Warner Brothers’ newest DC film “Birds of Prey” continues DC’s struggle to dominate the box office like their competitors, Marvel Studios.
The film was released at the beginning of February and the opening weekend made less than projected. “Birds of Prey” had a production budget of $97.1 million and projected to make at least half opening weekend at $45 million. However, the movie did not make the projected amount as it made $33.2 million during the opening weekend.
“The opening really stings when you look at the fact that Warner Bros. had zero competition this weekend in theaters and released the title on over 4, 200 screens,” said Jason Guerrasio, senior entertainment reporter in his article on businessinsider.com
“That’s a record-breaker for the month of February. Even more screens that Disney/Marvel opened “Black Panther” on back in 2018.”
After the film’s opening weekend, fans of the film started a hashtag on Twitter (#ReasonstoSupportBoP) in hopes to bring more people to watch the film. Through the hashtag fans spotlighted certain parts and aspects of the film they feel are reasons to support “Birds of Prey.”
https://twitter.com/danmanmar26/status/1228776091139092487?s=21
The movie stars Margot Robbie returning to her role as Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad, another Warner Bros. DC film that was released in 2016. It takes place in Gotham and follows Harley Quinn after her breakup with “The Joker.” The Joker is well known for being Batman’s most complex villain and Harley Quinn was his girlfriend as well as partner in crime.
During her relationship with the Joker, Harley Quinn has made many enemies in the criminal world of Gotham, but was always protected by the fear they all had for her boyfriend.
When they split, Quinn finds out she has a lot of enemies that want her dead. One of those enemies is “Black Mask,” another Batman villain played by Ewan McGregor.
McGregor’s “Black Mask” gave viewers a villain they could laugh at, but also be scared of.
Similar to Joker, Black Mask is shown to have an insane cynical criminal mind, and it is displayed in McGregor’s portrayal.
Honestly WB give us a prequel.
Ewan McGregor was brilliant as Black Mask, he was friendly but also Menacing.
His character was never the same scene to Scene.
Wonder if his character was suppose to be bi polar of some form
DC Villians always on Par with the lead#BirdsOfPrey pic.twitter.com/PCB0fYYi71
— MoviesThatMaher (@MoviesThatMaher) February 7, 2020
After the film’s release it is revealed that many of the lines from Black Mask derived from McGregor himself.
“He’ll come up with a line and I’ll go ‘I love that line! Let’s add it in,’” said Cathy Yan, the director of Birds of Prey in an interview with movieweb.com. “That happened a lot, and he’s just wickedly funny. I also think because he really understood the character, he really got it. He understood the background of the character, the chip on his shoulder, the desire for power, the desire of control.”
Throughout the film he is the main antagonist while Quinn takes on an protagonist role.
Quinn teams up with Black Canary, a woman with power to scream at super loud volumes (played by Jurnee Smollett-Bell). The Huntress, who is the last survivor of a large crime-family turned assassin (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is also on the team. Renee Montoya, a detective (played by Rosie Perez) and Cassandra Cain, a teenage girl who is a pickpocketer (played by Ella Jay Basco) joins the all women team as well.
https://twitter.com/harlscanary/status/1228773551345324032?s=21
The film pushes the lesson that women do not need a man to be there to save them and that they can be there for each other.
“It’s refreshing to experience a movie that is solely based on women empowerment,” said Iyanah Clark, sophomore information technology student.
Though the lesson is pure, the movie has an “R” rating and does have graphic scenes along with strong language, but mostly in humor.
Birds of Prey is still out in theaters everywhere.
