Batman vs. Superman Rumored to Be the Most Expensive Movie Ever Made

[P-89 Scorpion]

This is supposed to be the Flagship of their Justice League movie franchise. They've got direct competition with Marvel but they have an advantage over Marvel - they own the movie rights to all their characters.

Can they recover from the lackluster movies of the past? Time will only tell.

Either way, I'm interested in how this is going to go. I thought Man of Steel was alright for a movie, no reason to see it twice, but I wouldn't write it off as terrible.

At the same time Marvel is producing decent work but Age of Ultron didn't make as good an impact as Avengers 1. Will Civil War do better?

The one thing I can say is that when these two behemoths compete the spectacle can only be good for movie goers.

Civil War lost a lot of my faith when Marvel said that Daniel Brühl who's playing the bad guy Baron Helmut Zemo won't be wearing a costume (yep the bad guy is another white guy in a suit 'sigh').

 

[P-89 Scorpion]

Somehow I'm finding this hard to believe. Sure, there are going to be some big set-pieces. But Age of Ultron not only had to have big action pieces, it had to bring back a whole stable of actors who are emblematic of their roles, most of whom are doing pretty darn well on their own, thank you very much. By contrast, Ben Affleck's better-known work of late (excepting Gone Girl) has been on the other side of the camera, Cavill isn't especially well-known for anything outside of Man of Steel, and while I like Eisenberg, he isn't exactly a headliner.

And while Snyder is certainly known for big visuals, most of his work hasn't been bank-busting. 300 cost $65 million, Sucker Punch $82 million, and most of what we've seen in previews thus far doesn't suggest ambitious use of scenery; it suggests studio lots and green-screen.

Admittedly, Man of Steel, at $225 million, was the one film to buck this trend. But if BvS costs nearly twice that much to make, I have to think that something has gone very wrong.

The budget is a rumour and we have no idea if it's including marketing costs which in the case of some of the Marvel films would have doubled the production budgets.

 

[gigastar]

Could DC go bankrupt if this is a flop?

Nope. Its WB footing the bill, and as you know they have some serious income.

Worst that will happen if it flops is that there wont be any more DCCU movies... which may not be a bad thing, all things considered.

 

[Synigma]

One thing is for certain: I'm not going on opening weekend. I'll keep my fingers cross that it's good, heck with some luck it might even redeem the failings of man of steel... but I'm not holding my breath. And honestly a big bank roll does not help to alleviate my concerns.

At the heart of it are 2 problems:
1) I like Batman, and I'd love to see him punch Supe's lights out with a kryptonite ring, but honestly I don't see how there is going to be much of a fight let alone enough tension to power a whole movie.
2) Using this as a vehicle to get to the justice league is going to take some very serious writing gymnastics. They are working off of a Superman movie, so they still have to introduce Batman and how he's tied in AND set up a literal David vs Goliath of a battle... THEN introduce a half dozen other characters.

If I didn't know better I'd swear it was going to be an adventure movie where Batman goes on a quest to collect the strongest warriors from around the world to fight the evil Übermensch. And then *TWIST* they all team up to fight the TRUE evil: Jesse Eisenburg in a suit!

 

[Fox12]

Well, all good studio execs know that the more money you poor into a movie, the better it will be. That's why Transformers is one of the greatest films of all time, and Lars Von Trier is a hack.

 

[Callate]

The budget is a rumour and we have no idea if it's including marketing costs which in the case of some of the Marvel films would have doubled the production budgets.

Yes, I'm aware it's a rumor, which is part of why I said "I'm finding this hard to believe [reasons]."

Marketing costs certainly could double the cost of the movie, that's true. And if that's how the number is being cited (production plus marketing in the same pot), it would make for a highly misleading comparison if viewed against the production budgets of other high-profile movies. But it's notoriously hard to get hold of marketing budgets, especially so long before the movie actually releases. It's actually easier for me to believe that the number came out of thin air, wild speculation, or something that was overheard and misunderstood than that it's an accurate quote coming from the sum of production and marketing costs.

So to be clear: If BvS's [production] costs do in fact come to $410 million or more, I will be inclined to take that as a sign that things have gotten out of hand on the movie, and perhaps that some significant mis-management has taken place.

But I am aware that the stated number is highly under-sourced, as even the article's author is quick to note.

 

[Zontar]

Thats a big budget, any guesses for what city they're going to haphazardly demolish without any self awareness in this film? Not-Washington D.C.? Not-Philadelphia? Not-Boston? Not-New York, again?

