‘Suicide Squad’ Has DC Crossing Their Fingers While Marvel Kicks Back

A recent op-ed piece, published on VOX, took Suicide Squad to task as the example of where DC goes wrong with their marketing decisions, in comparison with Marvel as the brand which takes more time expand their universe, in light of the bad reception the movie has received since release.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hftULluFwOs

It’s only one of the latest pieces of criticism to be published about Suicide Squad, which tries to make the point that Marvel is dedicated to staying true to their characters in contrast with those behind the DC films.

And while some of Marvel’s directors have gone on record to say some very negative things about their relationship with the studio, they also go on record to say that they are grounded with that universe. One would be a bit hard-pressed to find how loyal some of these directors are for the DC universe.

In this case, Suicide Squad director David Ayer was caught joining a explicit chant by a group who were united against Marvel, in words that cannot be published here, according to the VOX article above, which could be seen as showing true loyalty to DC.

Almost everyone today appears to be a casual fan of DC comics’ characters, which have been showcased around the Batman franchise. Those directors who have gone on to establish themselves with those movies could be seen as either having enough respect for the material to keep it grounded to the source — such as Christopher Nolan is said to — or even less where they’ve even taken liberties with some of the basics, such as anyone else who has made a Batman movie around Nolan.

Christopher Nolan On DC’s Shared Universe: ‘I Don’t Want Hollywood To Hit Saturation Point’

Perhaps the reported problems with Suicide Squad cannot be blamed on Director David Ayer, because according to an article by Hollywood Reporter, the high anxiety of the rushed production was really stressing him out, since they gave him six weeks to write the script and it was “go time” from that point on.

The article refers to the studio’s idea that they can get a less-experienced director to helm these movies, put them to the grind to turn out a tent-pole movie such as Suicide Squad because the more seasoned ones are more expensive and they would take more time.

Those familiar with Ayer’s other films, such as Training Day and Fury, are aware of his style, and whether he compromised any of it during the making of Suicide Squad is up to him. As it is also mentioned that he was on board even when the studio rejected his more somber version for something more light-hearted, and they ended up bringing in other editors until they felt they had it right.

And while David Ayer got through the process and made the deadline, due to the bad reviews mounting against both Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad, the only thing the studio can rely on is the box office draw and the hope that those earnings won’t be waning anytime soon as they’ve been working towards the $1 billion dollar mark, similar to what Nolan’s Batman movies drew.

But there are also other concerns around Suicide Squad as Nerd Bastards reported yesterday that South Africa’s Die Antwoord are attacking director David Ayer for stealing their style for the movie.

Thus far, the wave of criticism appears to have grown much bigger than those cheering for Suicide Squad, which certainly puts that box office draw at risk, which is currently at about $326.1M, according to Deadline.

While the approach to the making of and reception to Suicide Squad is said to not be consistent, perhaps judging from the reports between the two studio brands, Marvel will continue their tradition of guarantees while DC continues their tradition of high-anxiety and panic.

[Image by Warner Bros.]