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 Birds of Prey: What went wrong? 
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Post Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
Early, but it’s not looking good

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Fri Feb 07, 2020 5:26 pm
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
Stupid title
Released a week early
Half-assed marketing job
Hid the reviews even though they were good
People look at 2016 as the DC Dark Ages and now both subsequent films have disappointed big time

I guess the signs were all there for a flop but usually superhero movies, especially ones with beloved characters, can power out of anything. I thought Joker would help but maybe it was too soon?


Fri Feb 07, 2020 5:38 pm
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
well since I was rooting for it, that's it. get me to want to see your movie and it will fail

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Fri Feb 07, 2020 5:46 pm
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
- Suicide squad WOM
- Not calling it Harley Quinn
- SS/BOP Harley is a totally different character than the original animated or comic book version. I think losing that pop culture core hurts a bit.
- Reports are the demo was more male than Suicide Squad. So I think an awkward position where Harley is still a more popular character with males than females because of sex appeal. Females have no reason to aspire to be Harley who is a crazy person that dresses like a clown hooker and has bad taste in men. But some males are still not as interested in it as a male led movie.

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Fri Feb 07, 2020 6:02 pm
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
The lateness of everything. Late teaser with It 2 when that should've been the first trailer. 2nd trailer came less than half a month before release. Tickets went on sale a little more than a week before release. Embargo lifted a day before. Just...

They probably used a low marketing budget but still. This sucks. WoM should be solid but idk.


Fri Feb 07, 2020 6:10 pm
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
When well reviewed and well received mid-high budget films don't do well... it's a huge bummer.

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Fri Feb 07, 2020 6:15 pm
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
They should spent the 5.6m and put in a SB spot considering movie released 4 days after that. That was a missed opportunity. Also zero reason to lift embargo so late. I guess they thought it will be received badly. Otherwise it just lacked hook for the audience. Harley should be in a Joker(not leto) or Batman movie.

Even Batgirl movie is very risky at this time unless they intro her in a batman movie and then make a spinoff. Definitely no Gotham City Sirens or any other movies without big hero/villian character.

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Fri Feb 07, 2020 6:45 pm
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
Yeah there's no way they're going to make a Batgirl film now without some sort of cameo/role in a WW/AQ/Batman film.

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Fri Feb 07, 2020 6:58 pm
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
Joker is in a different universe. This seemed to have little in common with Joker’s tone, style, or anything else. It didn’t capitalize on it.

And yeah almost nothing about this film made it appealing to women, except the fact that it’s stars were women, which isn’t enough.


Fri Feb 07, 2020 7:13 pm
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
Pretty much everything everybody has said is a factor for this disappointing IMO and then some. Really I think it comes down to the poor marketing and the less than great reception there was for SS.


Fri Feb 07, 2020 7:33 pm
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
DP07 wrote:
And yeah almost nothing about this film made it appealing to women, except the fact that it’s stars were women, which isn’t enough.


Hm...

It was written by, directed by, and stars women. Did the "average" woman need more ladylike things? Pink tea parties, bake-offs, fashion shows, dream weddings--all beautifully lit at the height of gorgeous sunny days :thumbsup:


Fri Feb 07, 2020 7:47 pm
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
Needed to be just be called "Harley Quinn" and needed to get the reviews out 2 weeks ago.

Also the trailers sucked, there was no sense of scale

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Fri Feb 07, 2020 8:34 pm
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
Shack wrote:
- Suicide squad WOM
- Not calling it Harley Quinn
- SS/BOP Harley is a totally different character than the original animated or comic book version. I think losing that pop culture core hurts a bit.
- Reports are the demo was more male than Suicide Squad. So I think an awkward position where Harley is still a more popular character with males than females because of sex appeal. Females have no reason to aspire to be Harley who is a crazy person that dresses like a clown hooker and has bad taste in men. But some males are still not as interested in it as a male led movie.



^
This.

You need young males to come out in droves for this genre. They are what's going to drive a large opening. BoP may not even outgross Shazam (OW and domestic). Yikes.

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Fri Feb 07, 2020 11:41 pm
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
Malcolm wrote:
DP07 wrote:
And yeah almost nothing about this film made it appealing to women, except the fact that it’s stars were women, which isn’t enough.


Hm...

It was written by, directed by, and stars women. Did the "average" woman need more ladylike things? Pink tea parties, bake-offs, fashion shows, dream weddings--all beautifully lit at the height of gorgeous sunny days :thumbsup:


It’s almost the opposite of frozen or twilight. And frozen is about an ice queen, twilight is about vampires and werewolves, hardly meant fit female cliches. I don’t think having a main character who refers to herself as a psycho bitch is going to draw in a big female audience. BOP tries to temper the darkness with humor, without any big laughs in the trailer. Harley acts like the person who’s smiling and laughing, trying to convince themselves and everyone else that everything’s ok, when it’s not. Frozen, Twilight, Hunger Games, Divergent, Ocean’s 8, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel etc, maintain a sense of optimism through it and despite it all.

Also, are women required to like and support everything made by other women? A normal/equal society could let things happen naturally as they do without women needing to agree on everything. That would be a sign of health and normalcy.


Last edited by DP07 on Sat Feb 08, 2020 12:49 am, edited 5 times in total.



Fri Feb 07, 2020 11:56 pm
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
Expectations were too high for what it was: a spin-off to a highly divisive film starring a C-list character.

It also didn't help that it kept the lame, washed out aesthetic of its predecessor and that there was no hook beyond "Harley Quinn in her own movie....again!"

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Fri Feb 07, 2020 11:58 pm
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
I mean it looked really stupid. But the reviews have me convinced to go see it. They should have released them sooner. Hopefully it has good legs.


