Rebranding
The one thing that’s taken a major hit is the DCEU’s reputation. The box-office woes of Justice League are testament to this, since the film actually received better reviews than Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad. A lot of the ordinary folk shied away from this team-up event because of the bad word of mouth of those two films and the supposed mess of the franchise. Is it fair to do this? Probably not, but life isn’t fair and people will always make judgments based on reputation and perception.
In order to rectify this reputational damage, a rebrand has to take place. DC Comics’ latest branding is utilizing the DC Universe (DCU) moniker – moving away from Rebirth – and the movies could fall under this umbrella, too. With Zack Snyder gone as well (unfairly, he’s the sacrificial lamb in all of this), it’ll signify a major change in direction from the studio.
Unfortunately, the DCEU’s name is currently sullied and it’ll take a lot to get it back up to where it should be. While many thought the goodwill had arrived with Wonder Woman, it crashed back down to zero after Justice League. Is it worthwhile to continue trying under this name, or under a different one now?