Toddarino

Just got back from seeing this in the theater. This is much, much better than the first/other Suicide Squad. I’d say this is my second favorite DCEU movie behind Shazam and the rest aren’t even close.
I thought Davis was great as Waller. Great job of toeing the line for the greater good.
Elba was way the fuck better than Will Smith.
I liked PDM and Ratcatcher 2. I was glad to Taika play her father straight. Also seeing PDM’s mom everywhere was great.
King Shark basically played Groot which is what I figured, but I still enjoyed it.
My prediction (as well as pretty much everyone else’s) that the “first” team would be wiped out came true. The chopper scene was good. I wish I could have heard the dialogue better.
I caught Uncle Lloyd, but did anyone spot Greg Henry? He’s been in all of James’ films. It’d be a shame if he wasn’t in this.

As far as Gunn films go:
GOG 2
GOG
Slither
Suicide Squad
Super

Toddarino

Maybe it’s not a good idea to put this shit on HBOmax. Go figure. So fucking stupid.

The Antipodean

I do worry what the “suits” are going to make of all this, I’d hate to start seeing stuff goi g streaming only out of some misguided reaction. I saw Godzilla V Kong and Black Widow and this in theatres (admittedly easier in my part of the world) and it’s just not the same watching these in your living room.

RichC2

Too many factors to list but it does seem like being an R rated movie right now limits the audience when it's available on streaming. Especially with a rather large new wave of Vid going around.

I'm curious what the HBO Max numbers were.

E Unit

I highly doubt having it in HBO Max is the reason this failed.

Another valid point that Deadline article points out is, is this movie a sequel? A reboot? I doubt there was enough of an audience to care. I don’t know what it was supposed to be compared to the first one.

Why So Blu?

The first one also had a soundtrack they wanted to sell you. This one has a playlist programmed by James Gunn. The first one also had that awesome Bohemian Rhapsody mix trailer for the marketing. Also, there's no major star leading this one. The first one had Will Smith.

Deftones

Also, you know, there is a fucking pandemic. Like why risk going to a movie when I get it for free on a service i already subscribe to. I am not itching to get back to movie theaters TBH.

Red Hood

We are in the middle of a pandemic with a huge surge of cases and with many theaters opening for limited hours. No film from March 2020 forth is going to be successful at the box office. Even less one that is rated R that can be seen at home on HBOMAX.

TheMovieman

This. Saves me the cost of a ticket and I can pause at any times to refill my drink or go to the bathroom. For me, and probably mentioned this before, but even pre-pandemic I wasn't going to the theaters very much, last one was Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Deftones

And don't get me wrong. I want to support people like Gunn. But if they are gonna give me the product for free with a service I already have, ummm thanks! This probably would have been one of the few movies that have come out that I would paid to see at home like Disney Premiere access. But they didn't do it that way.

TheMovieman

One of the biggest blunders AT&T/Warner did. But I've taken advantage of it, especially with movies I certainly would not have paid for to see in theaters even without COVID like Those Who Wish Me Dead, The Conjuring 3 and The Little Things.

Anyway, back on topic, given it'll be available for another month, will probably give it another watch.

Red Hood

Is it a blunder though? It seems that the whole HBOMAX thing is another metric that they are using to raise the value of AT&T/WB/Discovery/WHOEVEROWNSTHISTHINGNOW stocks, and so far it has worked due to the increase in subscribers.

Toddarino

This is exactly my point.
If someone vaccinated or not or living in a hotspot and they don’t feel comfortable going to a theater, that’s totally fine. I can understand that, but the studios need to realize that everyone needs to make money during this pandemic. If there was at the very least a 30 (preferably a 45-60) day theatrical window prior to hbomax, I think most of these movies and the theaters would have made more money.
It’s obvious the majority of people if given the option would watch this movie for “free” at home rather then putting on pants and going to the theater.
I don’t blame anyone for that. Driving in the car, dealing with slack jawed yokels, paying for overpriced snacks, etc. That is the experience though. Seeing a movie on a giant screen can change the viewing experience drastically.
I’m not faulting anyone for staying at home and watching this or anything else. I’m faulting the studios for offering it.

E Unit

Yep. And with the ongoing pandemic, the premieres may last until sometime into 2022.

ddrknghtrtns

I also think fatigue with superhero and supernatural movies is starting to set in.

dsa_shea

There is not one movie that has been offered at home with HBO or Paramount that I regretted not being able to see it on the big screen. The one movie my wife and I went to the theater to see was A Quiet Place II. The rest of the movies like Kong, Suicide Squad, Space Jam, Conjuring 3 have all been mediocre at best. I doubt I would even buy any of them on home video. I did buy the 4k of A Quiet Place II, which was good but not amazing either. It felt like a stopgap to a bigger story waiting to be told. And, yes, this pandemic is raging on and I'd rather not be packed in like sardines with strangers who think it is all over.

Deftones

Let's wait until we get a prime release like a Spider-man before we make those assumptions.

ddrknghtrtns

Just getting a real sense of super hero fatigue from the general populace.

Toddarino

I’m with Deftones here. Once a real established property bombs, maybe that can be considered the reason.

DJariya

There is no day and date streaming option for Spider-Man come December. It’s one thing if it’s a bad movie. But, If it bombs because people won’t see it until 2022 or until Covid is completely vanquished, then theaters and the entertainment industry are going to have some serious issues.

tonyc3742

Watched it tonight on HBOMax.
I would be fine with seeing it in the theatre if we were doing better with covid.
I liked it a lot, I gave it 4 stars. Good balance of humor, some seriousness. The whole beach invasion thing was awesome and unexpected.
The Harley/El Presidente thing was a little weird and cliche, but I like how that subplot ended up.
I was definitely surprised at some of the folks who didn't survive.
It did a good job at introducing backstory for some probably lesser known characters without being all HERE'S THE EXPOSITION FOR CHARACTER 3.....
I definitely prefer the DC movies when they have a little fun with it, like this one. If you think about it, superheroes/vilains in general are kinda weird/silly, so it's great to tell an exciting story with crazy but 'realistic' characters and still have a sense of fun.

ddrknghtrtns

I'm expecting another bad winter. The Spidey sequel will probably be moved to late Spring.

Why So Blu?

What does the Spiderman movie have to do with anything in this thread or HBO MAX? Isn't that a Sony release? It'll get a theatrical release only. Unless I fucking missed something.

Deftones

Someone talked about this underperforming due to superhero fatigue. I said let's see a premium property like Spider-man tank before we talk about superhero fatigue.

Off topic but related to box office returns for superhero movies.

GoldenJCJ

It was certainly better than the first one but that’s not saying much. I thought this was just alright. It started out really explosive and exciting but it started to lose me about 1/2 in when Harley and the General (or whoever he was) had their romantic evening. That whole sequence really felt awkward and I kept expecting it to cut back to Harley in her cell imagining the whole thing. The good news is that after that, Harley Quinn really started to shine and by the end, she was the best thing about the movie.

I don’t have an issue with offing the original SS at the beginning but I was a little disappointed that Weasel didn’t have a bigger part. I was really looking forward to him in this.