It’s safe to say that there is a lot riding on the success of Justice League. Wonder Woman represented a shift in the previous DC model of self-serious and grim takes on the superhero genre, and from the buzz surrounding it, Justice League is attempting to continue that narrative change. DC and Warner Brothers have finally realized that superhero movies can be fun, so many are optimistic that Justice League will capture that.
Another element that Warner Brothers is looking to implement is a tighter runtime. Part of the problem with Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice was the bloated 151-minute runtime (and, to be fair, even Wonder Woman could have trimmed some of the fat of the third act), so Justice League will run at a relatively tidy 121 minutes instead and be the shortest DC film to date. According to the Wall Street Journal, this was a mandate from the Warner higher-ups, with CEO Kevin Tsujihara requesting that the film clock in at under two hours.
While fans will definitely fill the seats despite lengthy run times, there is something to be said for a leaner cut. All killer, no filler. Justice League hits theaters on November 17th, so we’ll have to wait just a little while longer to see if this creative decision pays off.