The Batman | March 4, 2022 | Warner Bros. | Certified Fresh on RT | 7th Most Profitable Movie of 2023

[Maggie]

Quote

Just before its release, NO WAY HOME became the first film to reach the 70/7.0 marks – awareness topped 70% and interest reached 7.0. Prior to NO WAY HOME, no film had accomplished either feat, let alone both at the same time.

THE BATMAN isn’t quite at those heights, though some metrics are on the rise.

On the awareness side, the numbers for BATMAN are skyrocketing. It is now just the 5th film on The Quorum to reach 60%. The film is up 16 points over the past month and 9 points from ten days ago. At this pace, it looks like it could be the 2nd film to reach 70%.

It’s a slightly different story on the interest side. The interest score for BATMAN (light blue) was on the rise through December, but in recent days the numbers have plateaued at 6.6.

https://thequorum.com/the-batman-is-on-the-rise-can-it-catch-spider-man/

[21C]

12 minutes ago, Maggie said:

https://thequorum.com/the-batman-is-on-the-rise-can-it-catch-spider-man/

Interest will rise a ton if the film gets good reviews. Either way I'd count just being .6 points behind Spider-Man in terms of interest as a good thing, considering how huge Spider-Man is. It's just 9% less than Spider-Man in terms of interest. The fact awareness is already so high is very encouraging. When Spider-Man had the same level of awareness, it had 6.89 interest, which is just 5% more than Batman currently.

Of course I still think 200 million OW is a pipedream, but 150 would be pretty good.

Edited January 10, 2022 by 21C

[JonahVex]

Only way it catches NWH is if the entire twilight fanbase migrates to watch this one cause of Rob

[excel1]

This will defeat Spider-man. Mark my words.

 

Spoiler

I'm not  clarifying which Spider-man though 😇

 

[XXR vs XXR]

5 minutes ago, excel1 said:

This will defeat Spider-man. Mark my words.

 

  Hide contents

I'm not  clarifying which Spider-man though 😇

 

 

Into the Spider-Verse or bust!

[Mojoguy]

Bats gets the advantage of being the first superhero movie to come out after No Way Home.

SONY really screwed the pooch for Morbius by moving that to April.

[Porthos]

5 hours ago, WittyUsername said:

Is there any basis for this belief that audiences don’t want to watch “dark” movies during the pandemic?

 

The Last Duel tanking hard really solidified the take, but initially it was the The Suicide Squad vs Free Guy matchup which lit the fuse, I think, along with F9's success.  Sure, TSS wasn't exactly "dark", but the out-of-nowhere success of Free Guy needed an explanation and "feel good" movie was as good as any (this is more about FG's success than anything else, so no need to revisit the myriad reasons why TSS didn't take off s'il vous plaît).

 

More generally, it was the adult-ish films under-performing while the more crowd-pleasing ones over-performing.

 

===

 

As for The Batman?  Well as No Way Home showed, it's not so much feel-good, as crowd-pleasing.  Or perhaps even both.  While I was worried a bit about NWH's potential if it wasn't 'feel-good', I did come around to the idea pre-release that if it was cathartic, it could do gang-busters business in this environment.

 

Which it absolutely did and did.

 

While I don't expect The Batman to be the same type of cathartic as NWH, I do think there is repressed... Rage?  Anger?  Angst at not being able to put the pandemic fully behind us, that is just waiting to be tapped into.

 

A (and I really hate using this word) "darker" film that taps into that feeling of rage/anger/angst and has an acceptable outlet for it to be released... Well, I've mentioned that this film seems to be tapping into a zeitgeist, and this is certainly a possible way it could play out: Living through Batman as he punches the virus in the face deals with a chaotic, out of control universe city that seems like it might be on the cusp of falling over the edge.

 

Mind, I do think we've kinda forgotten that AQP II did quite well, all things considered.  And AQP II isn't exactly what I would call a feel-good time at the movies.  So even though I do personally think, all things being equal, the movie-going public prefers feel-good/crowd-pleasing movies right now, I do think there is room for more cathartic fare.

Edited January 11, 2022 by Porthos

[WittyUsername]

1 hour ago, Porthos said:

 

The Last Duel tanking hard really solidified the take, but initially it was the The Suicide Squad vs Free Guy matchup which lit the fuse, I think, along with F9's success.  Sure, TSS wasn't exactly "dark", but the out-of-nowhere success of Free Guy needed an explanation and "feel good" movie was as good as any (this is more about FG's success than anything else, so no need to revisit the myriad reasons why TSS didn't take off s'il vous plaît).

