u/HomemadeBee1612

Excerpts below:

DC is in freefall. In fact, it isn’t just DC but the entire WB studio. It doesn’t matter if you liked Blue Beetle, Shazam 2, Birds of Prey, The Suicide Squad, or Superman Legacy. The fact is that those films cost a certain amount to make and didn’t make enough back to instill confidence in the brand. Fans aren’t turning out to buy tickets or to stream online. They’ll argue with you on social platforms, but WB can’t monetize angry fan interactions, although I’m sure they’d love to.

While I think Zack Snyder is far from the only person qualified to oversee DC, I understand people who want him back. He left unfinished stories with iconic characters and an all-star cast incomplete. His movies make bank. His projects get streamed more than DC does without him. Frankly, I’d be just as excited to see Burton return for a Batman Beyond or old man Wayne story. After all, Keaton donned his cowl again 30 years after his final feature bat-film. Why can’t fans hold out hope for their heroes to return?

In fact, it seems like every time a DC fan dares to enjoy a DC movie, someone tells them to “just move on,” that seems strange to me. Imagine if, when Man of Steel was rolling out in 2013, WB and Zack Snyder said that Brandon Routh damaged the brand and anyone who didn’t hop on board with Henry and cease to be fans of Brandon, Dean, Tom, and Christopher Reeve were fake DC fans. That’s the level of aggressive fandom censorship presented in the modern DC landscape. It doesn’t even make sense. Especially since a singular selfie was all it took for lifetime Snyder-haters to want him back at DC. So this hate is clearly an act, you don’t 180 your opinions like that if they’re really your opinion.

The fact of the matter is that this curated hive of brand-aligned attack dogs wants free rein to shriek about what they hate for over a decade, but don’t want fans to speak about what they love. [...] This targeted hate does not aid the box office and makes the DC hobby space less desirable to anyone who doesn’t get off on calling someone a fascist for enjoying a movie. That leads to fewer new fans in the long term. And in the long-term, old actors keep coming back to their iconic roles.

When we examine industry trends, returning actors are often the go-to choice for studios that lack insight into what the audience wants. Look at Spider-Man: No Way Home, which saw Andrew and Tobey return alongside a host of beloved villains. Look at Deadpool & Wolverine, and how it stuffed an eclectic group of long-presumed retired superhero roles back into the mainstream. Even Avengers: Doomsday will see the likes of Jackman and Maguire suiting up again alongside a myriad of actors from Paramount, Sony, and FOX’s superhero back catalogue. So why, then, is it insane to think that Henry Cavill could one day wear the costume again? Let’s not pretend that WB isn’t following Marvel’s playbook; they hired a Marvel guy to sort of reboot the DCEU into the DCU. I mean, he essentially retonned David Corenswet into the DCEU rather than starting with a whole new cast and setting, but they called it a reboot anyway.

[...] The people who say “move on” really mean, “I hate you, I hate what makes you happy, I have worked hard to shut down the things that bring you joy, and I can’t stand the possibility that those things will come back”, which isn’t very nice, punk rock, or remotely normal. All of this malice springs from the toxic mismanagement of WB/WBD, which has weaponized fandom disagreements to distract from their own inadequate film productions and management for decades.

No matter what way you cut it, remaining a fan of a prior actor or director isn’t toxic. Not being interested in a new, different version of that IP is called personal preference and is likewise not toxic behavior. [...]

[...] You can look at the success of Sony and Marvel’s partnership or the impending return of Michael Bay to the Transformers universe and learn from them, or keep rebooting every three years and blaming the fans. Personally, I think we’re due to actually see a story through to the end for a change. The last time DC managed that was Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy from 2005-2012. That’s a 14-year hiatus of DC ending a story as intended, which is far too long.

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Full Article

On a recent episode of his The Town podcast, Puck founder Matthew Belloni and industry analyst Scott Mendelson assigned confidence scores from 1 to 13 to a slate of 13 anticipated summer movies. When the conversation turned to Supergirl, Belloni got straight to the point. “Supergirl, June 26th. I have this as a two. I am not confident,” Belloni said.

