June 15th, 2005 was a Wednesday.
Since it was a workday and all the "aging adults" had to go to work, even though Batman is supposedly one of the Big Three in American comics, the midnight screenings of Batman Begins in major cities and theaters had embarrassingly low attendance.
Actually, calling it "not very good attendance" is already giving them too much face.
Kevin Feige chose a theater in downtown Los Angeles.
And then…
Let's put it like this. A truly legendary IP, even if it's released on a weekday, if you want a ticket to the midnight premiere, you better rush to the cinema BEFORE 5 p.m. the previous day. Otherwise, no chance.
Spider-Man was like that. For the sequel's premiere, people were lining up at 2 p.m.
Star Wars was like that. To watch Revenge of the Sith, fans lined up in the morning for tickets.
And Harry Potter?
Earlier HP films never had such a spectacle since they targeted kids and kids' films don't get midnight showings. So HP premieres usually happened during the day. But in the future… it definitely will see that same spectacle, because HP is maturing.
As for Batman Begins right now…
Forget lining up early. There weren't even people trying to buy tickets.
Kevin Feige came to the theater after work on the 14th. He easily got the ticket he wanted. That alone already hurt him. Then, after grabbing dinner and returning for the line to get good seats (American theaters don't assign seat numbers), the scene of "two or three kittens" was practically writing "FLOP" right in front of him.
He sighed.
"So Spider-Man's success was really just a fluke?"
He muttered to himself.
Just like Ted Turner said when they met the two Elders that day, he didn't really have much choice now.
Because no one believed in his plan.
Not only because his idea wasn't new…
Others had tried it before. They weren't total failures, but the results were… mediocre.
The bigger issue was that in all comic book movies so far, only Spider-Man had actually succeeded.
Yes, X-Men and Blade made profits, but compared to Spider-Man, they were absolute little brothers among little brothers. Not that their numbers were ugly, but only Spider-Man had the kind of results that could carry Kevin Feige's dream. Because no matter which version of the cinematic universe he was planning, Phase One alone needed one billion dollars of investment.
A plan that insane…
Give Chris Columbus one billion dollars and he'd confidently make seven HP films for you, swear he'd earn 7 billion just from box office, and the merchandise market wouldn't be less than 30 billion.
But Marvel…
Forget earning 7 billion from investing 1 billion. Nobody even dared to promise that putting in 1 billion would return 3 billion.
So any sane person would never invest in Kevin Feige.
That's exactly why he didn't lose his mind despite being rejected over and over.
And he was still working hard to cling to any "giant thigh" that might bring investment.
And that "thigh" could be real—
For example, Carl Icahn. If a Wall Street shark like him thought the idea was great, he could just slap his forehead and fund it. Or at least call some financial institution and get him a line of credit.
That "thigh" could even be purely imaginary—
The better comic book films performed, the higher his chances of getting investors.
But…
"Why is DC's Batman totally ignored?"
"This is Los Angeles! Is the movie really this cold?"
"Maybe everyone hates DC's dark tone? It might look cool in comics, but in movies… honestly, I didn't like Tim Burton's Batman. Way too gloomy."
"True. In comics, you can exaggerate the Joker's madness. But in movies? Jack Nicholson's Joker was great—but I don't like his movie. It feels weird to watch."
sigh—
As he entered the theater, hearing people around him talk like this, Kevin Feige sighed again.
When the market's true reaction to comic book adaptations sounded like this…
Honestly, even he started thinking his imaginary "giant thigh" might just be imaginary.
While he was lost in thought, the screen lit up.
Black-and-white Warner Bros logo and DC logo flashed by.
Then, under an orange sky, a swarm of bats filled the screen.
Kevin Feige realized the movie had started.
He narrowed his eyes, cleared his mind, and focused on watching.
The Nolan Batman story is actually simple: it tells how Bruce Wayne became Batman.
If you must mention details—
As a kid, Bruce Wayne fell into a well in an accident, and became terrified of bats.