 

More generally, it was the adult-ish films under-performing while the more crowd-pleasing ones over-performing.

 

===

 

As for The Batman?  Well as No Way Home showed, it's not so much feel-good, as crowd-pleasing.  Or perhaps even both.  While I was worried a bit about NWH's potential if it wasn't 'feel-good', I did come around to the idea pre-release that if it was cathartic, it could do gang-busters business in this environment.

 

Which it absolutely did and did.

 

While I don't expect The Batman to be the same type of cathartic as NWH, I do think there is repressed... Rage?  Anger?  Angst at not being able to put the pandemic fully behind us, that is just waiting to be tapped into.

 

A (and I really hate using this word) "darker" film that taps into that feeling of rage/anger/angst and has an acceptable outlet for it to be released... Well, I've mentioned that this film seems to be tapping into a zeitgeist, and this is certainly a possible way it could play out: Living through Batman as he punches the virus in the face deals with a chaotic, out of control universe city that seems like it might be on the cusp of falling over the edge.

 

Mind, I do think we've kinda forgotten that AQP II did quite well, all things considered.  And AQP II isn't exactly what I would call a feel-good time at the movies.  So even though I do personally think, all things being equal, the movie-going public prefers feel-good/crowd-pleasing movies right now, I do think there is room for more cathartic fare.

I don’t even think it’s about catharsis. People just want a new Batman movie, because we haven’t had a proper one in 10 years, and after what a mess the DCEU has been, having a Batman with a clean slate feels refreshing. 
 

And yes, AQP II does put a hole in this argument that only fun escapist movies can do well in the pandemic. In the case of NWH though, that movie is doing as well as it is because it’s the epitome of fanservice. Sure, it’s a lot darker than the previous Tom Holland movies, but it still goes out of its way to have big crowd cheering moments, just like Endgame. 

[21C]

3 hours ago, Porthos said:

 

The Last Duel tanking hard really solidified the take, but initially it was the The Suicide Squad vs Free Guy matchup which lit the fuse, I think, along with F9's success.  Sure, TSS wasn't exactly "dark", but the out-of-nowhere success of Free Guy needed an explanation and "feel good" movie was as good as any (this is more about FG's success than anything else, so no need to revisit the myriad reasons why TSS didn't take off s'il vous plaît).

 

More generally, it was the adult-ish films under-performing while the more crowd-pleasing ones over-performing.

 

===

 

As for The Batman?  Well as No Way Home showed, it's not so much feel-good, as crowd-pleasing.  Or perhaps even both.  While I was worried a bit about NWH's potential if it wasn't 'feel-good', I did come around to the idea pre-release that if it was cathartic, it could do gang-busters business in this environment.

 

Which it absolutely did and did.

 

While I don't expect The Batman to be the same type of cathartic as NWH, I do think there is repressed... Rage?  Anger?  Angst at not being able to put the pandemic fully behind us, that is just waiting to be tapped into.

 

A (and I really hate using this word) "darker" film that taps into that feeling of rage/anger/angst and has an acceptable outlet for it to be released... Well, I've mentioned that this film seems to be tapping into a zeitgeist, and this is certainly a possible way it could play out: Living through Batman as he punches the virus in the face deals with a chaotic, out of control universe city that seems like it might be on the cusp of falling over the edge.

 

Mind, I do think we've kinda forgotten that AQP II did quite well, all things considered.  And AQP II isn't exactly what I would call a feel-good time at the movies.  So even though I do personally think, all things being equal, the movie-going public prefers feel-good/crowd-pleasing movies right now, I do think there is room for more cathartic fare.

Another thing I'd also add is the fact that The Batman, much like how Joker did (which is why I keep coming back to that comparison) is also going to be exploring real world issues in a way that seems like it's gonna be extremely universal for people to connect with and understand; specifically the themes of corruption and how bad public officials can affect an entire society. Obviously these topics have always been important for people, but I think that after the pandemic and everything that's happened the last 2 years not just in the US but in the entire world, these topics are now in the minds of people more than ever.  

As far as I can think of, there is not a single blockbuster that has come out in 2020 or 2021 that went that deep into those topics as The Batman is promising to be doing, no film that has quite aimed to capture that specific feeling of anger at the circumstances or the system, so if The Batman sticks the landing I can completely see it following Joker's overseas trajectory, but with the added factor that this film also has enough spectacle in it to also attract an audience that Joker didn't attract, and it being PG-13 also helps too. 

I'd argue that Batman being this grim isn't an argument against it box-office wise, but rather for it, specifically because of the way it promises to be handling its themes. 

