The Warner Bros. Thread | Will NOT merge with Paramount...capitalism is still terrible

[dudalb]

On 3/6/2024 at 10:30 PM, WittyUsername said:

Problem is that they’ll be taking a big risk by having two concurrent Batman film series going side by side, and that’s not counting the Todd Phillips Joker movies. This is precisely the kind of thing that led to WB canceling that George Miller Justice League movie back in the day. They’re essentially competing with themselves. They’ll need to tread very carefully. 

I honestly think that The FLash movie was hurt by coming so soon after a hit TV series. You get the "Why pay 12 bucks for something I just saw on TV last season" attitude. Agree that two different Batman series is taking a real chance.

[dudalb]

On 3/7/2024 at 1:04 AM, Napoleon said:

I suspect there will be a battle between Reeves and Gunn to see which version of Batman will stay. If Superman is successful enough for them to have complete confidence in the future of the DCU I think they’ll end the Battinson universe. That’s just what I think they’ll do.

I got a feeling the Battison is like the Nolan Batman......it was meant to only be for a couple of films. I

[Human]

I think what Flash needed box office wise was to come out before Sonic the Hedgehog (or at least the second one).  At Boy Scouts there was always a huge Sonic vs Flash debate, and now Sonic was the clear favorite (No, nobody ever brought up Quicksilver).

[Veclozy]

8 hours ago, Human said:

I think what Flash needed box office wise was to come out before Sonic the Hedgehog (or at least the second one).  At Boy Scouts there was always a huge Sonic vs Flash debate, and now Sonic was the clear favorite (No, nobody ever brought up Quicksilver).

Sonic movies make only $400M, that's not the reason The Flash bombed this hard

[kayumanggi]

 

[JWR]

15 hours ago, kayumanggi said:

 

 

I hope that contract is ironclad. 

[Kon]

1 minute ago, JWR said:

 

I hope that contract is ironclad. 

Do you mean "WB is forced to release the movie"?

 

I'm pretty sure contracts couldn't legally force the studios to release the movies. Even if there were clauses saying that WB have to release the film in theaters, they would have no legal value.

 

A contract cannot force you in the way you use your product/property.

[ChipDerby]

I bet people can't name 5 films ever that were made by WB that never released.

[WittyUsername]

2 hours ago, ChipDerby said:

I bet people can't name 5 films ever that were made by WB that never released.

Well, there have been at least three over the span of a single year, which is troubling nonetheless. 

[ChipDerby]

Two...?

 

One was probably bad, and the other was the worrying one.

 

But that doesn't make a trend. There are thousands of movies that go into production that never release. 

[Human]

3 hours ago, ChipDerby said:

Two...?

 

One was probably bad, and the other was the worrying one.

 

But that doesn't make a trend. There are thousands of movies that go into production that never release. 

Scoob 2 (I was really looking forward to this one).

 

Batgirl

 

Coyote vs Acme

 

That is 3.  Movies being canned before and early on production is common.  Being canned well into production is rare, but it happens when Superman Lives.  Finished movies being canned is shocking.

 

Also according to rumors Scooby-doo and Krypto 2 was canned. But they leaked it to prevent this, and it then got a proper release.  If true that is 4 by a technically.

[Porthos]

I think the slightly fairer way to put it is treating a completed higher budgeted movie as more akin to a failed TV pilot (where something is shot but never aired) is in fact pretty damn rare.  If only for the price tags involved.  

 

When it comes to expensive failed TV pilots, there is the semi-famous example of the GoT prequel where HBO flushed at least 30m+ down the drain on a pilot for Bloodmoon, and that's not even counting all of the money on preproduction.  I also seem to recall recently hearing about another expensive streaming series which was axed before it saw the light of day, though damned if I can remember it right now.

 

With the blurring of movies and TV with the rise of streaming (and especially expensive streaming shows), perhaps it's not that surprising to see some companies/WB treat films more like TV pilots in that they'd rather eat the costs than try to recoup them in some sort of release.

 

On the other hand, a great deal of the backlash to Batgirl and Coyote vs Acme and even Scoob 2 is that folks in the industry don't want completed films to go down the route of being seen as akin to TV pilots.  If they cause enough of a stink now, maybe they can stop the practice from actually becoming a trend in the first place.

Edited March 20 by Porthos

[Kon]

1 hour ago, Human said:

Scoob 2 (I was really looking forward to this one).

 

Batgirl

 

Coyote vs Acme

 

That is 3.  Movies being canned before and early on production is common.  Being canned well into production is rare, but it happens when Superman Lives.  Finished movies being canned is shocking.

 

Also according to rumors Scooby-doo and Krypto 2 was canned. But they leaked it to prevent this, and it then got a proper release.  If true that is 4 by a technically.

 

Technically, Batgirl wasn't a finished movie (I've understood it lacks VFX). WB would still need to invest a good amount of money to complete the movie.

[Human]

From what I heard the effects were completed for the most part and were bad.  They and the climax had to be redone.  They had already spent 70M and needed another 20M.

[ChipDerby]

I think the TV pilot comparison is apt. Not saying that's how movies should be treated, but honestly if everyone is paid, is Rather that than no movie being made at all. At least they have the creatives a shot and they're eating the loss. 

 

The biggest issue is if anyone has a back end contract. I'd hope that if anyone did, they're compensated.

 

It sucks overall. Maybe it will help quality? Idk

[dudalb]

Films  intended for theatrical release that ends up on DTV or Streaming are nothing new.

[dudalb]

12 hours ago, Kon said:

 

Technically, Batgirl wasn't a finished movie (I've understood it lacks VFX). WB would still need to invest a good amount of money to complete the movie.

And it has to be repeated Batgirl was origniallly intended as a film on Warners streaming; the decision to go a threatical relase was made during production. That was reversed, then the film was cancelled altogether.

[Human]

2 hours ago, dudalb said:

Films  intended for theatrical release that ends up on DTV or Streaming are nothing new.

So why is Scoob 2 not available on streaming or DTV then?  Since they are not this is something else.

[dudalb]

20 hours ago, Human said:

So why is Scoob 2 not available on streaming or DTV then?  Since they are not this is something else.

You will have ask WB management that.

Disney seem to have no problem sending a film with a modest budget that does not look that good to streaming.

[ChipDerby]

1 hour ago, dudalb said:

You will have ask WB management that.

Disney seem to have no problem sending a film with a modest budget that does not look that good to streaming.

 

Yeah but look at what that has done to Disney. I don't think people see streaming as "straight to video" anymore.