One day he went to see an opera with his parents, got scared by actors dressed as bats, and wanted to leave. His parents agreed. But on their way out, they were killed by a mugger right in front of him. He became an orphan. Luckily, their butler was loyal and never left, raising the young master with care.
Fourteen years after their death, the murderer was granted parole for testifying against a mafia boss. This enraged Bruce Wayne and he planned revenge. But the mafia boss was faster, murdering the guy first.
That shocked Bruce Wayne deeply.
His attempted murder was also condemned by his childhood friend Rachel Dawes.
While lost and confused, he met the mafia boss who killed his parents and learned about the cruelty of the world. Then he traveled to train around the globe and accidentally joined the League of Shadows.
But he didn't agree with their philosophy, so he eventually left and returned to Gotham.
Batman officially arrived, and Gotham fell into darkness.
As a comic book fan, Kevin Feige of course knew Batman's origin, so he could easily follow the story. But from the perspective of the general audience…
"This movie is such a mess. What's with the constant flashbacks? Can't the director just tell the story normally?"
"Isn't Batman supposed to be a superhero? Where's the impact in the action? These fight scenes are so bad! Did they have no stunt coordinators?"
"I think this is boring… kind of dull to watch…"
Hearing these comments, Kevin Feige nodded repeatedly.
He personally thought Batman Begins was actually quite good. But good only in terms of how it shaped Batman's character and respected the original story.
As for everything else? He felt the same as the general audience.
He did think the movie used too many techniques—
The main timeline begins when Bruce Wayne starts traveling after meeting the mafia boss.
That's his training and growth arc. So to explain why Bruce trains and grows, the director throws in tons of flashbacks during the present timeline.
This method isn't inherently wrong. But for a commercial film, it makes things look messy.
Basically…
This is exactly what an artsy show-off type would film.
Trying too hard to look cool.
He also felt the action wasn't cool at all—
If anything, he thought the action design felt a bit like First Blood, Rocky, The Terminator. In polite words, it's retro homage. In harsher words, outdated.
Keanu Reeves is already god-tier cool!
Grounded fist-fighting doesn't sell anymore!
He even thought there was far too much dialogue—
The director seemed obsessed with looking deep?
Yet even with all those flaws, as the plot progressed and Batman 'unleashed', he still started to love the movie.
And just when he thought DC might have actually pulled off a good film…
At the end, Batman/Bruce Wayne met with Commissioner Jim Gordon on the rooftop.
Gordon said Bruce did great. Gotham's mob bosses had vanished thanks to him. But because they hadn't fully purged the darkness… a new enemy had arrived.
And that enemy was very bold. He had already declared war.
And the "declaration"… was a Joker card.
"Oh, so this is a series? The villain in part two is Joker?"
"God, is it another clown vs bat? A psycho vs another psycho?"
"No no no! I think there's no need for a sequel at all because THIS one was already terrible—"
Hearing all those negative comments, Kevin Feige clenched his fists.
Not out of anger—
Well, partly anger. He really thought the movie was decent, though the director got too obsessed with technique, making it feel average to most people.
But mostly he was shocked—
Because that Joker card at the end!
To the general audience, it might just be a teaser for the next Batman film.
But to Kevin Feige, that was an Easter egg!
DC was telling the world:
Our franchise is just beginning!
"OMG—so DC wants to do the same thing I want to do?"
His eyes widened.
Even though the exit lights had already come on, he didn't move at all. He just stared at the screen, even as the credits rolled, babbling rapidly—
"DC using the Joker card to introduce Joker?"
"That means the villain in the next Batman movie will definitely be him!"
"And since Batman doesn't kill, when he captures Joker in part two and interrogates him, DC could totally use flashbacks to show Joker's origin!"
"If they do that, a standalone Joker movie could follow!"
"And once Joker appears, Harley Quinn and Punchline aren't far behind!"
