If you don’t count the theatrical edition of Justice League as his movie, which the vast majority of fans and the man himself certainly don’t, then it’s been five years since Zack Snyder last saw one of his directorial efforts score a wide theatrical release. And there won’t be another one for a while, given what he’s got on his plate.
His preferred version of Justice League hit HBO Max to much fanfare earlier this year, and even though Netflix’s Army of the Dead scored the streamer’s biggest-ever cinema rollout, it still played on less than 1000 screens nationwide. Next up is refitted Star Wars spinoff Rebel Moon, and then it’s safe to assume he’ll make at least one more original film for his new contractual home, as well as an Army of the Dead sequel.
Warner Bros. may have cut all ties with Snyder, but that hasn’t stopped his back catalogue from continuing to dominate the most-watched list of the studio’s in-house streaming service. 300 is currently sitting in fifth place in the viewership charts, which is pretty fitting because it’s almost the definition of a Friday night movie.
Every frame is packed to bursting point with blood, battles and biceps, with the highly stylized approach setting out Snyder’s stall as one of the most distinctive visual talents in the business. It was a major box office success story, scored strong reviews from critics and got a sequel, but that still wasn’t enough for WB to give the green light to his proposed third installment.
As unfortunate as that may be, it hasn’t dissuaded fans from checking 300 out on HBO Max this week. The film ranks fifth worldwide on HBO Max’s top 10 films list, according to FlixPatrol. Based on the Frank Miller comic of the same name, Snyder’s adaptation beat out Transformers and Friends: The Reunion worldwide.
