Zack Snyder describes Warner Bros. “hatred” for Batman v Superman

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Zack Snyder is riding high on the success of his Snyder Cut of Justice League which has garnered mostly good reviews from critics and seems to be a big hit with fans. Despite the glowing reaction this time around, Snyder's DCEU tenure wasn't always sunshine and roses. Man of Steel received mixed reviews upon release and that response was even more polarizing for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Reflecting on his DCEU past, Snyder revealed Warner Bros. true feelings about the film and it turns out they wanted Snyder to distance that film as far away from Justice League.

While speaking to "SFX Magazine" about his newly-released director's cut of Justice League, Snyder detailed that in the midst of shooting the superhero team-up film, Warner Bros. made their biases against Batman v Superman very clear:

"I feel like the studio had this hatred for Batman v Superman. There was this pressure on me to divorce the movie from Batman v Superman, which I didn’t want to do, and which I didn’t do. Frankly, it’s a trilogy of movies, so it continues the story. The narrative is affected by the things that have gone before it and that way it’s able to realize this world that sets up the Darkseid invasion, for what was planned to be a five-movie arc. It definitely finishes with this version of the film, with our heroes having mended their personal wounds and joined together as a family."

Batman v Superman did gross $873.6 million at the worldwide box office and was considered a hit from a financial standpoint at the end of the day but the reaction was pretty polarizing. Critics weren't kind and graced it with a 29% rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes, although the audience score is better at 63%. Warner Bros. either saw the negative reviews and wanted to ignore the film's existence or internally they had problems with it but Snyder stuck to his guns. He had a five-movie plan that began with Man of Steel and Batman v Superman was a part of that narrative. It wouldn't have made sense to back away from it, even if the reaction to it wasn't 100% positive.

Snyder's fans have come out in support of Batman v Superman over years, especially after the release of the Ultimate Edition which is widely considered a much better cut than the one we all saw in theaters. The fan reaction has really flipped over to the more positive side of things but it's clear that the initial reaction to the film made Warner Bros. want to step in to avoid the divisive reactions that could face Justice League if Snyder continued on that road. We all know what ultimately happened with Justice League and that is a saga that has gone on to have a life of its own. 

Are YOU surprised by the reaction from Warner Bros. after the release of Batman v Superman?