Edited January 11, 2022 by 21C

[Macleod]

12 hours ago, WittyUsername said:

I don’t even think it’s about catharsis. People just want a new Batman movie, because we haven’t had a proper one in 10 years, and after what a mess the DCEU has been, having a Batman with a clean slate feels refreshing. 

 

For fanboys, yeah, but this stuff doesn't really matter/isn't quantifiable to the General Audience.  Batman has been embodied by Affleck most recently, it doesn't matter what kind of universe it was -- he was here.  But yes, I think perhaps subconsciously, it will feel like a breath of fresh air to once again have a Batman who is *not* part of any bigger team-up...  plus fanboys get their fill later in the year, anyway, with Flashpoint.  

 

The rest of the arguments here for The Batman's potential success...I can understand perfectly, even if I don't agree entirely.  

Edited January 11, 2022 by Macleod

[21C]

The Batman has been rated PG-13 by the MPA for "strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language, and some suggestive material"

[WittyUsername]

1 hour ago, 21C said:

The Batman has been rated PG-13 by the MPA for "strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language, and some suggestive material"

Sounds like the PG-13 rating is being pushed to its absolute limit. Even TDK had a much more tame MPAA description.

[dudalb]

On 1/10/2022 at 6:15 PM, Porthos said:

 

The Last Duel tanking hard really solidified the take, but initially it was the The Suicide Squad vs Free Guy matchup which lit the fuse, I think, along with F9's success.  Sure, TSS wasn't exactly "dark", but the out-of-nowhere success of Free Guy needed an explanation and "feel good" movie was as good as any (this is more about FG's success than anything else, so no need to revisit the myriad reasons why TSS didn't take off s'il vous plaît).

 

More generally, it was the adult-ish films under-performing while the more crowd-pleasing ones over-performing.

 

===

 

As for The Batman?  Well as No Way Home showed, it's not so much feel-good, as crowd-pleasing.  Or perhaps even both.  While I was worried a bit about NWH's potential if it wasn't 'feel-good', I did come around to the idea pre-release that if it was cathartic, it could do gang-busters business in this environment.

 

Which it absolutely did and did.

 

While I don't expect The Batman to be the same type of cathartic as NWH, I do think there is repressed... Rage?  Anger?  Angst at not being able to put the pandemic fully behind us, that is just waiting to be tapped into.

 

A (and I really hate using this word) "darker" film that taps into that feeling of rage/anger/angst and has an acceptable outlet for it to be released... Well, I've mentioned that this film seems to be tapping into a zeitgeist, and this is certainly a possible way it could play out: Living through Batman as he punches the virus in the face deals with a chaotic, out of control universe city that seems like it might be on the cusp of falling over the edge.

 

Mind, I do think we've kinda forgotten that AQP II did quite well, all things considered.  And AQP II isn't exactly what I would call a feel-good time at the movies.  So even though I do personally think, all things being equal, the movie-going public prefers feel-good/crowd-pleasing movies right now, I do think there is room for more cathartic fare.

The Nolan  Dark Knight movies did extremtly well, and I doubt "The Batman" is going to be much darker then those.

[thesmoothknight]

PG-13? Uh, oh.. Moms on Facebook are going to be complaining on how dark this movie is for a PG-13 rating. lol Discussion seemed to always surround Batman movies ( Joker ). 

 

 

 

[SnokesLegs]

11 hours ago, 21C said:

The Batman has been rated PG-13 by the MPA for "strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language, and some suggestive material"

No way in hell this gets a 12A in the UK with “strong violent and disturbing content”. It’ll be a 15 unless they cut it.

[AJG]

Are we still pretending that these movies somehow push the limits of acceptable pg13 violence??? 

 

In the year of the lord 2022???

 

 

[Eric Duncan]

1 hour ago, thesmoothknight said:

PG-13? Uh, oh.. Moms on Facebook are going to be complaining on how dark this movie is for a PG-13 rating. lol Discussion seemed to always surround Batman movies ( Joker ). 

 

 

 

Dude nobody cares about these ratings anymore.

[thesmoothknight]

48 minutes ago, Eric Riley said:

Dude nobody cares about these ratings anymore.

It was more of a sarcastic post about it because how sensitive some folks are about the Riddler's costume and want to bring back  Batman and Robin kind of campy Batman movies.

[excel1]

PG-13 is now trending worldwide on Twitter. An abnormal occurrence for high profile blockbusters. 

[TestPattern]

13 minutes ago, excel1 said:

PG-13 is now trending worldwide on Twitter. An abnormal occurrence for high profile blockbusters. 

Were people expecting the movie with Oreo tie-ins and Lego toysets to be rated R like it's the 1980s?