The chaotic road of DC movies over the last decade, as the company embarks on a bold 10-year plan to compete with Marvel

Travis ClarkAug 6, 2022, 18:38 IST

"The Batman."Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Discovery said on Thursday that it has a "10-year plan" for DC movies similar to Marvel.
The company has made it a priority to get the franchise on the right track to compete with the MCU.

Warner Bros. Discovery, DC's new parent company, said during an investor call on Thursday that it is working on a "10-year plan" for the superhero movie universe.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav speaks onstage during the Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront 2022 show at MSG Studios on May 18, 2022 in New York CityKevin Mazur/Getty Images for Warner Bros. Discovery

It's not the first time that Warner Bros. and DC have rethought their movie strategy. DC movies have been on a winding road over the last decade, ever since Christopher Nolan wrapped up his Dark Knight Trilogy with "The Dark Knight Rises" in 2012.

"The Dark Knight Rises."Warner Bros.

It's not the first time that Warner Bros. and DC have rethought their movie strategy. DC movies have been on a winding road over the last decade, ever since Christopher Nolan wrapped up his Dark Knight Trilogy with "The Dark Knight Rises" in 2012.

2013: "Man of Steel" was released, starring Henry Cavill as Superman and directed by Zack Snyder. It rebooted the character with a more edgy take following the success of Nolan's Batman movies.

Warner Bros.

2013: "Man of Steel" was released, starring Henry Cavill as Superman and directed by Zack Snyder. It rebooted the character with a more edgy take following the success of Nolan's Batman movies.

March 2016: "Man of Steel" was the launching point for a potential DC movie universe, akin to the MCU. Snyder directed a followup, "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," that brought Cavill back, and introduced Ben Affleck's Batman and Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman.

Warner Bros.

March 2016: "Man of Steel" was the launching point for a potential DC movie universe, akin to the MCU. Snyder directed a followup, "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," that brought Cavill back, and introduced Ben Affleck's Batman and Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman.

August 2016: "Suicide Squad" was also released. It was a modest box-office success with over $700 million worldwide, but another critical failure.

Will Smith as Deadshot and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn in "Suicide Squad."Warner Bros.

June 2017: Some hope emerged with "Wonder Woman."

"Wonder Woman."Warner Bros. Pictures

November 2017: Disaster struck with the theatrical release of "Justice League." What was supposed to be DC's answer to Marvel's "Avengers" was a critical and financial dud.

"Justice League"Warner Bros.

November 2017: Disaster struck with the theatrical release of "Justice League." What was supposed to be DC's answer to Marvel's "Avengers" was a critical and financial dud.

2017: "Justice League" had gone through extensive reshoots leading up to its release, after Snyder exited as director following a family tragedy and was replaced by "Avengers" director Joss Whedon. The poor response to the theatrical release launched the controversial "Release the Snyder Cut" movement.

Warner Bros.

2017: "Justice League" had gone through extensive reshoots leading up to its release, after Snyder exited as director following a family tragedy and was replaced by "Avengers" director Joss Whedon. The poor response to the theatrical release launched the controversial "Release the Snyder Cut" movement.

2017: The failure of the "DCEU" prompted Warner Bros. and DC to rethink its strategy. Instead of trying to replicate Marvel's shared universe, it would instead focus on standalone stories, Vulture reported in an extensive feature in July 2017.

Warner Bros.

2017: The failure of the "DCEU" prompted Warner Bros. and DC to rethink its strategy. Instead of trying to replicate Marvel's shared universe, it would instead focus on standalone stories, Vulture reported in an extensive feature in July 2017.

2018: DC's first test for the new strategy was "Aquaman." While Jason Momoa reprised his role as the title character after "Justice League," it largely didn't connect to any previous movies. It also heavily diverged from the tone of Snyder's films. It grossed over $1 billion worldwide.

"Aquaman"Warner Bros.

2018: DC's first test for the new strategy was "Aquaman." While Jason Momoa reprised his role as the title character after "Justice League," it largely didn't connect to any previous movies. It also heavily diverged from the tone of Snyder's films. It grossed over $1 billion worldwide.

2019: "Joker," a standalone origin story of Batman's famous foe, earned over $1 billion and was nominated for 11 Oscars, including best picture. That same year, "Shazam!" grossed a much more underwhelming $366 million, but was a hit with critics.

"Joker"Warner Bros.

2019: "Joker," a standalone origin story of Batman's famous foe, earned over $1 billion and was nominated for 11 Oscars, including best picture. That same year, "Shazam!" grossed a much more underwhelming $366 million, but was a hit with critics.

2020: "Birds of Prey" and "Wonder Woman 1984" struggled to maintain DC's post-"Justice League" momentum on the big screen.

Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn in "Birds of Prey"Warner Bros.

May 2020: Just as DC movies seemed to be getting on the right track, HBO Max announced that "Zack Snyder's Justice League" would be coming to the service the following year.

"Zack Snyder's Justice League"HBO Max

May 2020: Just as DC movies seemed to be getting on the right track, HBO Max announced that "Zack Snyder's Justice League" would be coming to the service the following year.

June 2020: "Justice League" actor Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg, accuses Joss Whedon in a tweet of "gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable" behavior on the set of the movie during reshoots (Whedon has denied this).

Warner Bros.