Sat Feb 08, 2020 4:17 am
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
DP07 wrote:
Malcolm wrote:
DP07 wrote:
And yeah almost nothing about this film made it appealing to women, except the fact that it’s stars were women, which isn’t enough.


Hm...

It was written by, directed by, and stars women. Did the "average" woman need more ladylike things? Pink tea parties, bake-offs, fashion shows, dream weddings--all beautifully lit at the height of gorgeous sunny days :thumbsup:


Also, are women required to like and support everything made by other women? A normal/equal society could let things happen naturally as they do without women needing to agree on everything. That would be a sign of health and normalcy.


I couldn't agree more--I just find it odd to say nothing in this film appeals to women as if there is a pre-approved list of "lady" things that weren't present. Women were heavily involved in the making of/starring in/selling of the film so it's certainly appealing to women--perhaps, as others have pointed out, the rather crappy marketing knee-capped things a bit in selling it.


Sat Feb 08, 2020 12:22 pm
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
Not releasing the reviews earlier.

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Sat Feb 08, 2020 12:24 pm
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
Magnus wrote:
The demo breakdown shows that the lack of youth appeal was major. Half of Suicide Squad OW was under 35. If this was a PG-13 flick that tried harder to appeal to youth it probably does much better.


62% were under 35

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Sat Feb 08, 2020 2:29 pm
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
Malcolm wrote:
DP07 wrote:
Malcolm wrote:
DP07 wrote:
And yeah almost nothing about this film made it appealing to women, except the fact that it’s stars were women, which isn’t enough.


Hm...

It was written by, directed by, and stars women. Did the "average" woman need more ladylike things? Pink tea parties, bake-offs, fashion shows, dream weddings--all beautifully lit at the height of gorgeous sunny days :thumbsup:


Also, are women required to like and support everything made by other women? A normal/equal society could let things happen naturally as they do without women needing to agree on everything. That would be a sign of health and normalcy.


I couldn't agree more--I just find it odd to say nothing in this film appeals to women as if there is a pre-approved list of "lady" things that weren't present. Women were heavily involved in the making of/starring in/selling of the film so it's certainly appealing to women--perhaps, as others have pointed out, the rather crappy marketing knee-capped things a bit in selling it.


Yeah I’m not basing this on seeing the movie as I have yet to. It’s just a commentary on the marketing.


Sat Feb 08, 2020 5:03 pm
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
Malcolm wrote:
DP07 wrote:
Malcolm wrote:
DP07 wrote:
And yeah almost nothing about this film made it appealing to women, except the fact that it’s stars were women, which isn’t enough.


Hm...

It was written by, directed by, and stars women. Did the "average" woman need more ladylike things? Pink tea parties, bake-offs, fashion shows, dream weddings--all beautifully lit at the height of gorgeous sunny days :thumbsup:


Also, are women required to like and support everything made by other women? A normal/equal society could let things happen naturally as they do without women needing to agree on everything. That would be a sign of health and normalcy.


I couldn't agree more--I just find it odd to say nothing in this film appeals to women as if there is a pre-approved list of "lady" things that weren't present. Women were heavily involved in the making of/starring in/selling of the film so it's certainly appealing to women--perhaps, as others have pointed out, the rather crappy marketing knee-capped things a bit in selling it.


Well.....based on 14 years of box office watching experience, I can say there is certainly something amounting a list of "lady" things that tends to portend a large amount of women coming out to see a movie. Superheroes, action movies, etc. are not necessarily on that list.

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Sat Feb 08, 2020 5:24 pm
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
I don't think anybody should overlook the fact that Suicide Squad is probably the single worst movie of the 2010s.


Sat Feb 08, 2020 9:07 pm
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
Magnus wrote:
The demo breakdown shows that the lack of youth appeal was major. Half of Suicide Squad OW was under 35.


Do Ewan McGregor’s kids have some some kind of social media influence we don’t know about?

Either way, they broke a cardinal rule of box-office; Don’t cast people who are fucking.


Sun Feb 09, 2020 4:21 am
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
R Rated movies starring young females in the sci-fi/action/horror area are very rarely lucrative. First problem.

It was a major problem making this as Harley Quinn's first starring movie, without her name as the title (obviously we're not counting the enormously stupid subtitle that no one remembers).

Birds of Prey should have come later. I enjoyed the 2002 tv series somewhat, but it was more of a guilty pleasure, and it only lasted one season. Harley Quinn is not even primarily associated with this team in the Batman universe. The title to general audiences probably sounds like a nature documentary or a bad horror flick.

Also as big of a fan as I am of all/most things Batman, I still have never seen the trailer that I recall - I haven't been to a ton of movies lately but I saw Charlie's Angels for example. The posters I notice are absolutely horrendous.

Name-wise there's no one else in the cast of the titular team who is known or compelling.

Side note: this weekend I was actually watching Beware the Batman (2013) this weekend, and almost totally forgot this movie was out.

When I see what Harley looks like in the marketing, I'm not interested. She does not have any of her classic looks, but rather looks like a drag queen version of herself in a pink lipstick summer girl power flick. It does not work at all.

Obviously it's not great that it came on the Oscar weekend of Phoenix's Joker, universally infinitely more liked than the Leto one associated with the Robbie Harley.

It was also touted by some as social justice trash, which a lot of people are not interested in.

In light of all this it's not surprising to me at all that it didn't light up the box office.

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Mon Feb 10, 2020 11:46 am
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Post Re: Birds of Prey: What went wrong?
This is seriously the worst movie poster I can ever have recalled seeing.

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Mon Feb 10, 2020 11:51 am
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