A Margot Robbie movie that was criminally underrated when it was first released, but has since gone on to become a huge favorite on social media, is crazy popular on streaming right now.
A year ago last week, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) dropped in theaters. Despite Robbie’s star power and the DC brand, though, it ended up being the lowest-grossing entry in the DCEU to date, only earning around $200 million at the global box office.
But proving that commercial success isn’t everything, Birds of Prey was well-received by critics for its unique visual style, fast-paced action and talented ensemble cast. Fans also loved it, particularly those who had been crying out for an all-female team-up superhero flick. Now, 12 months later, either those who enjoyed it the first time around or missed it on the big screen are flocking to HBO Max to stream the film, as BoP is currently sitting as the number one most popular title on the WarnerMedia platform, as per FlixPatrol.
Robbie returns in the movie as Harley Quinn, with the Clown Princess of Crime finding herself teaming up with Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) and Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) as they share a common enemy – Gotham’s biggest crime boss, Black Mask (a twisted, flamboyant Ewan McGregor).
Hopefully by now, Warner Bros. has got the message that there’s a lot of love out there for Birds of Prey, despite its weak box office gross. Specifically, its strong performance on HBO Max might convince them to order up a sequel as a streaming exclusive. Given that the movie has been shortlisted for two Academy Award nominations as well, you’d think they’d be interested in giving director Cathy Yan another crack at the whip.
We’ll have to wait and see what happens there, but the good news is that Margot Robbie will return as Harley in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, debuting this August.
