Batman v Superman Box Office Slump to Impact Studio Film Output - Report

While Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is unquestionably a hit, the film suffered a major box office slump in its second weekend of release. It has now been reported that this dramatic drop-off and the negative critical reaction may have an effect on both the DC universe and Warner's wider slate of films.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner executives were "shocked" by the negative reaction to Dawn of Justice, which they are counting on to launch their ongoing DC franchise. THR quotes a rival studio head as saying, "The biggest problem is that it is not turning [DC] into Marvel. The audience has communicated, as have the critics."

Warner have DC movies scheduled all the way to 2020, with Suicide Squad due in August, Wonder Woman in June 2017, and Justice League about to start production. It was revealed last week that Suicide Squad is already undergoing late reshoots to lighten the tone and increase the interaction between the characters.

However, while Justice League is to be directed by Dawn of Justice's Zack Snyder, THR suggests that Warner won't necessarily force a last-minute change onto the film. "We're not going to take a movie that's supposed to be one thing and turn it into a copycat of something else," their studio source says. Nevertheless, the site states that Warner may now restrict their output to their key properties--DC, Lego, and Harry Potter--at the expense of new original projects.

As well as Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman, the studio will also be releasing the Harry Potter spinoff Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in November, and The Lego Batman Movie in February 2017.