The industry was left reeling yesterday when Warner Bros. announced it was scrapping Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt. The former was more surprising because shooting on the film ended some time ago, and reshoots were even completed. This was a movie that was in post-production and was reportedly about 95% done. It was perceived as a brutal move by those of us who just didn’t quite understand why this needed to happen, but now we’re getting a bit of clarity on the matter, and it comes down to saving money and a regime change that is rejecting the previous order’s decision to pump promotion into its streaming service, HBO Max.
Per Deadline, the decision to scrap Batgirl came down to a “purchase accounting” maneuver available to Warner Discovery because the company has now changed hands. The opportunity to do this expires in mid-August, and it allows Warner Bros Discovery not to have to carry losses on its books at a time when the studio is trying to cut down $3 billion in debt across all of its divisions.
Batgirl carried a reported budget of $70-75 million, which increased to $90 million due to COVID-related delays and safety protocols utilized on set during filming. The film wasn’t viewed as a significant theatrical endeavor; to make it one, Warner would have to pump $30-50 million into marketing it domestically and tens of millions more to push it for a global rollout. This would’ve nearly doubled their spending on the film, and this was a non-starter for a company trying to tighten its spending. An HBO Max release wasn’t viable either because Warner decided that taking a tax write-down on both films (this includes Scoob! Holiday Haunt) was seen internally as the most financially sound way to recoup the costs.
The regime change was also a significant factor. Warner Bros Discovery boss David Zaslav has seemingly rejected former CEO Jason Kilar’s strategy to directly make original $70 million live-action and animated films for the HBO Max streaming service. Kilar was the mastermind behind “Project Popcorn,” which saw their entire 2021 theatrical slate go day and date in theaters and on HBO Max when theater attendance was slim due to the pandemic. Kilar called his strategy a win even after he was shown the door, but many in the industry didn’t agree with him. After the success of Top Gun: Maverick, which has grossed over $1.3 million globally, it was determined that we are now back in a world where theatrical releases are king.
There is also a lot of mixed speculation that Batgirl was scrapped because it just wasn’t good. Per Deadline, there was one test screening, and the result wasn’t that bad. The cut shown had temporary visual effects and that apparently didn’t temper test audience reactions. It’s also telling that Warner wants to continue to work with star Leslie Grace, who was playing the titular character, on another project and its directors Adil El Arbi and Billal Fallah. They insist it’s not a reflection on their talents that they canceled the film. It would also be wise to keep Arbi and Fallah in the fold because they’re hot coming off the Disney+ Marvel series Ms. Marvel and the $426 million+ pre-pandemic hit, Bad Boys for Life. You can check out the official statement from Warner Bros Discovery that was released after the shocking news was made public below:
“The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max. Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor and this decision is not a reflection of her performance. We are incredibly grateful to the filmmakers of Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt and their respective casts and we hope to collaborate with everyone again in the near future.”
What are YOUR thoughts on the reasons behind scrapping Batgirl?