Notably, Belloni is basing his score on more than just the trailers and marketing materials available to the general public. The journalist also saw additional Supergirl footage at CinemaCon, the industry trade show for studios and exhibitors.

“I was open to it,” Belloni said, adding that he enjoyed last summer’s Superman. Noting its box office return, he said, “It got to $618 worldwide and opened to $125. But the footage they showed at CinemaCon, not great. Seems like lesser and kind of a, you know, IP milking. So, I am dropping this to a two.”

Mendelson echoed Belloni’s concerns. “I’m not that much more confident in that it’s a five,” he said. “I was not thrilled about the footage at CinemaCon.” [...]

“I know this is cheaper than Superman. I was assured that it was not like a Daredevil to Elektra come down in terms of budget,” Mendelson said. In other words, the production cost for Supergirl is not believed to be drastically lower than Superman‘s. However, once marketing and distribution are factored in, studios often need a film to earn roughly 2.5 times its production budget to break even.

While official costs have not been made public, Supergirl‘s budget is estimated to be around $150 million to $200 million. If those figures are accurate, Supergirl would need to generate between $375 million and $500 million at the worldwide box office just to break even.

Ultimately, this is not just about one movie. Supergirl is a key part of James Gunn’s expanding DCU, and a box office disappointment could raise fresh questions about the franchise’s broader future. [...]

Clip from Geeks & Gamers' YouTube.

The filmmaker posted a new image on Instagram from the Paramount lot, captioning it, “Poking around the back lot in Hollywood as we start work on our new project.”

Snyder didn’t say what the project is, but the timing is going to fuel a lot of speculation.

Snyder has been teasing DC-related material on social media for months, including posts tied to his DCEU films, the Trinity, and Justice League imagery. Now he is posting from the Paramount lot while Paramount is trying to buy Warner Bros. Discovery.

Snyder’s next project could be Brawler, his UFC movie. The project was announced last year with UFC, Dana White, and Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh involved.

Paramount already has a UFC connection, and the UFC is owned by TKO which recently partnered with the Saudis on a new boxing promotion.

The bigger angle is what Paramount is trying to do with Warner Bros. Discovery.

Paramount’s WBD deal would put Warner Bros., HBO, DC, and the studio’s film and TV assets under a new corporate structure.

Snyder’s Justice League and DCEU films remain major talking points online, especially with fans who want Warner Bros. to revisit his DCEU plans.

We have also heard that the Saudis want Snyder back involved with the SnyderVerse as a way to rival Marvel.

For now, nothing official has been announced. The Paramount-WBD is expected to close by the end of July. Stay tuned to Zack’s Instagram posts for more clues.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DXzFhC8CbMD/?igsh=MWpobWxnamlqYnFsbg==

Following James Gunn’s Superman underperforming, Supergirl now looks like it may have its own Kryptonite.

Matt Belloni is not sold on Supergirl, and if his box office outlook is anywhere close, DC Studios and James Gunn could have another major problem on their hands.

On The Town’s 2026 Summer Blockbuster Confidence Ranking, the Puck News founder gave Supergirl one of the lowest scores on the board and said he expects the movie to make only around $300 million to $350 million worldwide

That could be a major issue depending on the budget.

Using the industry standard 2.5x break-even rule, if Supergirl costs around $150 million, it would need roughly $375 million worldwide to break even. A $300 million global finish would put it about $75 million short.

If the budget is closer to $200 million, Supergirl would need around $500 million worldwide to break even. In that case, a $300 million worst-case scenario finish could mean a loss of $200 million or more.

Belloni ranked Supergirl near the bottom of the 13 summer movies being discussed, placing it at No. 2 on his confidence scale, with thirteen being the highest.

Scott Mendelson was not as down on Supergirl as Belloni, but he also did not sound blown away.

Mendelson gave the movie a 5 out of 13.

“The production values was there. It just felt very chaotic and busy in a way that just let them breathe,” Mendelson said.

Mendelson also addressed the budget and pushed back against the idea that Supergirl is some ultra-cheap DC movie.

