Zack Snyder has often been regarded as the only person who could save DC from itself, but this wasn't always the case. When Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hit theaters in 2016, it ignited fervent online debates that continue to this day.
Despite an impressive opening weekend that set new box office records, the DC film suffered a monumental decline in its second weekend and ended up performing well below expectations.
During a Q&A session at the Full Circle charity event hosted by Snyder, the acclaimed filmmaker finally addressed the film's negative reception and explained why both critics and audiences criticized it. Q: "Well this film, in particular, you created so many layers for the storytelling in the characters, and I think you have to want to make an effort to dig a little deeper…"
Snyder: "Yes, but I think that probably is what caused the movie to be so polarizing. I think, and maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like a lot of people went into the movies for going like, 'Oh, it's the superhero romp, right? Let's have fun with it.'" Furthermore, Snyder remarked that the film demanded a great deal of attention from the viewers, which was an aspect they didn't necessarily appreciate. And we gave them this sort of hardcore deconstructivist, heavily layered, experiential modern mythological superhero movie that needs…that you really need to pay attention to. That was not cool [for them]. That's not something anyone wanted to do. They were like, 'What? No! That's exhausting. How about, why do they fight at night?' I hate that. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice grossed $873.6 million against a production budget of $250-300 million.
