‘Justice League’ Getting Test Screening Audience Scores Close to ‘Wonder Woman’
Justice League could be another failure for the DCEU along the lines of Batman v. Superman, or it could continue Wonder Woman’s hot streak of lightness and fun and pull the series in a new direction. Audiences, widely, didn’t respond well to BvS’s dour tone or Suicide Squad’s Hot Topic-dunked style, but if early reports are to be believed, Justice League is tracking almost as well with preview audiences as Diana Prince’s solo outing did earlier this year.
According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, test screenings of Justice League have gotten an overwhelmingly positive response, the final cut getting audience scores close to Wonder Woman’s. If so, it would appear that those expensive reshoots to lighten up the tone of the movie have worked in its favor. Wonder Woman represents a turning point for the DCEU, a hopeful light in the darkness that was beloved by audiences and critics alike and broke all kinds of box office records during its theatrical run. Early tracking also indicates Justice League could have an opening weekend of more than $100 million.
While Justice League is essentially Warner Bros.’ The Avengers, the studio isn’t trying to emulate Marvel’s strictly interconnected universe. “We don’t want to limit the creativity filmmakers can bring to the table by saying these characters have to come in a particular order and all fit into the same universe,” studio president Toby Emmerich told the WSJ. The runtime also won’t be like the DCEU’s other multiple superhero outings, clocking in at a reasonable 121 minutes instead of something like BvS’s bloated 151 minutes — Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara apparently “made clear” that he wanted Justice League to be under two hours.
All of this points to an extremely, and possibly surprisingly positive outcome for one of the most beleaguered superhero movie productions to date, and may bring our other biggest superhero franchise series into the light. The night is darkest just before the dawn, as they say.
Justice League opens November 17.
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