(Welcome to Tales from the Field Workplace, our column that examines field workplace miracles, disasters, and all the pieces in between, in addition to what we will study from them.)
“I pitched the thought of an R-rated woman gang movie together with Harley, as a result of I used to be like, ‘Harley wants mates.'” That is what Margot Robbie mentioned in Might 2018, explaining how Harley Quinn’s eventual 2020 spin-off movie “Birds of Prey” got here to be. “I wasn’t seeing sufficient woman gangs on display, particularly within the motion house.”
Warner Bros. was in a bizarre spot round this time. Marvel was working laps round DC within the cinematic universe house, with “Avengers: Infinity Battle” shattering data in 2018 and the MCU collectively producing billions upon billions of {dollars} globally. DC, in the meantime, was reeling from the business catastrophe that was “Justice League,” whereas attempting to construct on the success of “Marvel Lady.” As a part of that plan, they leaned on Robbie’s rising star energy for an R-rated, colourful, woman-fronted romp within the DC Prolonged Universe. On paper, the studio did nearly all the pieces proper, however paper is not the actual world. This was the proper film on the fallacious time, setting DC’s anti-heroines on a doomed cinematic voyage.
On this week’s Tales from the Field Workplace, we’re wanting again at “Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” in honor of its fifth anniversary. We’ll go over the way it got here to be, this disjointed goings on behind the scenes with DC on the time, what occurred when the film hit theaters, what occurred very shortly after the discharge, how that sealed its destiny, and what classes we will study from it a number of years eliminated. Let’s dig in, lets?
The film: Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
The movie as we all know it sees a sinister villain named Roman Sionis working in Gotham Metropolis and placing out a success on a younger woman named Cassandra Cain. The town’s ever underbelly rises up on the lookout for her. In the meantime, Harley Quinn, having lately cut up from Joker, kinds an unlikely alliance with Huntress, Black Canary, and a police officer named Renee Montoya in an effort to take Roman down and save Cassie.
Context is vital right here. In 2016, Warner Bros. scored an enormous hit with “Suicide Squad,” which pulled in an insane $747 million worldwide (along with profitable an Oscar), regardless of incomes largely unfavorable critiques. It did not assist that director David Ayer largely disowned the theatrical model, calling it “not my film.” Nonetheless, it was an enormous hit. Even earlier than it hit theaters, WB was eyeing no less than one spin-off, with Harley Quinn being the obvious candidate, given the character’s recognition.
Regardless of the DCEU getting off to a bumpy begin with misfires like “Batman v. Superman” and “Justice League,” constructive momentum was constructing with “Marvel Lady,” “Aqauman,” and “Shazam!” all turning into large hits to go along with crucial acclaim. Nonetheless, the DCEU, as a universe, appeared fractured and a bit disjoined. For instance, Ayer was working with Robbie on a distinct Harley Quinn spin-off titled “Gotham Metropolis Sirens” on the identical time “Birds of Prey” was coming collectively. DC did not have a mastermind like what Marvel Studios had with Kevin Feige. Cohesion appeared powerful to return by.
Nonetheless, as Robbie’s star energy grew, this spin-off continued to realize steam. Cathy Yan (“Useless Pigs”) was chosen to direct the movie, with Christina Hodson (“Bumblebee”) dealing with the script. As issues actually began to return collectively, the studio started including extra star energy alongside Robbie. Ewan McGregor was solid as Roman, aka Black Masks, with Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, Jurnee Smollett as Black Canary, Rosie Perez as Renee Monotoya, and a comparatively unknown Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain.
Making an attempt to divorce Birds of Prey from Suicide Squad was a problem
The problem Yan confronted was attempting to craft a Harley Quinn film that each acknowledged “Suicide Squad” but distanced itself from it. Throughout a go to to the “Birds of Prey” set, Yan defined, politely, that this was no straightforward activity.
“It is positively a problem since you wanna pay homage to not simply the comedian books, however then additionally the movies earlier than it, and clearly we have seen Margot play Harley earlier than in ‘Suicide Squad.’ And so it is positively a enjoyable problem to determine, like, what can we hold from that model of Harley and what we differentiate.”
Yan did attempt to differentiate “Birds of Prey” visually, because it was a much more colourful, gleeful movie than “Suicide Squad,” along with being R-rated. It additionally upped the motion, becoming a member of with “John Wick” director Chad Stahelski’s firm 87Eleven to take action. “We have been working with 87Eleven from the start. And the rationale that I selected them was as a result of I wished that fashion,” Yan mentioned throughout a press junket in 2020.
Warner Bros. saved the finances low on this one, comparatively talking, simply as they did with “Shazam!” in an try and set it as much as succeed. Reshoots, which noticed Stahelski be part of because the second-unit director to up the motion, definitely elevated the finances, however “Birds of Prey” nonetheless value between $82 and $100 million, which could be very low for a comic book e-book film. That was of nice profit.
