It’s almost time to look up, as DC fans are finally going to have the chance to see Superman this weekend. But will it be a one-and-done? Or will James Gunn and Peter Safran get to continue shaping the DCU for years to come?
The answer may very well be determined by what the reviews for Superman look like.
Superman reviews might be the difference between the film’s success and failure after previous DC missteps
Here’s one thing that DCU fans don’t have to worry about: Regardless of what kind of reviews Superman gets, it’s going to have a strong opening weekend at the box office. The Hollywood Reporter is predicting around a $135 million opening in the United States, while other outlets are predicting even more. It’s a highly anticipated movie with recognizable characters and IP draw, and those who want to see it are surely going to rush out to do so as soon as possible.
Whether or not Superman can have legs at the box office in the following weeks is what’s going to really matter. Unlike something like Jurassic World Rebirth, Superman is not critic-proof. This is the start of a new franchise, and word-of-mouth is going to be key. Just appealing to the comic fans won’t cut it; Warner Bros. Pictures needs people who can’t quickly rattle the names of ten different Green Lanterns off the top of their head to turn out for this movie, too.
Look no further than this franchise’s past iteration, the now-defunct DCEU, for proof of this. Before Gunn and Safran came to DC Studios, there were plans to continue that franchise in a number of different ways: Justice League 2, Wonder Woman 3, etc. Then, some of the DCEU projects started receiving negative reviews. They started losing money. Public interest waned. And, now, here we are.
This means that, with the review embargo for movie critics’ takes on Superman officially lifting tomorrow, the hype train for the DCU has the chance to get off to a rolling start — or, if critics aren’t vibing Superman, this whole thing could be over before it even begins.
Future DC films may be scaled back or canceled depending on critical reception
Gunn recently told GQ Magazine regarding Superman’s box office, “This is not the riskiest endeavor in the world. Is there something riding on it? Yeah, but it’s not as big as people make it out to be. They hear these numbers that the movie’s only going to be successful if it makes 700 million or something, and it’s just complete and utter nonsense. It doesn’t need to be as big of a situation as people are saying.”
I’m not a professional box office analyst, and I don’t know the inner workings of Warner’s financial department; I can’t offer any insight as to what number Superman needs to hit in order for it to be considered a success.
What I can say with certainty, though, is that Superman is one of the most recognizable DC characters out there. There are always going to be Batman movies in some way, shape, or form from now until the end of time; Superman, though, is right up there with him in terms of popularity. So, if this movie doesn’t do big numbers, other DCU movies starring lesser-known characters probably won’t, either.
This doesn’t mean that something like Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl movie is in jeopardy or anything, considering that it’s already wrapped filming (although, we’re talking about a David Zaslav-run company, here, maybe don’t totally count out that possibility), but it does mean something like The Authority could be. Most non-comic readers probably couldn’t tell you anything about The Authority apart from that one of their members, The Engineer, shows up in Superman. Do we think Warner Bros. will still go ahead with that project, then, if this doesn’t turn a serious profit? Yeah, you can kiss that project goodbye.
There’s a huge, expansive world to explore with the DCU; it’s just dependent on the reception that Superman gets to determine whether or not we’ll get to see it.
