The underperformance and critical panning of Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad drove some significant changes within DC Films with Jon Berg and Geoff Johns taking the reigns. And now we”re hearing from the big boss what we might expect to see in future DC movies.
“The DC Comics characters…have a little more lightness in them than maybe what you saw in those movies,” Time Warner chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes said during a conference call with analysts, this according to Variety. Bewkes added that there was “a little room for improvement” with the DC films (an understatement if there ever was one).
Critics and fans alike had long since complained that the DC movies were too dark and disjointed. At the time, HitFix called BvS “confused…impersonal…corporate.” And the box office results seemingly followed. On a production budget of $250 million, BvS brought in just $330 million in the U.S. with an additional $542 million internationally. Suicide Squad also underperformed when compared to other ensemble superhero movies like The Avengers. The Squad has only grossed $720 million worldwide. This is far less than the $1+ billion that many of the Marvel movies have brought in.
If Bewkes” statements are any indication, we can expect a much different tone from future DC films like Aquaman and The Flash. Those movies are both slated for 2018 releases.
“We can do a little better on the creative,” Bewkes added.
For his sake, and that of the DC Universe, let”s hope he”s right.