Probably Not-New York and Not-New York, and Not-New York from the first movie will see the aftermath of that movie.

Fun having more then one Not-New York in a setting isn't it? More Not-New York to destroy because of that.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Oh boy, imagine if the film was a total bust?! Well ok it will probably still make alot of money even if it turn out the movie suck.

 

[Shiftygiant]

Oh bog, imagine if the film was a total bust?! Well ok it will probably still make alot of money even if it turn out the movie suck.

But will it rake in that Billion Dollars? Because that's what they need to break even, and I don't think it'll make it.

 

[Laughing Man]

I believe you're thinking of the upcoming Justice League movies, which are also being directed by Snyder and will have a combined budget of somewhere around $500 mil/

No they won't this movie has to win and it has to win big to justify it's budget. I dunno but while I don't think it will tank I suspect that it will do just poorly enough that the big wigs will have to gather round and have serious talks about weather or not they should push on with this expensive super hero nonsense.

 

[Leg End]

Damn, grimdark is getting more expensive per ounce.

Thats a big budget, any guesses for what city they're going to haphazardly demolish without any self awareness in this film? Not-Washington D.C.? Not-Philadelphia? Not-Boston? Not-New York, again?

When are they going to demolish Not-Los Angeles? Or hell, do us all a favor and do a redo of Returns with the climax being sending the actual city into the sun because reasons.

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

The budget is a rumour and we have no idea if it's including marketing costs which in the case of some of the Marvel films would have doubled the production budgets.

Yes, I'm aware it's a rumor, which is part of why I said "I'm finding this hard to believe [reasons]."

Marketing costs certainly could double the cost of the movie, that's true. And if that's how the number is being cited (production plus marketing in the same pot), it would make for a highly misleading comparison if viewed against the production budgets of other high-profile movies. But it's notoriously hard to get hold of marketing budgets, especially so long before the movie actually releases. It's actually easier for me to believe that the number came out of thin air, wild speculation, or something that was overheard and misunderstood than that it's an accurate quote coming from the sum of production and marketing costs.

So to be clear: If BvS's [production] costs do in fact come to $410 million or more, I will be inclined to take that as a sign that things have gotten out of hand on the movie, and perhaps that some significant mis-management has taken place.

But I am aware that the stated number is highly under-sourced, as even the article's author is quick to note.

I agree with both of you. It looks like Hollywood accounting might be at play here. They could easily throw out an impressive number to raise the hype of the film. With DC's current cinematic reputation, I doubt they would risk that much money producing one film.

 

[Ldude893]

I hope this remarkably turns out to be a great movie, but I won't lie, I'll be laughing so hard if this movie flops. Warner Brothers is trying so hard to compete against Marvel and they've been trying to add so much grit and darkness to their latest films, it makes it almost silly. And I doubt that Zack Snyder's learned from the fuck-ups of Man of Steel.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

If this movie fails, it will obliterate (decimate means to reduce by one tenth) DC's efforts in the movie industry.

 

[truckspond]

James Cameron's Avatar cost $237 million - and this was in 2009 using state of the art CGI in a movie where literally every scene either had some greenscreen elements or was completely CGI with extensive use of motion capture technology and 3d cameras.

How the hell can this film be MORE expensive!?

 

[Worgen]

James Cameron's Avatar cost $237 million - and this was in 2009 using state of the art CGI in a movie where literally every scene either had some greenscreen elements or was completely CGI with extensive use of motion capture technology and 3d cameras.

How the hell can this film be MORE expensive!?

It probably involves making a big stack of money then carefully setting it on fire while listening to Linkin Park.

 

[Zontar]

James Cameron's Avatar cost $237 million - and this was in 2009 using state of the art CGI in a movie where literally every scene either had some greenscreen elements or was completely CGI with extensive use of motion capture technology and 3d cameras.

How the hell can this film be MORE expensive!?

Practical effects and setpeices requiring whole city blocks to be closed for a few days or even weeks for filming, big name actors requiring 6 or 7 (sometime 8) figure salaries each, moving production from one set to another which can be hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands of mile away, scouting to find locations to shoot in the first place, re-shoots, the list goes on.

Now that only goes to explain how things are to a point, but $410 million is something I'd like to see the books behind.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Damn, grimdark is getting more expensive per ounce.

It's a seller's market for dark camera filters these days. Everybody's using them!

 

[faefrost]

Wow! They're throwing half a billion dollars at a Zack Snyder movie? I can only assume Josh Trank and M Night Shamamylan were unavailable?