That ‘Justice League’ post-credits scene isn’t a promise

|

on That ‘Justice League’ post-credits scene isn’t a promise

The following article contains spoilers for Justice League. Do not proceed unless you have seen the film, or don’t mind being spoiled.

 

Justice League is finally here and while many fans love it, mainstream moviegoers have been slow to embrace it. The film opened with an estimated $96M in North America over the weekend, the lowest opening ever for the DC Films universe and a $70M drop from the opening weekend of JL‘s most direct predecessor, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Some may still try to sound the “EVERYTHING IS OKAY” alarm, but the disappointing performance of Justice League has to raise questions about the future of DC movies at Warner Bros. Not asking tough questions and taking time to find the right answers would be fiscally irresponsible. Those questions and answers could mean trouble for one of the most exciting moments in Justice League, its post-credits scene.

All it took was a partial silhouette of a single character for fans who made it into last week’s world premiere to know what was coming and start cheering. Deathstroke (Joe Manganiello) was making his DC Films debut and meeting with a freshly (and illegally) liberated Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg). Those who saw Justice League in theaters this weekend probably heard their own round of applause when Luthor proposed that he and Deathstroke start a league of their own.

As post-credits scene go, this one immediately feels like an all-timer. It tells us to get ready for a battle between the heroes of the Justice League and the villains of the Injustice League (or Legion of Doom, if you prefer). The superhero genre hasn’t seen an all-star team-up of marquee villains since Batman (Adam West) battled all of his most popular baddies in the 1966 movie based on the Batman television series. It certainly hasn’t happened in the modern era, nor have we ever seen a team of headlining villains against a team of headlining heroes in one movie. Even Marvel Studios hasn’t tried that yet.

DC Films could be the first to pull off the WWE Survivor Series of superhero movies, if another Justice League movie is coming in the near future, but that’s a big “if” right now. This has nothing to do with what fans, critics, or even I think of the film (I liked it). This is about the cold, hard numbers and they don’t have anything good to say right now.

The dismal opening weekend of Justice League suggests that mainstream audiences literally are not buying what DC Films is selling. Aquaman will still be out next year with a Wonder Woman sequel following in 2019. The Batman will still get made and perhaps Shazam still heads into production, but outside of those projects, there are no guarantees.

Justice League is going to have to show off some really strong legs at the box office in the coming weeks, or that post-credits scene will go from “remember when” to “what might have been.” It wouldn’t even be the first time this decade that Warner Bros. added a tag to the credits of a DC movie that ultimately went nowhere. We never did see Sinestro (Mark Strong) leading his Corps after slipping on that yellow ring during the credits for Green Lantern.

The best chance we might have at seeing this plot line continue is the proposed Deathstroke movie. That film, if it ultimately gets made, could at least keep the conversation going in case Warner Bros. eventually feels confident enough to try another team-up. Since Deathstroke has the chance to be something very different from what Warner Bros. and DC have offered thus far, that could shield it against any internal JL backlash. Even then, however, there are no guarantees.

The moral of the story here is that if you liked Justice League and want a sequel featuring the Injustice League, you better go watch JL again and bring a friend, or several. This all boils down to money, the only thing that can keep the Injustice League out of the superhero movie phantom zone inhabited by Sinestro and Master of the Universe‘s Skeletor (Frank Langella), who never came back.

15 comments

  1. KAL EL 716 Avatar
    KAL EL 716

    This shocks me. I acknowledge the film had problems but I think the positive outweighed any negatives. I hated the theatrical cut of Batman v Superman. I genuinely enjoyed Justice League. I cant believe it didn’t crack 100 million

  2. Tim Avatar
    Tim

    WB handed the keys to Zack Snyder and this is the result. His “vision” killed the start of what could have been a great universe and ultimately may kill it all together. Lots of blame to go around. Besides WW everything has been so poorly done.

    As for the article I’m not rewarding WB by buying more tickets. The message needs sent loud and clear. You’ve produced garbage and you deserve garbage results.

  3. O.G. Loc Avatar
    O.G. Loc

    The only reason why I still have hopes for this movie is because a lot of people thought it was better than they thought it was going to be. You can say it’s because the bar was low. And you’d probably be right. But I still wanna see this universe move forward.
    This movie made me more excited about future movies and the established universe, than any other DCEU movie before it. Even tho I think Man Of Steel as their best movie so far.
    Everyone likes to blame Snyder for whatever. I don’t think he’s the problem with the movie. Two things are to blame for most issues with JL…
    1. Snyder’s unfortunate family problems.
    2. The producers that mandated a 2 hour movie.