"No way!"
"Once Harley Quinn appears, Suicide Squad can be made!"
"Suicide Squad could introduce tons of characters… Deadshot, The Demonic Avenger… but who cares, the point is that after Suicide Squad, DC could film Justice League vs Suicide Squad!"
"OMG—"
"If DC's thinking is really like mine… they're already ahead of me!"
"M-Fxxk! This is… oh! Dxxn!"
In that moment, frustration burst through his chest!
Because he knew, whoever eats the crab first always profits the most!
So if DC is really preparing for Justice League, then Marvel, still struggling with rights and funding…
might as well raise the white flag.
But that frustration didn't last long. As theater staff came in and the exit reminder sounded, Kevin Feige slowly felt better while walking out.
The reason?
Simple.
As he was leaving, he heard tons of negative comments!
If even the hardcore fans who came out for a midnight showing thought Batman Begins was just "meh," then the box office probably wouldn't be great. And with Warner's notorious self-sabotaging habits…
Well, we all know.
The second Batman movie might never see the light of day.
As long as it's aborted, even if DC has an epic plan, they won't get to use it!
Then Marvel can rise later… and claim victory!
Mm! With Warner's constant infighting and short-sightedness, all I need is for Batman Begins to flop. Then Marvel will take back the initiative!
Thinking about how DC's biggest villain is actually its own parent company, Kevin Feige couldn't help but smile. Let's be honest… he was kind of enjoying it.
But that joy didn't last long. His mood dipped again.
Because the main reason he cared about Batman Begins was that he hoped Batman would succeed.
If Batman could blow up like Spider-Man, then while seeking investors he could say:
Comic book films do have a market.
Spider-Man's success wasn't just luck.
Yes.
Right now, he actually doesn't want to hug Ted Turner or Steve Case.
What he really wants is to find another investor who can help secure copyrights and funding.
Then he can push forward with his movie universe plan.
What can he do? Capital wars are too brutal.
When one wrong step in that battlefield can shatter you to pieces, only an idiot would volunteer to be someone's attack dog.
Especially when his own family isn't short of money, he has even less desire to gamble on something insanely risky.
So…
He wants Batman to succeed, but he doesn't want DC to make any premature moves…
"Ugh… so conflicted…"
Kevin Feige walked out of the cinema, got into the car, and shook his head vigorously.
He was feeling frustrated.
And DC was even more frustrated than he was.
Right now, Batman Begins is only DC's second movie since entering the new century.
The first was Constantine, released earlier this year.
Yes, the one starring Keanu Reeves.
That movie cost 100 million dollars. It officially left theaters at the end of last month, earning… 75.97 million in North America.
Worldwide… 230 million.
No matter how you look at it, it flopped.
Before that came 1997's Batman & Robin and Steel.
The former was the George Clooney Batman vs. Arnold Schwarzenegger Mr. Freeze one.
That one flopped too.
The latter starred Shaquille O'Neal as the Justice League's Steel.
Budget: 16 million. Box office: 1.8 million.
No zero is missing.
As DC blazed a lonely path of box-office disasters, the success or failure of their current films now directly determined the future of the executives.
Because they had no independent authority to run the company.
Even though DC was Steve Ross's real favorite child—he bought DC back in 1967, and only bought Warner in 1969—Warner's fame was so much bigger that when restructuring his assets, Steve Ross put DC under Warner's name.
From then on, no matter what DC wanted to do, they had to send a report to Warner first and get permission before proceeding.
Before Steve Ross died, DC didn't care too much about this process, because even if they filed a report, it was to him. He was the chairman in charge!
But after his death…
For the next decade, DC was basically cursing Warner every day—
"I was here first!"
"But now I have to report to you, the latecomer?"
"Is there no justice left in this world?!"
That's basically how it went.
They did try to become independent in those years, but Barry Meyer wouldn't allow it.
