Birds of Prey has had positive reviews from critics and fans so far but this seemingly doesn't reflect into its ticket sales. While it did top the box office last weekend, it had the lowest opening for a DC movie in a decade with $33 million, and it looks like Warner Bros might have figured out the reason.
ComicBook has noticed that the film title has been changed on several major movie ticketing sites and apps. Initially promoted with a longer title of Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), the new one spotlights the antiheroine instead of being mentioned last. Now, it's new title is Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey.
The studio hasn't released a statement with regards to the reason for the title change. That being said, the rebranding is presumed to be because of its low ticket sales so far. Since Harley is the entry point for fans and the character known from Suicide Squad, they put her name upfront in the new title. In addition, since the general public doesn't know about Birds of Prey from the comics, it could also be the reason as to why the movie hasn't gotten that big compared to other DC movies with more known characters.
ScreenRant says WB requested the movie's title change, which can be seen in AMC Theater's app as well as Regal Cinemas' website. Though the studio hasn't said anything about it yet, the change of name points to them believing that the title is somewhat responsible for the box office numbers it has so far.
While there could be a whole lot of possibilities as to why the film hasn't gotten that much bigger yet, it isn't necessarily a flop and is actually received well by the audience. Hopefully, the title change would lead to more sales and even bigger popularity with word of mouth recommendations.
Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey is now showing.
Also Read: Birds of Prey Actually had a Bigger Opening Than John Wick 2
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!
DC