^
Yeah, in a way it's cool that the suits are listening to fans and to critics (which can be good and bad depending on the motives behind the criticism, but I digress), but I think WB/DC has a tendency to overreact to things.
It's like in the 90s, WB wanted to make the Batman films more family friendly after the kinky and creepy Batman Returns and we ended up eventually with Batman and Robin. That was such a disaster that it freed up Christopher Nolan at least, but then that convinced WB to make Superman like Batman since the Nolan films did so well with critics and fans. I was looking at the box office and Superman Returns actually made more than Batman Begins, which I was surprised about, but that mopey film didn't leave a lot of people wanting more. Funny though, WB didn't pay attention to what happened to Superman Returns and doubled down on the dreariness.
I think Zack Snyder is a great visual director, but not a great storyteller. His Watchmen was a great-looking film, a pretty good adaptation, and even improved on the original ending of the story, however it didn't really hit at the box office so I don't get why WB entrusted Man of Steel to him and then Justice League. I think they felt behind the eightball and wanted to jumpstart their universe quickly so they grabbed him, and put him under Nolan's supervision to some extent, which was not the right choice in retrospect.
Nolan's films were the unqualified successes that they had recently so they misread the public mood and thought they should build their comics universe on a dark foundation. Big mistake.
Though I do remember feeling like Man of Steel in many ways was a rejoinder to Superman Returns. That WB looked at all the criticism that film got and then had a checklist to address it. While that made MOS a better film IMO they didn't get rid of the morose tone which was one of the biggest issues I had with Superman Returns.
But now, after the poor reaction to Batman v. Superman, the poor critical reaction to Suicide Squad, the one unqualified success of Wonder Woman, and the continuing dominance of Marvel with it's brighter, more colorful (albeit cookie cutter approach), WB overreacted again to some extent. So the changes that the suits demanded in Justice League might be too jarring for some and don't flow as organically as they should from the previous films. I can't fault them for at least wanting to give people what they think or what some people claim they want, but by now the brand might be so tarnished (definitely when it comes to critics) that it might be beyond saving. Which is unfortunate. I think Justice League was a good film and it set up a future I would like to see explored in future movies.
But with these poor box office predictions I don't think we are going to get another Justice League film anytime soon. And I could see WB parting ways with Affleck and Cavill. Aquaman might be too far along to scuttle but I am skeptical about them doing a Flash or Cyborg solo film now. They might do a Teen Titans movie and include Cyborg in that. Maybe Flash as well. I do think WB is going to continue with Wonder Woman and they might use her films to bring some of the League characters back. I also think that they will continue with Suicide Squad and Aquaman, Flash, or Cyborg could be put into that franchise. It's loosely tied to the other DCEU films anyway. I wonder what the status of the Rock as Black Adam and the Shazam film will be now.
I don't think they want to clean house completely, perhaps wishful thinking on my part, but I can see Affleck and Cavill, as the biggest faces here, falling on swords. If Justice League had been a major success I think all these rumors about Affleck leaving the role would have disappeared, but now, it might be a matter of time. Even if Justice League eventually turns a profit and I think it will, they will be hounded in the media about the underperforming box office and that will be the narrative, about how poorly critics and possibly moviegoers/fans are receiving the film. Like with Suicide Squad, they don't give the film it's due and how it was a hit with the fans. They always frame it as critics hating it first.
