It’s just over a month from the theatrical release of Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice . While many moviegoers are excited about seeing how Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck’s titanic superheroes will fare, speculation has emerged that teases Warner Bros., the studio that is financing and releasing the blockbuster, might actually be nervous about its release.
Insiders and sources close to the film’s production have revealed that studios heads over at Warner Bros. are becoming increasingly concerned that Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice isn’t going to be the huge, critical and box office hit that they planned.
Sources close to Drew McWeeny over at HitFix revealed the apparent problems that Warner Bros. have with Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice. However it should also be noted that these haven’t been confirmed and, at the moment, are still purely speculation.
Head to head. #WhoWillWin #BatmanvSuperman pic.twitter.com/jRyom7IJST
— Batman v Superman (@BatmanvSuperman) February 19, 2016
McWeeny’s sources have insisted that Warner Bros. heads are worried that Zack Snyder’s blockbuster will once again prove to be divisive with critics. This was the case with 2013’s Man Of Steel, the origin for Superman, which kickstarted the DC cinematic universe.
Warner Bros. was hoping that wouldn’t be the case with Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice, which they hoped would be more like Star Wars: The Force Awakens , which, almost universally, was adored by critics and fans alike. Instead, following screenings and the divisive fan reaction to trailers and clips, they’re now under the assumption that it will once again divide moviegoers.
That’s not to say that they’re not happy with Zack Snyder’s work on the film. It’s just that they understand that the film isn’t to everyone’s tastes, and it could potentially trigger a debate among fans. That’s likely to affect its box office return, which is exactly what’s making Warner Bros. nervous.
The studio has spent upwards of $400 million on producing the film and marketing it. In order for it to make a profit, it will need to gross around $1 billion. If it doesn’t, then Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice will be considered a box office failure.
Which is a huge problem because it’s supposed to kick-start the studio’s new cinematic universe, which will includes films for Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Shazam, Cyborg, Green Lantern, and The Flash. Insiders at HitFix have reported that if Batman v Superman is a box office flop, then they might change their entire plan for expanding their DC cinematic universe.
McWeeny explained, “My guess is what’s going to happen is based on what I’m hearing… is Justice League is going to get moved back and that Ben Affleck movie, that’s what’s going to end up in that spot. My guess is that they’re going to throw whatever money it takes at Ben Affleck to make that Batman film happen sooner rather than later.”
“They’re going to need to rebuild again, they’re going to need to win people over, they’re going to need to lay some different groundwork. I don’t think this is going to be the springboard into the Justice League that they wanted it to be.”
God vs. man. Day vs. night. #BatmanvSuperman #WhoWillWin https://t.co/v7ObfipyER
— Batman v Superman (@BatmanvSuperman) February 15, 2016
McWeeny has speculated that Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman will be released as planned, but that Warner Bros. will then have a long hard think about how to proceed regarding the other Justice League characters.
However, there have been some positives to have emerged from the early screenings for Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice. Ben Affleck and Jesse Eisenberg’s performances as Batman and Lex Luthor have been widely praised as the best in the film. Fans will get to see if that’s the case when Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice is finally released on March 25.
[Image via Warner Bros.]
