Finally DC gets a win, with Wonder Woman

At long last, the DC Extended Universe has produced a decent movie. Wonder Woman starring Gal Gadot is getting rave reviews, currently at a very impressive 97% at rottentomatoes. Just to dig at DC, the three films that comprise the DCEU; Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Suicide Squad when combined barely beat Wonder Woman, with a total of 108%. Warner Brothers and the DCEU at first rejected the idea of a shared cinematic universe similar to the MCU, then abruptly changed their mind and have been desperately grasping for a share of the summer blockbuster box office since. After a disastrous start, the DCEU seems poised to release its first major victory. Not only is Wonder Woman resonating with the critics, the film is also estimating around a $175 million score when the movie opens domestically and abroad on June 2. That number will obviously grow as additional foreign markets premiere the film.

With Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell no Tales under-performing at the box office last weekend, Wonder Woman will easily take the number 1 spot. However, a fact that WB/DC is most likely concerned with is the abysmal drop-offs the DCEU films have had in the past concerning their second weekends. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice made headlines when it dropped over 81% from its first Friday to its second Friday. One week after Wonder Woman premieres Universal will release The Mummy starring box office shoo-in Tom Cruise. Thus marking the beginning of their anticipated Dark Universe, which will connect their library of classic monsters (Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolfman, etc.) into a shared cinematic franchise. Will Wonder Woman be able to retain the number 1 spot, or fall like the other DCEU films have?

The DCEU has had its struggles. Rumors swirl about the direction the franchise is on after each of films has failed in one way or another. Warner Brothers are evidently all-in with the DCEU and will produce the full slate of films regardless, but Wonder Woman has been considered by some to be the breaking point. Judging from the trailers and reviews, Wonder Woman shifts away from the dark, gritty, uninspiring Zack Snyder style, a major thorn in the side of critics and some fans, and toward a more lighthearted yet still realistic style that nearly everyone in the audience will be able to enjoy.

Another concern Warner Brothers should have is that they have now used their three biggest comic book icons; Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, also known as the DC Holy Trinity. The next film will be the Justice League, teaming the three up with other heroes, and will surely earn a large box office. After that Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman will only appear as supporting characters or in blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameos, if they appear in the other DCEU films at all. At least until the Justice League sequel. Other solo hero films in the DCEU slate include The Flash, Aquaman (in production now), Cyborg, Shazam, and Green Lantern. Without Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman the success of these films are in question. A gratuitous cameo will only distract from the main character and derail the flow of the film, like Wolverine in X-Men Age of Apocalypse. Call me a pessimist, but I don't see any other DC character solo film being a huge box office success.