It is looking increasingly likely that DC has fallen short of expectations, both financial and critical, yet again. For the past year, fans have been hyping themselves up over the release of DC’s version of ‘The Avengers’, the ‘Justice League’ film. The Justice League is the most iconic superhero team in comic book history and it features some of the heaviest hitters from the industry: Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Superman and the Flash. Unfortunately, DC and director Zack Snyder have apparently fallen short as box office returns show that ‘Justice League’ won’t be able to outpace even ‘Man of Steel’, one of their first entries into the DCEU. For reference, this news would be like saying ‘Iron Man 1’ out-performed ‘The Avengers’ at the box-office. It’s just crazy and an indicator that things might not be well at DC.
What makes the feel particularly bad about these recent box office revelations is the fact that DC Pulled out all of the stops in order to make sure ‘Justice League’ had real support at the box office. The Justice League cast features A-List talent across the board with Ezra Miller, Ben Affleck, Jason Momoa, Gal Gadot and Henry Cavill. Despite this A-List lineup and the massive budget, the Justice League film didn’t hit any of the most important marks. The film follows villain Steppenwolf as he seeks to reclaim all of the lost Mother Boxes in order to terraform Earth and turn it into his new home. Batman is tasked with pulling together a team of heroes to put an end to his villainy and a ton of action sequences follow.
Despite the critical and commercial reception, ‘Justice League’ looked like a step in the right direction for the franchise and the inter-connected universe. Ben Affleck looks to have finally found his rhythm as Batman and Ezra Miller is revelatory as The Flash, constantly sparking smiles with timely quips and great comedic acting. Jason Momoa looks the part of Atlantean hero and fans should be excited to see his spin-off work. Finally, Gal Gadot again wows as the powerful and beautiful hero, Wonder Woman. If DC wants to survive these recent box office returns, they need to take what they did well in ‘Justice League’ and ignore what they did wrong — rushing the story, thinning out character development, and focusing on spectacle over fun. If DC can make this difference then ther emight be hope for the future of the franchise.
