Almost the entire DC Extended Universe slate was recently added to Netflix and there's currently a lot of chatter surrounding how those movies are now performing on the streaming platform.
Of all the titles made available to subscribers, David Ayer's Suicide Squad has reached #5 and Black Adam is currently sitting at #8 in the U.S. Top 10 chart. Does this mean anything? That's up for debate, though many movies have underperformed in theaters and found new life on Netflix (leading to them getting sequels on the streamer).
The difference here, of course, is that the DC brand is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will end the DCEU as we know it later this month and the plan now is for DC Studios' James Gunn and Peter Safran to start fresh when Superman: Legacy kicks off the new DCU.
Still, this apparent success has led to renewed hopes among fans for a Black Adam sequel and, in the minds of some, increases the odds of Warner Bros. choosing to #ReleaseTheAyerCut. The former option seems highly unlikely, though Suicide Squad becoming a hit on Netflix may well convince studio bosses that dropping a director's cut of the 2016 movie on streaming could be a beneficial business decision.
Black Adam was a critical disappointment when it arrived in theaters last October and made just $393 million at the worldwide box office (a figure 2023's DCEU movies could only dream of, ironically).
This time last year, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson addressed Black Adam's DCU future (or lack thereof).
"James Gunn and I connected, and Black Adam will not be in their first chapter of storytelling," he said. |However, DC and Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters."
"James and I have known each other for years and have always rooted for each other to succeed. It's no different now, and I will always root for DC (and Marvel) to win and WIN BIG. You guys know me, and I have very thick skin - and you can always count on me to be direct with my words."
"These decisions made by James and DC leadership represent their vision of DCU through their creative lens. After 15 years of relentless hard work to finally make Black Adam, I'm very proud of the film we delivered for fans worldwide...We did great."
Even Zack Snyder has attempted to create buzz surrounding the DCEU's arrival on Netflix saying, "If Netflix had the rights to the characters from my DC universe, of course I would do it, absolutely [finish the Snyderverse Saga]."
Do you think the franchise's apparent success on the streamer is going to lead anywhere?