Zack Snyder’s final cut of 2017’s Justice League was reportedly not worth the price of a movie ticket.
According to Rolling Stone, the director screened his final version of Justice League, which clocked in at two hours and 18 minutes, to Warner Bros. department heads on May 5, 2017, on the studio’s Burbank lot. One source familiar with that cut of Justice League called it “unwatchable” and “joyless.” Shortly thereafter, on May 20, Snyder stepped down from the DC Extended Universe film following a family tragedy and Joss Whedon, who had directed Marvel Studios’ Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron, was hired by the studio to helm reshoots and finish production on the film. The theatrical cut Justice League, which credited Snyder as director despite reports indicating Whedon reshot the majority of the film, was released on Nov. 17, 2017.
Justice League served as an immediate sequel to 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and was the fifth installment overall in the DCEU. Despite initial box office projections suggesting an opening weekend of $120 million, the film only grossed $93.8 million, down 45% from Batman v Superman’s opening of $166 million. Justice League was also the first DCEU film to open under $100 million. The film received mixed reviews from both critics and audiences with most praising the action sequences and performances but criticizing the CGI, plot, and underdeveloped villain. Justice League currently On the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a rotten critic score of 39 percent and an audience score of 68 percent.
DC Fans Campaign for The Snyder Cut
Following the release of Justice League, an online petition was created asking Warner Bros. to release the “Snyder Cut” of the film. The petition, which garnered more than 180,000 signatures, used the hashtag #ReleaseTheSnyderCut on social media, which became a rallying cry for DC fans who wanted to see Snyder’s original version of Justice League. After almost three years of campaigning, Snyder announced in May 2020 that his cut of the film would be coming to HBO Max in 2021. The film, which was titled Zack Snyder’s Justice League, cost $73 million to complete and was twice as long as the theatrical cut of Justice League. However, the “Snyder Cut” was well received by fans and critics, earning a 71% critic score and a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is currently streaming on HBO Max. Fans can also purchase the DC film on Blu-ray and Digital.
Source: Rolling Stone
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