“I know this is cheaper than Superman. I was assured that it was not like a Daredevil to Elektra come down in terms of budget,” Mendelson said.

https://www.ign.com/articles/dc-studios-co-ceo-says-superhero-fatigue-was-never-a-thing-just-mediocre-movie-fatigue-points-to-supergirl-as-something-cool-and-original

From the article:

The most glaring similarity between them is the fact that both Batman v Superman and Man of Tomorrow are team-up films. In the former, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman eventually banded together to defeat Lex Luthor and Doomsday. In the latter, Superman and Lex Luthor will have to team up to take down Brainiac. The cast of Man of Tomorrow also includes other DC heroes, like Isabela Merced's Hawkgirl and Aaron Pierre's John Stewart, mirroring Batman v Superman's use of Wonder Woman.

There has even been speculation that Man of Tomorrow will debut the DCU's Wonder Woman, though the full details of the movie's cast have been mired in rumors, refutations, and gossip. Man of Tomorrow, as well, will be the DCU's second outing for Superman, just as Batman v Superman was. Additionally, neither of the films are really sequels to the first Superman films in their respective franchises. As team-up movies, these stories are really about the franchise at large rather than Superman himself.

Even Superman 2025 wasn't really a solo Superman movie. He was the main focus of the film, but it also very notably featured several other DC characters in supporting roles. Hawkgirl, Guy Gardner, Mister Terrific, and even Metamorpho all had big roles to play in Superman, and the movie ended with a Supergirl cameo. Superman 2025 was effectively a soft launch for the Justice League (or Gang) as a whole.

Saw this on X. From Open Source Intel.

Variety reports that the merged Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery company will be 49.5% owned by foreign investors after closing, with 38.5% of the equity held by three Middle Eastern funds: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the United Arab Emirates’ L’imad entities, and the Qatar Investment Authority.

Paramount has said those investors will not have board seats or voting shares, with David Ellison, Larry Ellison, and RedBird Capital keeping control of 100% of the voting power.

The filing then goes a step further.

Paramount is asking for advance approval that would allow those non-controlling foreign investors to increase their indirect equity and/or voting interests up to 20% in Paramount at some point in the future.

Since the Saudi, UAE, and Qatar funds are already listed at a combined 38.5%, all three reaching 20% would put their combined stake at roughly 60%.

In plain English, the Middle East funds could potentially become majority economic owners of Paramount-WBD, even if they do not control the company’s votes.

This is also something we have covered before, going back to when we were first told Zack Snyder was bringing back the SnyderVerse.

Our insiders pointed us to comments from Hollywood producer Patrick Caligiuri, who said he was the first to report Saudi Arabia’s interest in Warner Bros. Discovery back in October.

According to Caligiuri, who had recently returned from Saudi Arabia, the deal was nearly done.

At the time, that sounded massive. Now, Paramount’s own FCC filing shows just how serious the Middle Eastern money behind the WBD deal really is and essentially confirms what Caligiuri reported, that the Saudis were indeed “one signature” away from completion.

Found this on X. Credit to whoever made it.

As of now, the teaser does not appear on the official HBO Max YouTube channel, and it also doesn’t appear on the official DC or Warner Bros. YouTube channels (Clayface is there).

The trailer also isn’t showing up through HBO Max’s official social rollout the way it did when it first launched.

HBO Max did officially put it out after an unauthorized leak forced things early, and trades and entertainment outlets covered it as the real first teaser for the series.

That included reporting that the show stars Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, with the series set for an August 2026 debut on HBO Max.

However, the trailer has since been listed as “private” on HBO Max’s YouTube channel.

At the moment, also odd is how hard the teaser is to find through the usual official places.

[...] Even IGN doesn’t have the trailer up on its YouTube.

There has been no public explanation that we could find from HBO Max, DC Studios, Warner Bros., or Gunn.

It could be as simple as a marketing reset, a re-upload plan, rights or music cleanup, or some kind of backend platform change.

It could also be tied to the backlash that hit the teaser and the new poster.