When we think of Zack Snyder, our minds might automatically soar to his superhero epics like Man of Steel or Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. But did you know there were two other ambitious projects that, despite Snyder’s imaginative touch, ended up being even bigger financial hurdles for Warner Bros?
Yes, we’re talking about the aesthetically stunning yet underrated Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (2010) and the stylistically bold Sucker Punch (2011).
Ever wonder why some films are a powerful combination of visual art and storytelling but fail miserably at the box office, rather than just being a flickering collection of scenes? Both films showcased Snyder’s unique narrative ambition but encountered unexpected turbulence in their financial flight.
While critics’ claims that Warner Bros. did not profit from its high-definition content are untrue, former WB President Greg Silverman has stated that the majority of his productions did.
Behind the Numbers: Zack Snyder’s Films and Warner Bros.’ Monetary Woes
In response to critics who said that Zack Snyder’s Snyderverse films were not profitable for the studio, former Warner Bros. President Greg Silverman fiercely defended the director.
Rejecting critics’ claims that Snyder’s films were not profitable for the studio, Silverman said that this was only true for Legends of the Guardians and Sucker Punch. “The rest of his films at WB were very profitable. Very”, Silverman said.
Not true. We lost some money on GAHOOLE and a fair amount on SUCKERPUNCH. The rest of his films at WB were very profitable. Very. https://t.co/5WuQMuRriH
— Greg Silverman (@gregsilverman) July 31, 2023
Sadly, both of the above-discussed flicks ultimately failed to live up to box-office expectations. They struggled to find an audience and ended up costing Warner Bros. millions of dollars, despite having enormous budgets and star-studded casts.
According to Box Office Mozo, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole made over $140 million in revenue globally on an $80 million budget. Sucker Punch, on the other hand, performed poorly at the box office, earning only $89.8 million compared to its $82 million production budget (Box Office Mozo) and harvesting mostly negative reviews.
A film needs to earn about 2.5 times its reported budget in order to break even and begin making money. According to gross figures, Man of Steel ($668 million worldwide on a $225–258 million budget) and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ($873.6 million worldwide against a $250–325 million budget) were both profitable.
When Zack Snyder’s DC Universe Met Warner Bros.’ Reality
The 2013 release of Warner Bros.’ DC Extended Universe aimed to build a large-scale franchise around the extensive canon of DC characters. Nevertheless, a number of challenges impeded Zack Snyder’s franchise from reaching its full potential, resulting in the DCEU’s premature termination and the DCU’s impending hard reboot.
With James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe, DC is taking a new turn, and Snyder is concentrating on his own projects outside of comic book adaptations, such as his sci-fi epic Rebel Moon. The director reflected in a THR interview about his approach to a live-action DC Comics Universe adaptation. As the director clarified:
“I never looked at it as the job, ’Oh, I’m the architect of DC. I need to create entertainment for DC that sells toys and that is for the masses and fun for everyone. I didn’t care [about that]. I liked Batman, I liked Superman, I wanted to make something cool. You picked the wrong guy if you wanted a product.”
The DCEU was left without a clear direction as a result of Snyder’s vision colliding with the possibility of a much larger cinematic universe. Failures, both commercial and critical, dealt the DCEU’s final blow.
You can stream Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice & Man of Steel on Max.
