Being someone who loves both DC and Marvel, you’d better believe I enjoy the current era in which we live. I mean, not only can I find the characters I adore in comic books on a regular basis, but they now prominently feature in movies and TV shows like never before.
As fate would have it, Marvel has been the brand that’s really taken off in recent years, as success in the realm of cinema does have quite the trickle-down effect to other forms of media. Numbers don’t lie, as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have proven at the box office time and again.
Still, it’s important we not forget that DC-based flicks have raked in some generous dough as well. One fine example is that of Suicide Squad. Though it didn’t please every critic on the planet, it was a hit at theaters and made a generous amount of money in merchandise.
Funny that I should mention that movie because the man who played the Joker in it, Jared Leto, recently told Variety that he believes the DCEU and DC’s films in general have resonated with audiences in a way similar to that of Marvel’s:
“Oh, I think it has. Just ask Jason Momoa. […] I mean, I think Wonder Woman was one of the more exciting things ever to happen. You know, it was phenomenal, it was a beautiful performance. I think the DC world’s been pretty great, for a long time. You can’t win every single time… but no, I think they’re doing just fine. People loved Shazam!, I haven’t seen it yet […], I mean people really loved that film. You know, sometimes… who’s perfect? I’m not.”
Hey, he’s right about those offerings. Even though Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League proved to be divisive and fell short of their intended financial goals, Wonder Woman and Aquaman fared pretty damn well on their own. Shazam!, meanwhile, may not be shattering any records, but I enjoyed that one immensely. Here’s hoping Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) and Todd Phillips’ Joker follow suit.
As you may also have heard, Leto welcomed the idea of playing the Clown Prince of Crime yet again. For now, it seems like the jury’s still out as to whether he’ll appear in Birds of Prey, but he’s confident the brand will do well even if he doesn’t return:
“I loved doing it and, you know, we’ll see what happens in the future. But I think DC is… I think they’re doing ok.”
Strangely enough, the Suicide Squad veteran’s next appearance in a comic book movie will be in Morbius, which is a Marvel film released by Sony. You can catch that in theaters beginning on July 31st, 2020.