ST. LOUIS — If you haven't seen "Birds of Prey" yet, the first thing I will say is simple: What is wrong with you??! Go see it!
The Harley Quinn spin-off from the problematic "Suicide Squad" endeavor was everything you could ever dream for in a Harley cinematic imagining: colorful explosions, witty dialogue, comically over the top but sincere performances, and a true dedication to the comic book world created on the page many years ago.
Cathy Yan and Christina Hodson knocked it out of the park. The director and screenwriter knew exactly how to turn the overkill fast food allure of David Ayer's 2016 film into something wildy fun and enlivening without sacrificing any of Quinn's personality or short-circuiting the overall film for an honest buck.
That last part may lead to issues, though. No matter how you slice it, "Birds of Prey" won't be a blockbuster hit. It's earning well at the box office in its first two weeks and wasn't overly expensive to make. By Warner Brothers DCEU film standards, it's an indie flick. While "Justice League" and "Wonder Woman" cost over $200 to produce and market, Yan's film came right under $100 million at $97.1. At this moment, it's sitting around $160 million earned worldwide, but it will grow with word of mouth or further expansion overseas. The film could easily finish around $220-250 million when it's all said and done.
But will that be enough to persuade Warners to hand Yan, Hodson, and star Margot Robbie another $100 million to produce a sequel? I have my doubts, as should the fiercest Harley fanatic. You have to understand that the studio is furiously reloading its guns after shedding the parts of past failures in recent years. The aforementioned "Justice League" was such a disappointment that Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill weren't given another solo adventure. The planned Flash film was put on hold again, and when people mention it, they cringe a little. While there is copious amounts of fan support for director Zack Snyder's uncut version of the film, W.B. will most likely bury in with the rest of the film. Who wants to see Affleck looked sleepy and have Jason Momoa scream, "YEAH!! WOOHA!" a few hundred more times. Forget about it, it's dead.
So if W.B. is sitting there looking at the receipts and thinking a second go-round will be too much of a risk to produce, they could easily cut the cord and be content with their one film. That film will turn a good profit and possibly land Robbie-who is becoming a bigger name with each passing year-into other DCEU films. All of that is possible. If you think about it, the end of "Birds of Prey" didn't exactly leave the story completely tied up and neat or begging for an immediate follow-up. While it was an origin tale to some degree, the studio could see that job as being done. Please understand I am looking at this as the devil's advocate.
I want more Harley Quinn cinematic tales. If we get more Gal Gadot and the endlessly heroic yet sorta boring Diana Prince, can we at least get the bad girl of crime back for another movie too? "Birds of Prey" did little to hurt the rebuilt model of DCEU films, so why stop at one? The group-including Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Huntress, Rosie Perez's disgraced detective, and Jurnee Smollett-Bell's Black Canary-just formed their new gang, "Birds of Prey," at the end of the film while Harley is off trying to be a good role model for the young grifter (Ella Jay Bosco). But we know the Quinn straight line walk won't last and she will be back making bad deeds look fun.
The film is a kick with critics and audiences alike, holding an equal 78% score on Rotten Tomatoes critic meter and audience score. It's going to hold up for 2-3 more weeks, and will do very well on DVD and Blu Ray. The people who were apprehensive will cave in and give it a look, and will have a hard time not laughing or having a good time. It's unfair to compare the box office scores of "Birds of Prey" to a film like "Aquaman" due to two simple things: rating and budget.
Yan's film was the first DCEU film to get an R-rating-and let's just say it earned that rating and then some. That's completely fine. Once again, you don't want to hinder the comic so theater audiences will be able to wash it down. With a lower budget and harder rating, if the film makes $200 million, that's a pretty solid hit.
So while I have my doubts about Warner Brothers forking out the dough for a sequel, I do think it'll happen and Harley Quinn will run free again. I mean, heck, they're making another "Suicide Squad" movie to try and correct the first one, so what gives? Robbie seems to have the time of her life playing the role, and she lends the film some much-needed gravitas.
If you haven't seen "Birds of Prey: The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn" yet, show some self-respect and head to the theater now. You will not be disappointed and if you are ... well ... maybe a sour-looking Batman and mustache-hiding Superman is more for you.
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