Warner Bros. and DC Comics announce plans to compete with Disney's incredibly profitable Marvel superhero films.
Warner Bros. has been a box office leader since 2007, but Box Office Mojo reveals that Hollywood’s biggest studio is now finding itself falling behind 20th Century Fox and Disney in sales. Warner Bros. has thus been experiencing a massive amount of pressure to increase their revenue and profit, and the company revealed on Wednesday that they intend to do so by releasing at least 10 superhero films from their DC Comics library through 2020.
Studio chief Kevin Tsujihara told investors in New York on Wednesday that Warner Bros. will be “doubling down” on its multifilm franchises over the next few years. Warner Bros. will release at least three films based on J.K. Rowling’s Fastastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which exists in the same universe as the Harry Potter series that brought the company eight theatrical successes. The studio will also release three LEGO-branded films over the next four years, in an attempt to further capitalize on the success of this year’s The LEGO Movie, which earned $468 million worldwide. Finally, Tsujihara revealed that the studio plans to release up to 10 DC Comics superhero films.
“The demand for high quality video content is growing fast – in the United States and around the world – as new technologies have created new platforms and millions of new connected consumers,” said Tsujihara. “The opportunity is huge. And no studio is better positioned to take advantage of it than Warner Bros.”
Following the highly-anticipated Batman v Superman will be a Suicide Squad film in 2016, then Wonder Woman and Justice League in 2017. The following year, two members of the Justice League, The Flash and Aquaman, will get their own solo films. Then in 2019, Shazam gets his own film, and Justice League 2 will also be released. Plans are also coming together for a Cyborg film, a Green Lantern reboot, and additional standalone Batman and Superman films after 2019.
“Disney’s success with Marvel shows us what’s possible,” said Tsuijihara.
Leave a Reply