The issue was semi confused advertising at a time when DC did not have automated goodwill like Marvel did. Regardless of the recognition of Harley Quinn as a personality, her identify did not seem till the “Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn” subtitle was added. Most individuals simply referred to it as “Birds of Prey” anyhow.
The monetary journey
For what it is price, Yan did her job as “Birds of Prey” was met with a usually heat response from critics forward of its launch. Writing for /Movie on the time, Hoai-Tran Bui referred to as it “fashionable, hilarious, and satisfying” in her evaluation. Bui wasn’t alone in her reward for Harley Quinn’s R-rated woman gang film. Warner Bros. additionally put their weight behind the movie, with a full, large advertising marketing campaign. It is simply that the marketing campaign was a bit confused, partially due to the title, and partially as a result of it was attempting to capitalize on a previous hit whereas additionally attempting to show that it wasn’t only a rehash of a film lots of people did not like.
“Birds of Prey” hit theaters on February 7, 2020. The excellent news is that it topped the field workplace on its opening weekend, in no small half as a result of it was the one large new launch in theaters. The unhealthy information is that it opened to simply $33 million, which was on the very, very low finish for a comic book e-book film. Save for any of the flicks in 2021 and past, no DCEU film courting again to Zack Snyder’s “Man of Metal” which began this universe in 2013 had a decrease opening weekend.
To make issues worse, the next weekend noticed “Sonic the Hedgehog” arrived to a bigger than anticipated $58 million, en path to beginning a $1 billion franchise. “Birds of Prey,” to its credit score, solely dropped 48% for a $17.1 million second weekend haul, however when your opening is so low, it is powerful to beat. With no greater maintain and with big competitors, the film’s destiny was sealed.
“Birds of Prey” completed its run with $84.1 million domestically to go along with $121.2 million internationally for a grand whole of $205.3 million worldwide. It was a disappointing whole, however there was additionally extra to this unlucky equation than confused advertising and a few potential distrust of the DC model.
The pandemic was the ultimate nail within the coffin for Birds of Prey
By February 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic had already been making headlines all over the world. Regardless that the U.S. would not shut down till March, with “No Time to Die” turning into the primary main launch to be delayed because the virus loomed. China had already begun quarantine, and that meant one of many largest moviegoing markets on the planet was primarily off the desk.
Because the pandemic made its means internationally, theaters all throughout the U.S. shut down in early March, which meant that “Birds of Prey,” and each different film in theaters, had its run reduce quick. Not that this film had been doing notably effectively, however it definitely would have no less than had a couple of extra weeks to earn some further money. That, coupled with the cash it could have made abroad, and it is not laborious to think about a state of affairs wherein “Birds of Prey” was no less than a modest theatrical hit.
Even earlier than theaters shut down although, there was some fallout. By February 10, theater chains began promoting Yan’s DCEU entry as “Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey.” Reviews on the time steered that was on the request of Warner Bros. Whether or not or not that is true, the message was the identical; one thing wasn’t working. Good film or not, it simply appeared like all the pieces was working in opposition to it.
It did not matter that as much as that time that solely “Shazam!” and “Marvel Lady” had earned higher critiques. The circumstances utterly upended any probability this film had of constructing what it wanted to make throughout its theatrical run.
The teachings contained inside
The pandemic additional screwed up the releases of “Marvel Lady 1984” and “The Suicide Squad,” with “The Flash,” “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” and “Blue Beetle” additionally struggling in 2023. After “Aquaman and the Misplaced Kingdom” in December of that 12 months, the DCEU was achieved, with James Gunn and Peter Safran now launching a reboot of the DC Universe starting with Gunn’s “Superman” film this summer time.
In some methods, “Birds of Prey” was the start of the tip for the DCEU. Regardless of the goodwill constructed up by films like “Marvel Lady,” “Aquaman,” and the shock $1 billion success of “Joker,” the DC model had develop into too fractured, with too many transferring items on the board. Yan did the proper issues. Warner Bros. gave this film an inexpensive finances and put their weight behind it with the advertising marketing campaign. Did they maybe botch the advertising? Virtually definitely, however the studio cannot be blamed for the pandemic, which is likely one of the greater components at play right here. Ultimately, circumstance doomed a very good film, and that is an actual disgrace. Who is aware of what may need occurred if “Birds of Prey” had been given a really truthful shake. On the identical time, it is not as if the DCEU was more likely to survive.
“Captain Marvel” proved female-fronted superhero films may succeed on the highest ranges. “Deadpool,” and “Joker” proved R-rated comedian e-book films may succeed on the highest ranges. No person can rightfully level to these components when it got here to this movie’s underperformance. Generally, the proper issues can nonetheless result in the fallacious end result. The hope, sooner or later, is that Hollywood continues to take inventive dangers within the realm of comedian e-book cinema, relatively than attempting to play it too secure.