    1. AverageGamers Avatar
      AverageGamers

      Agreed, I’d blame the producers and WB in general instead.
      But do you really think Snyder walked out because of family issue? I don’t think so. That’s just the diplomatic excuse used by WB, because they simply didn’t like his result. It’s their usual meddling.

  4. MaxinesQueef Avatar
    MaxinesQueef

    Maybe Slade Wilson can be the next Wade Wilson…

  5. TheHummuss Avatar
    TheHummuss

    I’ll say this: I have thoroughly enjoyed DC’s solo outings SO MUCH more than their group ones, and I think the failures with the group films are that the studio/director assume the audience knows much more than they actually do about certain characters and storylines.

    It really sucks when I see an easter egg, but the 2 people next to me are like “what the f*** is this? I don’t get it.” It goes to show that they made more of a fan film than something everyone can get behind. However, I feel that this movie was the last of Snyder’s vision and I agree with Cavill on that Snyder’s stuff is definitely more ‘niche’ than mainstream. It worries me that this may have tarnished both Superman and Cavill’s careers because of this bombastic risky vision.

    At least a bunch of objective viewers were interested in the characters, especially the Flash. Aquaman will definitely have a lot to prove next year, but at least James Wan has a whole year to get his movie right and I haven’t heard squat about any backstage drama with his flick so my gut feeling is that it’s going to be at least a good movie.

    Also WB, if your CGI sucks please delay your film. One of my friends who had a crush on Cavill was heartbroken to see his face look like it was in an accident.

  6. Daniel Avatar
    Daniel

    I despised “Justice League.” It was “Superman IV” level bad. And I say this as someone who passionately loved “Man of Steel” and “BvS.” The Frankenstein show that WB, Joss Whedon, and Geoff Johns released last week was an embarrassment. It was an incompetently made film. The Whedon footage (which was PLAINLY OBVIOUS from shot to shot) was terrible. Characters just standing around in poorly-framed, poorly lit shots spouting banal exposition peppered with cringe-inducingly bad “jokes.” The craft of the film was a disgrace. It was sub-moronic.

    Comparing the Snyder-shot footage (plus the leaked Snyder footage from this weekend that was cut) makes this so heartbreaking. Because the stuff that he shot (even in the partial animatic stage in the leaked footage) was gorgeous. He understands cinema. He shows, he doesn’t tell. The Whedon edit was all tell, tell, tell. All talk, talk, talk.

    The core issue is that WB’s desire to re-position the DC brand as being more like Marvel removes any sense of differentiation from the brand and what makes it different and unique. I’m Snyder fan (I wasn’t until “MoS,” but I approached that film with an open mind and he made me a convert). I fully recognize how polarizing his work is. I do not deny that. But he and his team had a sizable and loyal fan base who were on board for the direction they were taking the DC franchise. That direction was never going to make Marvel-like numbers. But it could have been a very successful niche, boutique brand that, if WB managed their budgets properly, could have nevertheless been very successful. The first rule of business as in politics is to protect your base. In seeking a wider audience (who clearly was not interested), they ignored their base and have alienated fans like me who have stood by them and publicly defended them against (up until now) unfair criticism. No more. I’m done with DC.

    As Steve Jobs said almost 20 years ago (when Apple was still struggling against Microsoft, before it became the powerhouse company that it is today), Apple didn’t need the Mac to have the same market penetration as Microsoft in order to be successful. They could still be profitable on a smaller scale. As he said, BMW doesn’t sell as many cars as GM, but BMW is still a very successful niche brand. That’s what DC Films could have been as compared to Marvel Studios: A niche brand that made darker, more sophisticated super-hero movies for a more grown-up audience. The DC brand could have taken that approach with their films and then still been able to service the younger demographic through their unconnected TV, animation, and game revenue streams.

