@DRDMovieMusings said:

@Innovator said:

@DRDMovieMusings said:

@Innovator said:

Not sure why WB would quit on him if Peacemaker doesn't do well, but I'm willing to bet he'll continue to direct, regardless how it does or what becomes of his relationship with WB.

What are you seeing?

I'm seeing that WB deciding to put out a rated R movie during a pandemic with mostly only young people braving the theaters wasn't a great idea.

Hmm...interesting...rating is a slice I've yet to implement in my movie ROI database. I'd be interested in comparing profitability of R rated movies released during this pandemic to see if, across the board, they just don't do well. Off the top of my head, Halloween Kills paid a solid $5.75 thus far ($115M revenue / $20M budget), but that is more a function of budget management and understanding how much market there is for that kind of movie.

In other words, just comparing these two movies, The Suicide Squad brought in more revenue, yet was far less profitable; the producers of Halloween Kills seem to have a much better handle on the market to which they were selling, knowing that they'd have to manage their budget much better in order to squeeze profit out of the current landscape. Good on them for demonstrating that profitability is not just about revenue, it's also about budget.

However, I don't think the WB feels that way, and seeing that the Suicide Squad pulling in high viewing numbers on HBO Max was its saving grace (though even Mortal Kombat did that).

You mentioned Mortal Kombat, another great example. Rated R, it pulled in a modest $83M...but, over a budget of just $20, that produced $4 ROI, which, for the rating, and in a pandemic, is terrific. Other R rated movies released within the timeframe paid well, so it's difficult for me to see the R rating as the problem for The Suicide Squad.

Admittedly, that's only three R movies, hardly a rigorous sample size. As I flesh out that sample size, I'll circle back with more comprehensive findings.

Saying that, they might not look favorably at James Gunn audience appeal if Peacemaker can't retain subscribers if a mass exodus occurs on January (due to day and date releases no longer occurring anymore).

Questions for you @Innovator - I haven't watched any Suicide Squad movies, so I've no idea - a) is the Peacemaker character strong enough to be the centre of a production? b) is top billing for John Cena capable of retaining subscribers? c) do you think TV is the way to go for Peacemaker?

Let's compare it to Free Guy a PG 13 movie that came out around the same time:

Free Guy (Aug 13, 2021) PG-13 $121,391,617 Domestic $330,745,836 WW (budget $100–125 million)

The Suicide Squad (August 6, 2021) R $55,800,219 Domestic $167,400,219 WW (budget $185 million)

Keep in mind Free Guy was a new title while The Suicide Squad was an already established one.

As for whether or not John Cena could retain subscribers. He is a popular wrestler, however he has yet to helm any major movie yet (only smaller films), so his star draw is questionable. I also can't see the character of Peacemaker having that kind of draw as well.

@Innovator said:

@DRDMovieMusings said:

Questions for you @Innovator - I haven't watched any Suicide Squad movies, so I've no idea - a) is the Peacemaker character strong enough to be the centre of a production? b) is top billing for John Cena capable of retaining subscribers? c) do you think TV is the way to go for Peacemaker?

Let's compare it to Free Guy a PG 13 movie that came out around the same time:

Free Guy (Aug 13, 2021) PG-13 $121,391,617 Domestic $330,745,836 (budget $100–125 million)

The Suicide Squad (August 6, 2021) R $55,800,219 Domestic $167,400,219 WW (budget $185 million)

Keep in mind Free Guy was a new title while The Suicide Squad was an already established one.

As for whether or not John Cena could retain subscribers. He is a popular wrestler, however he has yet to helm any major movie yet (only smaller films), so his star draw is questionable.

I was curious about the demographics for WWE's fanbase, and found this article which, interestingly enough, mentions John Cena! https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1040312-wwe-news-breakdown-of-ages-of-wwe-audience-shows-interesting-trend

Those findings, regarding age, indeed shocked me. I assumed their primary target is teenaged boys, but these numbers suggest otherwise. So, maybe the adults who make up the majority of their fanbase would tune into a TV show. Mature TV shows (Mad Men, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Ozark...) have been all the rage in today's landscape (although all these shows I mentioned are quite a bit more, I dunno, serious, than what WWE offers).

We shall see!

By the way, @Innovator, I think this is still the best title for a thread in the history of TMDb! Always makes me laugh :-)

According to James Gunn, the Peacemaker finale was up 44% from its premiere which aired in 638,000 U.S. households. So 918,720 households. Gunn also states that it had the highest viewership of any MAX original series. However, this doesn't sound like a lot, especially compared to Marvel properties. For instance, Hawkey premiered in 1.5 million U.S. households. I guess this means that Peacemaker will get a season 2 though.

The Suicide Squad also did far better as it was watched in 2.8 million U.S. households, including mine! 😂 (also it's kind of telling how much of a viewership drop hit HBO MAX at the beginning of this year, which again includes me).

I'm a little more than halfway through it, pretty gory but it has some laugh out loud moments. Weird seeing 'General Medrano' here playing another sleaze bag type. I'll come back when I'm through. Just finished it. I believe he could have cut out about 20-30 minutes & still have made a decent movie. I normally do not care for 'superhero' movies, I liked the first two Blade movies, the first two Hellboys (not the crappy remake) & Aquaman. I only watched this because of Idris Elba. It was too gory, a bit frenetic, & at times a bit childish. I give it a 5/10.