Whether you are a fan of the DCEU, or just an observer, you’d be hard pressed to miss the various ways “Justice League“ couldn’t find the success it was aiming for at the box office last weekend. Released roughly a week ago, “Justice League” couldn’t crack the $100 million mark in its debut; a worrisome sign for a blockbuster that cost $300 million and is supposed to be DC’s “The Avengers.” The reasons for this shortfall are plenty.
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With critically based theories, negative pre-press, and behind the scenes goings-on, a video essay by Looper dissects the likely possibilities for “Justice League”‘s harsh debut showing. One of the more obvious reasons is the fast growth of the expansive superhero film universe. Marvel’s latest success, “Thor: Ragnarok” not only was a box office juggernaut (and still is), but also garnered favorable reviews and was touted upon release as the best reviewed Marvel film to date. Rotten Tomatoes found itself overshadowing any possible success “Justice League” might have boasted by withholding its critical rating. Early screeners for journos whose reviews focused on the film’s convoluted plot, also dissuaded audience retention rates found with DC’s more successful summer film “Wonder Woman.”
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Beyond numbers and printed words, the structure of the film also made it extremely difficult to retain focus and offer audiences a distinct plotline. Unlike Marvel, which spent years producing solo films for its characters before bringing them together in “The Avengers,” “Justice League” spent time establishing characters Aquaman, Cyborg, and The Flash while also steering its patchy plot to follow the story line of “Dawn of Justice.” The competition between the DCEU and Marvel only made the former rush to release its ensemble epic.
Looper’s video essay unpacks a slew of reasons for the lack of enthusiasm surrounding “Justice League” so far. Any fan would love to see DC rise to the occasion as it so brilliantly did with “Wonder Woman,” on accounts of story, box office, reception, and pure entertainment. DC has all the potential, but needs to hone its power.