Okay, now this makes sense. Or dollars and cents.
After the Hollywood Reporter ran a story on Sunday indicating that Warner Bros. was considering a Green Lantern follow-up, the trade was informed by the studio that “no decision has been reached” to film a sequel.
This idea that Warners was even considering a sequel was confounding considering that the film is performing so tepidly. The trade also indicated that industry observers expect the film to net somewhere between $260 and $275 Million—not enough to cover its projected—although rumored—$400 Million price tag (this includes the film’s worldwide marketing expenses).
This really saddens me because I don’t think that the filmmakers brought the care and enthusiasm to this film that was necessary to not only kick-off a franchise, but also show the industry that DC’s second-tier characters are viable film properties.
Let’s go back to 2008, after Iron Man enjoyed an unexpectedly successful first weekend (and overwhelmingly positive reviews). On the following Monday, Marvel Studios laid out their three-year plan (which ballooned by a year) in which the company proudly announced their ambitious plans to bring Iron Man’s fellow teammates—Thor, Captain America and Ant Man—to the big-screen.
These films would culminate with an even more ambitious teaming of the heroes in The Avengers. While we continue to hear about forward movement on an Ant Man script, this summer has already seen the successful release of Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger is a few weeks away from release. That Avengers thing is already half way through its filming and is scheduled for release next year.
So yeah, I’m disappointed in what Green Lantern was as a film, but more importantly what it could have meant for harder to sell properties like Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the Justice League. I don’t picture Warner Bros. doling out big bucks on movies like these without a proven track record.
On the bright side, we are getting Batman and Superman films next year.
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