Forget Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons; Justice League is now facing a much more formidable conundrum: a lower-than-expected box office tally.
Currently simmering at $278 million worldwide, Warner’s much-hyped ensemble film disappointed on home turf, where it’s measly $94 million domestic haul became the lowest grossing debut of any DCEU effort to date – only Wonder Woman comes close at $100 million, though Patty Jenkins’ standalone pic had a remarkably long tail, which is to say that Diana Prince ruled over the global box office all summer long for a grand total of $821 million.
Justice League, by stark contrast, is now expected to limp miserably toward $635 million, which spells trouble for the Warner Bros. bean counters. Coming out of the film’s “dismal” debut, Forbes has compiled an exhaustive report that factors just about everything into the equation – merchandise potential, overseas markets…you name it – and it looks like WB is bracing for a possible $50m-$100m loss on Justice League.
With a production budget in excess of $300 million – those Joss Whedon-directed reshoots were said to have cost a pretty penny – plus an additional $150m for marketing, Justice League‘s cume must land anywhere between $700 million and $750 million if it’s to get in the black…let alone break even.
But after Forbes’ sobering projection put the final tally at $635 million, it’s all but certain that Warner Bros. is now bracing for a sizeable loss ($50m-$100m) on what many considered to be its ace in the hole. Yes, Justice League was an undercooked (but not irredeemable!) mess, and no matter which way you spin these numbers, this is another blemish on the DC Extended Universe that will likely be talked about for years to come.
The writing is on the wall: Justice League is sliding toward box office failure, which only lumps more pressure on the burly shoulders of Aquaman. Expect that standalone pic to make a beeline for theaters late next year.
