Batman V Superman Budget is Reportedly Over 400 Million. Plus New Images

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This got lots of people talking, but I didn't want to talk about it until I had some more insight on the situation. For starters, from what I've heard I stand alongside Bill Ramey of Batman-On-Film, in that the term "worried" is a mischaracterization. They're not worried, per sé. What they are is nervous, and that's to be expected. After all, there is a lot riding on BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE. Not only is the fate of an entire slate of DC films hanging in the balance of whether or not this movie hits, but the very definition of "hit" is now coming into question.

The budget for the film, with promotion included, has reportedly ballooned to north of $400 million. So for the movie to be considered a monster success- which the studio needs it to be- and for it to open the floodgates for the rest of the proposed slate, it would need to make north of a billion. The problem is, according to a well-connected source who spoke with us on a condition of anonymity, the film could be as polarizing as MAN OF STEEL. To be clear, he loved MOS. And he's seen BATMAN V SUPERMAN, and he really liked it, too. But he also recalls how that first film came out and split audiences and critics alike. It wasn't the kind of universal crowd-pleaser that DC wanted then, and that trend may very well continue with BvS.

Again, this isn't to say that the film is bad. Not at all. But it's not for everyone, and that's making the suits nervous1, as there's a lot riding on this film and they'd rather it have turned out more accessible. And the comparison to MOS is a troublesome one, because that film made $668 million worldwide- well short of what they hope BvS will bank for them.

This whole moving of the goal posts, in terms of what it takes for the film to be considered a hit, reminds me of the position Sony was in when THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 was meant to be the launchpad for an entire slate of movies set within the Spidey universe. The film came out, made north of $700 million, split critics and audiences, and we all know how that ended: With Sony scrapping all of their plans and making a deal to reboot Spider-Man with Marvel Studios.

So when you've got a film that has this many expectations tied to it, the word "success" is very different than what conventional knowledge would imply.

In an effort to guarantee a better outcome, DC made some bold decisions for this film. They brought in Ben Affleck, who's career resurgence has been a popular storyline in the industry. They brought in an Academy Award winning writer in Chris Terrio. And they brought in BATMAN!

Remember, the idea to include Batman wasn't pre-planned. In fact, the whole Batman Vs Superman angle wasn't cooked up until well after MAN OF STEEL had come out, and it's been said that they didn't decide to include Batman in the film until three days before they announced it at Comic Con. So bringing in The Dark Knight was an impulsive move, and one that was likely aided by the fact that DC knows that audiences love them some Batman.

Yet here we stand, with a film that DC has pulled out all the stops for, and the response so far is that it could be another MAN OF STEEL- that'll excite many, anger many, and not exactly set the world on fire with positive buzz.

It's sounding like the studio wanted THE FORCE AWAKENS, a safe, crowd-pleasing, fun, nostalgic joy ride that appealed to everyone under the sun. Instead, they may have gotten REVENGE OF THE SITH, a film that has some great moments, some iconic images, and be satisfying mainly for longtime, hardcore fans. Hey, at least it's not PHANTOM MENACE.

The one recurring theme coming out of these test screenings, dating back to December, is that Ben Affleck's Batman is the highlight of the film.

It's an interesting position to be in, as our source says he really enjoyed BATMAN V SUPERMAN, but that he's afraid to get his hopes up, as he loved MAN OF STEEL and recalls how that film was received. It sounds like Snyder has made another difficult film, and DC will have to keep a very close eye on what works- and what doesn't work- when it comes out next month. It could conceivably lead to a retooling of all of their plans post-JUSTICE LEAGUE.

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