June 2020: "Justice League" actor Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg, accuses Joss Whedon in a tweet of "gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable" behavior on the set of the movie during reshoots (Whedon has denied this).

August 2021: "The Suicide Squad" was a soft reboot of the 2016 movie. It was a hit with critics, with a 90% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, but underwhelmed at the box office amid the pandemic.

Warner Bros.

August 2021: "The Suicide Squad" was a soft reboot of the 2016 movie. It was a hit with critics, with a 90% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, but underwhelmed at the box office amid the pandemic.

March 2022: "The Batman," a reboot of DC's most popular character starring Robert Pattinson and directed by Matt Reeves, landed after being delayed due to the pandemic. It earned over $700 million globally and a sequel is in the works.

Robert Pattinson as Batman in "The Batman."Warner Bros.

March 2022: "The Batman," a reboot of DC's most popular character starring Robert Pattinson and directed by Matt Reeves, landed after being delayed due to the pandemic. It earned over $700 million globally and a sequel is in the works.

April 2022: WarnerMedia and Discovery close their blockbuster merger to form Warner Bros. Discovery, with David Zaslav as its CEO.

Getty / Scott Olson

August 2022: Warner Bros. Discovery cancels the release of "Batgirl," which had been greenlit by WarnerMedia as an HBO Max-exclusive movie, signaling another strategy shift.

Leslie Grace as Batgirl.Warner Bros.

August 2022: Warner Bros. Discovery cancels the release of "Batgirl," which had been greenlit by WarnerMedia as an HBO Max-exclusive movie, signaling another strategy shift.

The future: There are few DC movies on the horizon that Zaslav seemed optimistic about during the investor call on Thursday. Beyond that, the company intends to build a team dedicated specifically to the DC movie universe that will develop a 10-year plan similar to Marvel.

Dwayne Johnson in "Black Adam."Warner Bros.

The future: There are few DC movies on the horizon that Zaslav seemed optimistic about during the investor call on Thursday. Beyond that, the company intends to build a team dedicated specifically to the DC movie universe that will develop a 10-year plan similar to Marvel.

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The chaotic road of DC movies over the last decade, as the company embarks on a bold 10-year plan to compete with Marvel

Warner Bros. Discovery, DC's new parent company, said during an investor call on Thursday that it is working on a "10-year plan" for the superhero movie universe.

It's not the first time that Warner Bros. and DC have rethought their movie strategy. DC movies have been on a winding road over the last decade, ever since Christopher Nolan wrapped up his Dark Knight Trilogy with "The Dark Knight Rises" in 2012.

2013: "Man of Steel" was released, starring Henry Cavill as Superman and directed by Zack Snyder. It rebooted the character with a more edgy take following the success of Nolan's Batman movies.

March 2016: "Man of Steel" was the launching point for a potential DC movie universe, akin to the MCU. Snyder directed a followup, "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," that brought Cavill back, and introduced Ben Affleck's Batman and Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman.

August 2016: "Suicide Squad" was also released. It was a modest box-office success with over $700 million worldwide, but another critical failure.

June 2017: Some hope emerged with "Wonder Woman."

November 2017: Disaster struck with the theatrical release of "Justice League." What was supposed to be DC's answer to Marvel's "Avengers" was a critical and financial dud.

2017: The failure of the "DCEU" prompted Warner Bros. and DC to rethink its strategy. Instead of trying to replicate Marvel's shared universe, it would instead focus on standalone stories, Vulture reported in an extensive feature in July 2017.

2018: DC's first test for the new strategy was "Aquaman." While Jason Momoa reprised his role as the title character after "Justice League," it largely didn't connect to any previous movies. It also heavily diverged from the tone of Snyder's films. It grossed over $1 billion worldwide.

2019: "Joker," a standalone origin story of Batman's famous foe, earned over $1 billion and was nominated for 11 Oscars, including best picture. That same year, "Shazam!" grossed a much more underwhelming $366 million, but was a hit with critics.

2020: "Birds of Prey" and "Wonder Woman 1984" struggled to maintain DC's post-"Justice League" momentum on the big screen.

May 2020: Just as DC movies seemed to be getting on the right track, HBO Max announced that "Zack Snyder's Justice League" would be coming to the service the following year.

June 2020: "Justice League" actor Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg, accuses Joss Whedon in a tweet of "gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable" behavior on the set of the movie during reshoots (Whedon has denied this).

August 2021: "The Suicide Squad" was a soft reboot of the 2016 movie. It was a hit with critics, with a 90% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, but underwhelmed at the box office amid the pandemic.

March 2022: "The Batman," a reboot of DC's most popular character starring Robert Pattinson and directed by Matt Reeves, landed after being delayed due to the pandemic. It earned over $700 million globally and a sequel is in the works.

April 2022: WarnerMedia and Discovery close their blockbuster merger to form Warner Bros. Discovery, with David Zaslav as its CEO.

August 2022: Warner Bros. Discovery cancels the release of "Batgirl," which had been greenlit by WarnerMedia as an HBO Max-exclusive movie, signaling another strategy shift.

The future: There are few DC movies on the horizon that Zaslav seemed optimistic about during the investor call on Thursday. Beyond that, the company intends to build a team dedicated specifically to the DC movie universe that will develop a 10-year plan similar to Marvel.