    Instead, the management of WB and DC Films made the mistake of trying to be a second-rate copy of Marvel and they got bitten for it. If you’re the audience, why pay for the knock-off Prada bag when you can get the real thing just as easily? Every time WB has decided to go lighthearted and “fun” with the DC film brand, they have failed. Not just “Justice League,” but also “Green Lantern” (both of those films were clear (misguided attempts) to “do a Marvel”), “Batman & Robin,” and even “Superman III.” Audiences respond best to the darker, more serious, even more melancholy tone and style of the successful DC films (even the melancholy “Superman Returns” grossed more than the acknowledged success “Batman Begins”—the issue with that film was that it had to absorb the budget losses of all the previous Superman reboot films from the decade before). They need to stop trying to be who they are not and embrace who they are, even if it is a sizable yet still niche audience. Be the BMW of super-hero movies.

    I think WB has irreparably damaged the DC brand for at least a decade, perhaps a generation. I’m a longtime DC fan and loyalist, but their mismanagement of the publishing side under Dan Didio drove me away from that side of the brand years ago, and now Geoff Johns’ mismanagement of the DC Films brand has driven me away from that, too. I’ve had the rug pulled out from under me too many times. Every time the company does something truly interesting (the Snyder DC films; the Tim Burton Batman films of the 1980s and ’90s; even the Green Lantern and Beware the Batman CG animated series), they pull the plug and revert to putting out generic crap. So I’m done. I’ve lost all interest in “Aquaman.” I’ve lost all interest in “Shazam.” I already had no interest in Matt Reeves’ “Batman” movie (which was clearly a panic-induced attempt to goose the brand with yet another Batman series).

    The only thing that would get me to forgive the brand is if they sucked it up and released a Director’s Cut of Zack Snyder’s version of “Justice League.” A real Director’s Cut and not just an extended cut of the Whedon version with more footage. A full Snyder cut. No matter how flawed that cut may have been, it cannot be worse than the dumpster fire they released last week. WB has a history of releasing revised Director’s Cuts: the Donner version of “Superman II”; “Blade Runner”; “LOTR” and “The Hobbit” trilogies; even the two different versions of “The Exorcist” prequel. So do the same with Snyder’s “Justice League.” Otherwise, I have already moved on.

    1. |Q| Avatar
      |Q|

      But at least it wasn’t as boring as BvS

      1. Daniel Avatar
        Daniel

        I think BvS is a captivating movie, especially the longer version of it. I don’t find it boring at all. I find it very intellectually engaging. It’s a film that demands you pay attention to it.

        1. |Q| Avatar
          |Q|

          It’s a simple story, told in a disjointed way, with easter eggs instead of character developement. And who made it has such a high opinion of its audience’s attention that they felt the need to show us the waynes’ murder yet another time lol

  7. That Guy Avatar
    That Guy

    The problem is both Snyder and WB exec’s dipping their hands in the creative pool. Snyder knows how to make things look good but is weak at delivering a strong story. WB states they gave Snyder creative control but they also push their interests into the structure of the movie. This universe is just a fish that’s been out of the water too long. A golden license for a Justice League movie should not be this weak with shitty ticket sales and mixed reviews.Nobody knows what they’re doing with these movies, they’re just winging it. They need to kill this universe and clean house. Then take time to structure full proof plans for several strong movies and choose good creative teams with a hands on executive that will let people do their jobs.

  8. SuperHonk Avatar
    SuperHonk

    I think a lot of people will be pleasantly surprised when they finally give it a shot on Redbox/Streaming.

  9. oliver_chang Avatar
    oliver_chang

    Like others said in other forums, maybe WB should see how the rentals/home entertainment/cables go before rushing to a decision, there is still the possibility of average people seeing it and liking it, kinda like the X-First Class situation, or Batman Begins to some extent.

    I HOPE WB saw this coming and have set up the plans already (?refer to that Vulture article) and if that’s the case, stick to it or modify accordingly, but not panic and mess everything up again.

    I at least hope we get to see WW2, AM, Bat with Reeves/Jake, Harley Quinn/Deadshot, Shazam/Rock, and some Ezra Miller Flash. If they are mostly hits then they could try Sup/GLC THEN look at Injustice League and ?Flashpoint.

    Unfortunately by then, I think Marvel/Sony would have done a hero team vs villain team, and an all female team up movie, and DC is coming second again.

    Sigh………………………

  10. AverageGamers Avatar
    AverageGamers

    Black Order (or Children of Thanos) on May 2018 doesn’t count as team of supervillains? 😮

  11. Abkinxoc Avatar
    Abkinxoc

    “A league of their own”

    Ba ha ha

    Correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t the brotherhood a super villain team?

Search

Browse By Topic

Browse By Year