancelled before The Flash even premiered.
As a gamer, I’d rephrase it like this:
Discovering Warner Bros. through high levels of debt means they must generate substantial income this year to avoid missing loan payments. While CEO David Zaslav has been effective at reducing expenses during his tenure, these cost-cutting measures have strained relationships with talent and viewers. The controversy surrounding the scrapped “Batgirl” film, coupled with Warner’s decision to cancel “Coyote vs. Acme” despite positive test screenings, clearly illustrates the problems many people perceive at WBD. With Discovery’s stock plummeting by approximately 75% since taking over and bills piling up, Zaslav is now confronting his first significant internal pressure, and a failure like this wouldn’t benefit Warner Bros., DC, or Zaslav.
Previously, Warner Bros. could boast about Barbie as a major hit last year, despite ongoing financial losses. There is optimism for several projects scheduled for 2024 and 2025, such as Joker and Superman. Interestingly, fans on the internet have speculated that while Warners cited lukewarm test screenings as the reason behind canceling Batgirl, they never showed Joker: Folie a Deux to audiences, which could imply they suspected it would flop and preferred not to spread the word.
This weekend, Batgirl became a hot topic on social media platforms such as Threads and Twitter, with viewers voicing their concerns over the apparent illogicality of investing $200 million in a film, only to release it despite admitting that the script was being revised during production.
As a passionate gamer and DC fan, let me set the record straight: Contrary to any rumors you might’ve heard, it was never the case that the movie that could potentially harm the DC brand was Batgirl. That’s just plain incorrect! Now, I can’t help but joke about it – maybe they were saving Batgirl for a fresh start following the DC Universe reboot.
User PhillyAxle noted that the Zaslav team didn’t unveil this specific project, yet they’ve put out less appealing films such as “The Flash,” “Joker 2,” and “Aquaman 2.” However, the directors of “Batgirl” shifted focus and delivered a successful summer hit to Sony with their work on the “Bad Boys” film.
After wrapping up projects like “Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom” and “Joker: Folie a Deux,” producers James Gunn and Peter Safran are gearing up to redefine DC’s identity. Let’s hope the lingering odor of past setbacks won’t make their task any more challenging than it appears.
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2024-10-07 19:40