Contents of this Publication in DESPABILATE.COM
–- The Snyder Cut hit HBO Max on Thursday.
- Investments in Zack Snyder’s version of “Justice League” will pay off if HBO Max sees big gains in subscribers or encourages current subscribers to stick with the service.
- WarnerMedia saw the fervent crusade for Snyder’s official movie cut as a way to appease ardent fans and fill its HBO Max streaming service with exclusive content.
Justice League Snyder Cut: The highly anticipated four-hour director’s cut of “Justice League” arrived on HBO Max on Thursday.
The Snyder Cut was a gamble for Warner Bros. but may not have a huge payoff for HBO Max
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Justice League Snyder Cut: Assembled from hours of unused and cut footage alongside freshly shot scenes, the Snyder Cut is an anomaly in the entertainment industry. Fueled by a year-long fan-driven social media campaign, Zack Snyder got a second chance to create his version of “Justice League.”
WarnerMedia, which is owned by AT&T, saw the fervent crusade for the official cut of Snyder’s film as a way to appease ardent fans and fill its HBO Max streaming service with exclusive content.
However, the risk is that the “Justice League” may not return the dividends that WarnerMedia needs. The movie sets sequels that DC fans may never get to see, which means that even if it manages to attract subscribers during the month of March, there is no promise of new DC-related content on the horizon for the streaming service. keep those new. inscriptions all around.
Initial estimates put the price for Snyder’s second shot at $ 20 million to $ 30 million because many of the computer-generated images were unfinished. However, more recent estimates suggest that WarnerMedia could have shell out $ 70 million or more on the project, as Snyder brought in multiple actors to shoot new material. It’s unclear if that figure includes marketing spend.
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WarnerMedia declined to comment on the project’s financial terms.
The cost could be justified if WarnerMedia uses the film to gain subscribers and encourages enough current subscribers to stick with the service, broadcast and media analyst Dan Rayburn said.
What may help is that HBO Max has several high-profile releases hitting its platform in March and early April. On March 31, “Godzilla vs. Kong ”arrives on the service and, on April 16,“ Mortal Kombat ”will be released. Each will spend about a month on HBO Max before heading to video on demand for a rental fee.
This strategy of having a steady, steady stream of new content can help retain subscribers.
And then there are the fans. While Snyder and DC Films president Walter Hamada have said that this updated “Justice League” will not create spin-offs or automatically set up a sequel, the film allows Warner Bros. to win back some goodwill.
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Fan service
“I definitely think the fans will be pleased,” said Erik Davis, Fandango’s managing editor.
Davis, who got to see the new “Justice League” before its release on HBO Max, said the Snyder Cut is a “much better version of the movie.”
The Snyder Cut basically erases co-writer and co-director Joss Whedon from the movie. Whedon came on board after executives objected to Snyder’s initial cut of the film and took over when Snyder left the project after his daughter’s death.
Whedon slimmed down the 214-minute version of Snyder and infused it with moments of lightness, something Warner Bros. wanted to mimic the style of comedy that was successful in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Because Whedon’s version altered much of Snyder’s work, fans have clamored to see the director’s cut of “Justice League,” believing it to be the purest version of the film. In May 2020, WarnerMedia granted them that wish and invested in bringing Snyder back to finish it.
While fans will be delighted to finally get the Snyder cut, there is a major flaw in Warner Bros. plans with the release of this movie.
When Snyder was developing “Justice League” more than five years ago, the DC Extended Universe was expected to continue to expand with this cast in the same way that the MCU had developed. The solo movies would become team movies together. Ben Affleck was supposed to have his own freelance role and Snyder was already talking about a “Justice League” sequel.
However, that plan is completely different in 2021. DC fans will likely never see all of the cameos and settings in the Snyder movie cut.
Affleck may be attached to the next “Flash” movie, but it’s unclear if he’ll put the hood on in any DC projects after that. Not to mention, Warner Bros. has already moved on with a new Batman movie starring Robert Pattinson, one that doesn’t connect to any of the previous films released by the studio.
As for Superman, Henry Cavill is still attached to the role, but it’s unclear when or where his version of the character will appear next.
The studio has plans for a Superman reboot from writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and with JJ Abrams signed on as producer. It’s unclear who will be cast as the Kryptonian or when that movie will hit theaters.
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And Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg, has a deteriorating relationship with the studio. The actor accused Whedon of harassment on set and an investigation was conducted. Fisher also had harsh things to say about DC director Hamada, who he claimed helped enable Whedon’s actions.
As such, Fisher has said that he will not participate in any films associated with Hamada. Therefore, Warner Bros. would have to reprise the role if they wanted to bring Cyborg back into the fold for a team movie.
Warner Bros. ‘decision to fund and launch this new “Justice League” may appease fans, but it does nothing to promote the franchise’s cinematic universe.
Disney, which owns Marvel, has used its Disney + streaming service to expand its theatrical releases. Shows like “WandaVision”, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” and “Loki” relate directly to the MCU and must be watched to understand all the nuances of the upcoming films.
The Snyder Cut doesn’t do that. It exists in a vacuum. Reinforcing HBO Max
As for the hope that fans will turn to HBO Max to see the film, increasing the number of subscribers, what matters is the longevity of their interest.
“It is a good business? Maybe.” said Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Boxoffice.com. “As a one-time release, the movie may momentarily increase subscriptions to HBO Max, but the streamers are stronger with episodic and weekly content that keeps casual consumers coming back from binge after binge.”
Robbins noted that “Justice League” is a niche movie, in the sense that its audience demographics are skewed between young men and men. So while it’s likely to appeal to DC fans, it might not do much to move the needle in subscription records across the board, unless they’re drawn to other HBO Max content.
“The ‘Justice League’ alone may not be the answer to the future needs of the company, especially since the DC brand has already started to move in other directions creatively, but it may be successful as a Valentine symbol for the fans, ”Robbins said.
AT&T seems to have confidence in HBO Max. The company increased its subscriber projections last week to a range of 120 million to 150 million for HBO Max and HBO by the end of 2025.
In October 2019, the company set a goal of reaching 50 million US subscribers by 2025, a relatively low bar considering that premium cable channel HBO already had around 33 million subscribers prior to the launch of the service. of transmission.
Still, there seems to be a little missed opportunity at the launch of “Justice League” before HBO Max expands globally. The platform will launch in about 60 markets outside of the US this year and will launch a lower-cost version with advertising in June. “Justice League” earned the majority of its $ 658 million in international ticket sales. It only made $ 230 million at the United States box office.
WarnerMedia could have easily used the “Justice League” as a decoy for international releases. Instead, the film, which will be broadcast in high definition on the state side, is likely to be a target of choice for international digital pirates.
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