SUICIDE SQUAD Backlash: Pressure to Perform Positively is on WONDER WOMAN and JUSTICE LEAGUE More Than Ever

Editorial: Warner Bros. and DC Films have found it harder to launch their own connected super hero movie universe than studio executives expected it to be. Critical acclaim has been tough to come by after Christopher Nolan's widely beloved DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY was embraced by critics as well as fans.

MAN OF STEEL, BATMAN V. SUPERMAN and now SUICIDE SQUAD haven't received the best reviews and scores, but the studio is committed to moving forward with their DC Extended Universe (DCEU) plan, which was revealed in October 2014. MAN OF STEEL and BATMAN V. SUPERMAN may not have received great scores, or positive word-of-mouth, to sustain themselves in longer, more profitable theatrical runs — SUICIDE SQUAD is, unfortunately, trending on that similar path.

However, the studio needs to be very careful moving forward as critical and fan disappointment could lead to a fall in interest in future DC super hero movies. There needs to be a better balance of getting some critics to like your movie as well as appeasing fans in order to sustain long term success and box office viability. This is even more important if SUICIDE SQUAD has a big drop-off in its second weekend in theaters. If it does have a big drop then this seems to be the new trend at Warner Bros. seeing as how BATMAN V. SUPERMAN had a huge drop-off in its second weekend of release.

The movies aren't losing money, even though they aren't making much in profits either, but the lack of a bigger critical appeal and a lack of sustainability to bring moviegoers back to the theaters after its opening weekend are troubling signs for the future of the DCEU. WONDER WOMAN is up next on June 2, 2017 followed by JUSTICE LEAGUE on November 17, 2017. Next year already looks to be a pressure-filled, make-or-break year for Warner Bros. and DC Films.

WONDER WOMAN already finished filming and is in post-production. Reshoots are coming soon and Warner Bros. execs need to stay away from the movie in post-production and during the editing process — as reportedly happened with SUICIDE SQUAD — so her movie can be steered away from being yet another DCEU letdown. Sure, that's a negative view on WONDER WOMAN, whose first trailer looks really great, but having it a period piece movie could be its saving grace. It could help this film act as more of a standalone, origin movie since it's based in the past, in World War I.

JUSTICE LEAGUE didn't need any more pressure on it after director Zack Snyder failed to impress critics with his previous two DCEU movies. Especially when BATMAN V. SUPERMAN did not break the $1 billion worldwide box office barrier it should have been destined to achieve.

The first teaser for JUSTICE LEAGUE looks to have more fun and humor in it than Snyder's dark and gloomy BATMAN V. SUPERMAN, but SUICIDE SQUAD also looked fun in its trailers. Unfortunately, what you saw for SUICIDE SQUAD in its trailers and spot was pretty much most of the movie's fun. Maybe JUSTICE LEAGUE can pull it off, but it's honestly starting to be hard to stay as optimistic as you may have been prior to BATMAN V. SUPERMAN, and now SUICIDE SQUAD, releasing.

The point of all of this is to say that if Warner Bros. execs were paranoid after BATMAN V. SUPERMAN, they must be even more paranoid now that SUICIDE SQUAD is out and mirroring the reception of BATMAN V. SUPERMAN. It's not a good look for the studio and their DC movie brand, for sure. Even though these movie aren't losing money they aren't making big profits either. The name of the game for any studio is making profit, and you can only go on so long when you're just breaking even or making minimal profits on big budget movies.

SUICIDE SQUAD was never supposed to help right the DCEU ship. It was supposed to bring a different flavor into the DCEU as well as the super hero movie genre, but BATMAN V. SUPERMAN forced that role onto SUICIDE SQUAD.

Which brings us to the fact that now WONDER WOMAN and JUSTICE LEAGUE have all the pressure on their shoulders next year. Warner Bros. has to breakthrough to critics as well as many fans to get more repeat viewings and a legit positive buzz surrounding their movies. If they can't do this in 2017, then there's always a chance the DCEU could end just as fast as the studio tried to build it. (Which seems to be way too fast.)

This was said after BATMAN V. SUPERMAN and it will be said again after SUICIDE SQUAD: Warner Bros. needs to fix whatever internal issues and problems keep arising behind the studios' closed doors. If they don't then all it is doing is hurting the super hero movie genre and that's not a good thing at all for DC and Marvel fans everywhere.

Written by Daniel Wolf, Founder & Publisher, DailySuperHero.com


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