Positive word of mouth couldn’t help the Birds of Prey soar over the weekend. Although it earned decent reviews from critics, the new earned a disappointing $33 million in its first three days in theaters. Now, in an effort to bolster its box office performance, it looks like Warner Bros. is orchestrating a last-minute rebranding. ComicBook.com brings word that some theater chains are now calling the film Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey.
The report indicates that AMC and Regal, the country’s two biggest theater chains, have already adopted the film’s new name. That name change is reflected on their respective sites, even though it clearly doesn’t match what appears on the poster. However, ticketing websites like Fandango still present the title as Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).
RELATED: Birds of Prey Opens Below Expectations With $33 Million Weekend
Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Harley was/is the movie’s biggest draw. Case in point: she’s essentially the face of its marketing campaign. Regardless, it’s difficult to imagine how this latest strategy could light a fire under potential new viewers. After all, Harley’s name is already in the longer version of the title. In all likelihood it probably won’t have much of an impact. Naturally, fans on Twitter are having a good time with it and even evoking the ghost of another WB movie that had a name change.
Harley Quinn and the Edge of Tomorrow.
The original name is good and funny, but absolutely is not commerically viable and it’s wild that they went with it only to backtrack later. https://t.co/rscZyR5Fkl
— Pursued By A Beard (@PursuedByABeard) February 11, 2020
In the meantime, there are several theories as to why Birds of Prey failed to match the box office intake of prior DC moves. Some have suggested that the R-rating is to blame. However, this doesn’t hold much water when both Deadpool movies and Joker are top earners. Others have suggested that the supporting characters are too under-the-radar to fill theater seats. As Heroic Hollywood notes, Birds of Prey has already made back most of its $84 million budget thanks to its worldwide gross. Unfortunately, a low final tally could hurt its chances of spawning sequels or spinoffs.
Do you think Birds of Prey’s new title will help at the box office? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Birds of Prey: Mystery & Murder
