With Infinity War now here which showcases years or hard work of Marvel Studios paying off in the biggest way possible we cannot help but stop and wonder about the slowly dying DCEU and why it’s in the state that it’s in. There are plenty of arguments to be made over what exactly has caused such an event however before any argument can be made the thing to remember is that technically the DCEU has never had a box office flop so on the one hand the DCEU is making a lot of money for DC and Warner Brothers however it’s in the eyes of its fans where criticism begins to take hold. So what went wrong for the DCEU? Who or what is to blame?
Now many would have you believe that it’s down to the studio desperately trying to keep up with the MCU others would blame Zack Synder since he has been the figure head for the DCEU. However the first and by far the worst mistake made by Warner brothers happened in 2005 when they trusted Christopher Nolan with a new Batman franchise. Now has we all know Nolan blending a gritty realism to the character that made it feel like you were watching something that was plausible. It’s this gritty realism that lead to the formula of the now known DCEU. Why? Because simply they thought it would guarantee success both at the box office and bring success with the target audience. But sadly it hasn’t worked out this way and it’s easy to see why when you look at it from a different perspective.
Firstly the MCU works partly because it’s based in real locations with characters that are written to feel like the average person you see in the street with real human problems on top of trying to save the world. DC doesn’t have this they have larger than life characters with fictional problems in fictional cities in a fictional world. It’s fictional element that leads DC down a more fantastical road not a realistic one and there are ways you can use this to a great success but by understanding this and utilizing the realm of fantasy that you have the potential to create a powerful and rich cinematic universe.
Secondly it’s about understanding the road ahead which if you look at the industry has a whole you can see that the future isn’t in cinemas it’s on streaming platforms. By abandoning the current DCEU and creating a new one on the back of Netflix, Amazon or even their own platform DC and Warner Brothers have the potential to be pioneers by being amongst the first to create an entire new film franchise one built and design for the current market and in the current medium.
Thirdly it’s about ignoring the competition. This may sound a bit off in the eyes of some, what I mean is if you constantly are chasing and looking at what everybody else is doing your never keeping your eyes on what’s happening right in front of you. Should DC and Warner brothers stop looking at what Marvel are doing and focus on their own product and listen to what audiences are telling them then they stand a much better chance at succeeding. It’s always handy to know what the competition are doing but with the amount of money and success marvel and the MCU aren’t the competition because has it stands they are in an entirely different league. But the good news is DC and Warner Brothers are in a position where they can change the game entirely.