Millions of dollars, months of work and yet the public will probably never see a minute of Batgirl. In any case, the theatrical release has drawn a line. Whether the film ever appears on the streaming services remains to be seen. Why did producer Warner Bros. made this decision?
By Danja Koeleman“Sad and shocked”, was the understandable reaction of Belgian directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, when they heard that ‘their’ Batgirl will not appear on the silver screen. “We still can’t believe it,” said the duo.
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The film was slated for an immediate release on HBO Max, the Warner Bros. streaming platform. Later on, screenings in cinemas were added to this. Fans didn’t care: they couldn’t wait for a new movie in the Batman universe.
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Lead actor Leslie Grace sparked that enthusiasm with her statements about the film. “She’s going to be a badasssaid the In the Heightsactress about her character. Grace would be the first Latin American actress to portray the superheroine.
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An official release date was never announced, but Warner Bros. did report that Batgirl would appear in the course of 2022. Fans became increasingly impatient, especially when teasers of the film were shared. The surprise was therefore great when it was announced this week that Batgirl doesn’t work out at all. The same thing happened with the animated film Scoob! Holiday Haunt.
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Corona threw a lot of soot in the food
What could be behind that decision? A specific reason has not (as yet) been shared by Warner Bros. But people involved in the film have in American media some details have been released.
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Initially, it was therefore intended that Batgirl would only appear on HBO Max. These kinds of exclusive productions should ensure that many people subscribe to the new streaming service. This means that the service has to compete with major players such as Netflix.
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Then came the corona crisis, which left Warner Bros., like many other companies, with financial losses. The cinemas were closed, HBO Max had not yet rolled out and little money came in. When the movie theaters reopened, the film company wanted to earn money again and made different choices. Release of Batgirl in the cinema was one of them.
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The money problems turned out to be more acute than expected and the film company had to tighten the belt even more. Releasing the film in the cinemas was not an option after all. That would be Warner Bros. an additional 30 million dollars (29 million euros) extra costs, partly because of the promotion of the film. Money that could be better used for bigger projects.
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Tax trick takes precedence over Batgirl
Why isn’t the superhero movie on HBO Max after all? Because Warner Bros. save more money by not releasing the movie.
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Earlier this year, Discovery and WarnerMedia merged to form Warner Bros. Discovery. In the period immediately after a merger, companies still have the option of putting a line through unreleased projects.
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As a result, they do not have to pay tax on the costs incurred. That has to be done if the film is released, writes the well-informed film site Deadline. Batgirl not exhibiting saves money: the benefits would not be expected to outweigh the costs.
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That decision cannot be reversed. The film may not be released later or sold to, for example, Netflix.
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Trick can no longer be applied after mid-August
The chance that other projects will also suddenly end up in the trash seems very small. The tax technique that Warner Bros. Discovery bet at Batgirl no longer applies after mid-August.
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“This decision has nothing to do with their talent. We hope to work with them again (director duo El Arbi and Fallah and actress Leslie Grace, ed.) in the near future,” said a spokesperson for Warner Bros. Discovery.
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Grace doesn’t seem to hold a grudge over Warner’s decision. “I’m proud of all my colleagues’ hard work,” she writes Instagram. “And against every Batgirlfan I say: thank you for letting me wear this cape and be my own heroine.”
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