As Aquaman swims to the shore, DC reaches its very dusk as our heroes sit on the bank to enjoy the beautiful sunset on the horizon, remembering all the good memories. This journey was undoubtedly a fun ride for most fans, but for some, it definitely did not leave a pleasant taste.
Now, setting up a franchise or a universe, financial success is one of the most important factors, if not the topmost priority. But DC’s arch-nemesis MCU, or Marvel, cracked the code long ago. But how successful was DC?
The journey started with the Kryptonian ‘God’ Superman as Man Of Steel by Snyder began the journey while grossing a whopping $668M but was followed by the infamous Batman VS Superman, which grossed $872M, becoming one of the most profitable titles but also coming with a hefty price tag.
The second-highest-grossing title also occupies the second-highest place in terms of expenses.
Then, DC had a pretty hot streak as consecutive titles such as Suicide Squad (2016), Wonder Woman (2017), Justice League (2017) all comfortably grossed the $650M+ mark. But then came Aquaman.
Aquaman became the most successful franchise of the universe as it is the first and only one crossing the $1B mark flawlessly. Also, with just a $160M price tag, it became the saving point for the franchise. But Lady Fortuna chose to be the evil one.
Whether it was overconfidence from Aquaman or just sheer luck, DC saw a massive downfall from that very point. Shazam, Birds Of Prey, Wonder Woman 1984, all went downhill, as WW84 did not gain any sort of profit.
Even appointing Dwayne Johnson didn’t come to the rescue, as Black Adam couldn’t give the magical stats. Then, it was practically solidified that DC needed a change. And that change came in the most ‘DC’ way ever as WBD sought another reboot.
Movies like The Flash and Blue Beetle barely crossed the threshold despite being two fresh films.
Now, the question lies, how viable was the Reboot? On a business standpoint, it became necessary, as a franchise or a universe can never survive with such abysmal stats in consecutive films. Also, the universe did need some fresh faces who can lead the universe and are passionate.
Then came Safan and Gunn who got the chance, and now the fans are expecting DCU, which will definitely be more passionate as per DC standard. Also, we will see if DC carries their more accepted dark tone or will go for a generalized lighter tone, similar to MCU.
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