The Movie Featuring Harley Quinn Gets a New Title Because of Poor Opening at the Box Office
After the first unsuccessful weekend of the movie called Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), Warner Bros. Studio felt that it all had to do with the long and not the most successful title of the movie.
Because of a long title, which is Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), not all viewers understood that the film was about Harley Quinn. Some media even reduced the name to Birds of Prey completely, removing the name of the main character.
Therefore, beginning with Monday, in American cinemas the film is being referred to as Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey. The name of the main character was brought forward, leaving the previous title as a subtitle.
By the end of the first weekend in the USA, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) raised only $33 million, becoming the worst starting release for the DC Universe. Over the first weekend, Birds of Prey raised only $81.3 million across the world, which is less than the movie’s production budget, and almost 1.5 times behind forecasts.
Among the reasons for the uncertain start, the media called the R rating inappropriate for this picture (it attracted viewers under 25) and the unsuccessful name, from which it is not evident that the film is dedicated to Margot Robbie’s character. Besides, the box office could be affected by the fact that the main character was associated with the Suicide Squad, but the cast of the new movie is not as fabulous and does not include stars like Will Smith.
It’s not the first time the studio is trying to change the unfortunate title of the movie after its release. Edge of Tomorrow with Tom Cruise on Blu-Ray was marketed as Live Die Repeat, as the movie’s slogan was much more memorable.