Don't be Easily Swayed: BATMAN V. SUPERMAN is Getting Piled on With Negativity Over a Month Before Release
BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE isn't due out for over a month, however, there are some sites piling on the movie with some negativity without even seeing the movie first.
The movie is in fact somewhat of a risk because every movie is a risk. Studios commit millions and millions of dollars for development, production and marketing of movies this scale and size. So why are some websites piling on it with negativity before it's even been seen by those who are the source of the negativity?
The answer to that question is unknown, but let's look at the sources of all this a-bit-too-early criticism.
First, is from HitFix reporter Drew McWeeney, who claims that Warner Bros. is concerned about the box office performance and reception of BATMAN V. SUPERMAN.
“Warner is a little bit worried. This movie is starting to scare them. It's scaring them because they're showing it to people now, people are actually laying eyes on the film now, and the response has not been what I think they wanted. If I were going to lay a bet on how it may happen – SUICIDE SQUAD: They'll go all-in on. They'll push all their chips in on that and I think SUIDCIDE SQUAD’s going to be a hit for them. I think WONDER WOMAN will be finished the way they're working on it right now and they'll release it. I would be surprised if JUSTICE LEAGUE starts shooting when they say it's going to [this spring], and I would be equally surprised if Zack Snyder directed it.
“My guess is what’s going to happen is, based on what I’m hearing, JUSTICE LEAGUE is going to get moved back and that Ben Affleck Batman movie... that’s what’s going to end up in that spot. My guess is 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.”
So that's a lot to take in but here is in in a nutshell: Warner Bros. is allegedly worried about BATMAN V. SUPERMAN and its profitability. The movie is rumored to have a production cost nearing approximately the $250 million range. This would put its budget in the same range as AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, which made over $1.4 billion worldwide. Those are some big numbers to compete with.
There's another rumor report (via Latino-Review) claiming this movie is already ballooning above $400 million in production and marketing costs so the profit bar may need to be even higher and some analysts think execs will be unhappy with anything less than $1 billion worldwide.
As a quick example to all these cost and performance jargon, think along the lines of Sony's THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 which pulled in over $700 million worldwide but failed to really make an impact with both critics, ticket sales and Sony's profitability line. Just because a movie makes a lot of money, that doesn't mean it's really a success in the eyes of execs who spend hundreds of millions on it.
However, there are other websites who state HitFix's report is a bit too harsh. Batman-on-Film has weighed in and added that they've heard from some who have seen an early edit of the movie and they really liked it.
As a quick example to all these cost and performance jargon, think along the lines of Sony's THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 which pulled in over $700 million worldwide but failed to really make an impact with both critics, ticket sales and Sony's profitability line. Just because a movie makes a lot of money, that doesn't mean it's really a success in the eyes of execs who spend hundreds of millions on it.
However, there are other websites who state HitFix's report is a bit too harsh. Batman-on-Film has weighed in and added that they've heard from some who have seen an early edit of the movie and they really liked it.
"Personally, I think the right term to use is 'nervous' as opposed to 'worried.' With so much riding on BvS, it’s only natural for the studio to be nervous. I can also say that I know some people who have seen the film and they raved about it – which apparently is the opposite."
Regardless of the 'my sources, your sources' back-and-forth game, it all comes down to personal preference. MAN OF STEEL split opinions and it looks like BATMAN V. SUPERMAN might do the same. This could have a big effect on its box office performance especially since critics' thoughts on movies do have some sway to the general audience; and critics have never really fell in love with director Zack Snyder's movies since his top RottenTomatoes score is 75-percent (Dawn of the Dead).
But this is Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman being featured together in a movie for the first time ever. The fandom for these heroes is absolutely huge and the majority of moviegoers will probably see the movie at least once. Whether or not there will be return viewings remains to be seen; and if word-of-mouth leading up to and during opening weekend is not good then the movie may not perform as well as execs want it to.
The final piece of the current negative pile-on is from a new predictive algorithm created by University of Iowa Professor Zang Zhao. Professor Zhao has developed an analytics method to predict movie profit potential. His method gave BATMAN V. SUPERMAN a 32-percent chance of churning out a profit for Warner Bros. Yet do not forget that this method is new and it is definitely not a proven model right now but their predictive analysis will be put to the test very soon.
In the end, don't let any of these reports persuade your expectations because movies are enjoyed differently by everyone. If you want to see it, then go see it and you might really enjoy it while others hate it.
BATMAN V. SUPERMAN releases on March 25.
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But this is Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman being featured together in a movie for the first time ever. The fandom for these heroes is absolutely huge and the majority of moviegoers will probably see the movie at least once. Whether or not there will be return viewings remains to be seen; and if word-of-mouth leading up to and during opening weekend is not good then the movie may not perform as well as execs want it to.
The final piece of the current negative pile-on is from a new predictive algorithm created by University of Iowa Professor Zang Zhao. Professor Zhao has developed an analytics method to predict movie profit potential. His method gave BATMAN V. SUPERMAN a 32-percent chance of churning out a profit for Warner Bros. Yet do not forget that this method is new and it is definitely not a proven model right now but their predictive analysis will be put to the test very soon.
In the end, don't let any of these reports persuade your expectations because movies are enjoyed differently by everyone. If you want to see it, then go see it and you might really enjoy it while others hate it.
BATMAN V. SUPERMAN releases on March 25.
Related Posts:
Toy Fair 2016: Photos of Mattel's BATMAN V. SUPERMAN Toys and Their Amazing City Display
These Are the 16 GIFs From the Final BATMAN V. SUPERMAN Trailer You've Been Looking For
Funko Releases BATMAN V. SUPERMAN Teaser Video to Promote its DC Legion of Collectors Box