The fledgling DC Extended Universe has struggled to find its feet.
Wonder Woman notwithstanding, Warner’s superhero franchise continues to be associated with messy, convoluted movies that fall flat at the global box office. And that’s despite being loaded with cinematic potential.
From Man of Steel to Suicide Squad to Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, each DCEU project has failed to leave much of an impression on its audience. But nowhere was that apathy more apparent than the release and subsequent failure of Justice League. On paper, Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon’s DC mega-movie was a guaranteed hit, one that would muscle its way into the billion-dollar club without so much as breaking a sweat.
However, with Justice League now available across Blu-ray and DVD, today’s final box office numbers reveal that Snyder’s doomed masterpiece is officially the lowest-grossing DCEU movie yet at $657.9 million.
That worldwide cume means Justice League is currently rock bottom of the franchise’s box office standings, behind Man of Steel ($668.0 million), Suicide Squad ($746.8 million), Wonder Woman ($821.8 million) and Batman V Superman, which collected a grand total of $873.6 million back in 2016.
By stark contrast, Wonder Woman exceeded expectations with its global haul, while David Ayer’s Suicide Squad still managed to turn a profit despite extensive reshoots. And sure enough, each film was awarded a sequel of its own – Wonder Woman 2, for instance, is expected to start shooting this summer ahead of a release in November of 2019 – though the fate of Justice League is still subject to debate.
Chances are Warner Bros. will hold fire until The Batman has taken flight, but we’ll be keeping a close eye on the DC Extended Universe as time wears on. Stay tuned for more.