“Joker” profits should spark “Justice League” Snyder cut

Warner Bros. made such a killing at the box office with Joker and should reward the large base of DC fans pining for Zack Snyder’s cut of Justice League.

It was recently reported by Variety that the Snyder cut was a “pipe dream” and that it’s too expensive for the studio to go back and finish the director’s vision.

The cast of Justice League came out in support of #ReleaseTheSnyderCut. Certain social media activity from Warner Bros. and HBO Max suggested the movement was continuing to gain momentum. So, what’s the latest, and how does Joker figure in?

An ace in the hole

This section’s title is based on a line from Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight. It can also be seen in a background marquee toward the end of Joker.

If price is the concern for the Snyder cut, namely touching up visual effects and editing, it shouldn’t be, because Joker gave WarnerMedia a billion-dollar box-office smash hit.

Joker had such a modest budget that it’s emerged as the most profitable comic book movie of all-time. But the dark character study proved to be a critical darling as well.

The Todd Phillips-directed pic has generated awards-season buzz the likes of which never seen from a film in this genre. Joaquin Phoenix is the probable front-runner for Best Actor at the Oscars. The movie also won the Golden Lion prize at the Venice Film Festival.

Talk about an ace in the hole, indeed.

The sudden means for the Snyder Cut — and DC’s resurgence

Since Justice League‘s flop, DC has pleased the masses with successes in Aquaman and Shazam! Then, Joker came in and changed the whole game.

Thanks to the goodwill buildup from Joker and the resultant momentum DC films are gaining, there’s room for Snyder’s Justice League cut.

It makes sense that studio executives would be hesitant based on Snyder’s history. His Man of Steel kicked off the DCEU, was polarizing and fell short of box-office expectations.

The same was true for Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. However, a three-hour, extended version of that film released outside of theaters and made a ton more sense.

That improved version of BvS is part of the reason #ReleaseTheSnyderCut picked up so much steam. Warner Bros. balked at Snyder’s bold creative vision, despite the fact he helped with the story of their first DCEU hit, Wonder Woman.

In other words, Snyder has proven he can deliver a quality product. HBO Max needs something big to help its launch, too, and releasing Justice League in theaters again isn’t worth the trouble.

#ReleaseTheSnyderCut won’t go away

If the cast is behind it, and the director is behind it, and the fans are behind it, it’s hard to imagine Snyder’s Justice League won’t see the light of day.

Especially as HBO Max’s launch date in May approaches, the clamoring will likely only grow. If principal photography indeed finished, why wouldn’t WarnerMedia’s streamer at the very least capitalize on pooling a bit of Joker profits to fully finish the Snyder cut?

What helps boost credibility for the movement further is the latest insider information. No, this isn’t a report from a reputable publication. This is straight from the source.

Jay Oliva, a storyboard artist who worked on the Justice League production and is firmly in Snyder’s corner. Oliva’s repeatedly insisted the Snyder cut exists — and dismissed the notion that scenes from the originally intended version weren’t photographed:

So to recap: Warner Bros. has a ton of extra comic book movie money laying around. Regardless of what Joker did, they already had two other big tentpole films releasing in 2020: Wonder Woman 1984 and Birds of Prey.

What better way to ingratiate fans with the upcoming streaming platform and the passionate fanbase of Snyder advocates than to release his Justice League cut?

If recent expert forecasting is to be believed, HBO Max faces an uphill battle in the Streaming Wars. The Snyder cut movement is still prominent after over two year. Thus, it’d be worth the extra cash to polish up Justice League.

Come on, WarnerMedia. Thousands of tweets per hour are still flying around. Do the right thing. Put the Snyder cut on HBO Max. Watch your subscriber base soar.