So when every new project required Barry Meyer's approval, every budget request needed his signature, and they practically had to report to him even to use the restroom—and when their movies kept losing money…
Barry Meyer was not going to let them keep making films.
And honestly…
People put themselves first. That's just survival instinct.
Movies can make money. Movies help executives make money.
So at this point, whether for the company's future or their own wallets, DC executives desperately hoped Batman Begins wouldn't flop. But unfortunately, reality doesn't bend to human will…
"How much did it make?"
June 16th.
The report from his subordinate made DC's CEO shoot up from his chair.
"15.06 million?? Are you sure there's no mistake???"
He couldn't believe his ears. The subordinate helplessly nodded. "No mistake, sir. It's 15.06 million."
"..."
The certainty made the CEO's head spin.
Gripping the desk like a fish washed ashore, he asked shakily, "If I remember correctly… Constantine had 10 million on opening day, right? And… Batman only… 15 million?"
"Uh… yes sir…"
The subordinate pursed his lips. "As you suspected… Batman's box office isn't ideal."
"And… before I came to report… I saw the latest issue of the Hollywood Daily. They said…"
"What did they say?" the CEO asked urgently.
"They said…" The subordinate hesitated, but finally spoke honestly. "They said the 'Big Three' of American comics were all just marketing hype, and the only real giant was 'Spider-Man'…"
"Because Batman couldn't even beat Disney's new pirate movie…"
Boom.
The CEO felt his brain explode.
The Hollywood Daily's words were painfully insulting.
But…
He couldn't argue back.
Because Batman Begins really was performing terribly.
In DC's projections, it needed at least 20 million on the first day to be considered barely acceptable.
And they were still 5 million short.
And that wasn't even the most humiliating part.
The worst part? It only beat Constantine by 5 million.
Constantine?
Its comic Hellblazer doesn't even rank in the mainstream in terms of sales!
In terms of popularity, it's a second-tier character!
It's not even remotely comparable to Batman, one of the Big Three!
Any one of the Big Three could take a fraction of their sales and crush Constantine!
That's why, even though Keanu Reeves starred in it, Warner scheduled it in February, a garbage release window. And still, even with a stronger IP and better release timing… Batman Begins only beat it by 5 million? That was something DC's CEO simply couldn't accept!
What he really couldn't accept was the comparison to Pirates of the Caribbean.
Pirates was a completely original Disney IP!
But two years ago, its opening day box office was still 15.5 million!
Same Wednesday release. Same summer season.
So when an original IP could beat Batman Begins…
"Oh—Sxxt—"
The CEO lost it.
"Can somebody tell me why people don't like Batman???"
"Why don't they like it!!!"
He couldn't wrap his head around it.
But unfortunately, no one could answer him.
Not just because nobody had an answer, but because the box office results kept coming.
After June 16th came the second day of Batman Begins.
9.08 million nationwide. A 39.7% drop.
Friday brought some recovery: day three made 15.07 million.
Saturday rose even higher: 18.01 million.
But Sunday hit them again.
15.65 million.
Five days after release, the U.S. total reached 72.89 million. Pretty good for a normal film. But for Batman, and especially for a 150 million dollar Batman film… it was tragic.
Because…
Let's put it this way:
In 1989, Tim Burton's Batman made 57.15 million in its first five days.
Back then, there were way fewer theaters.
Tickets were way cheaper.
So…
Batman Begins' domestic numbers were a total disgrace.
And since Batman was a massive American IP…
If it flopped in its own home territory, the global numbers…
Would be even uglier.
In the UK: 8.07 million.
Australia: 3.22 million.
France: 3.08 million.
Germany: 1.83 million…
When Batman tanked in every major international market, DC felt the sky collapse.
And when July 1st, 2005 arrived, it truly collapsed.
Because after 14 days in theaters, its U.S. box office only reached 130 million total. Not even 10 million a day!
Worldwide? Didn't even break 200 million.
That's when Barry Meyer summoned all of DC's executives to Burbank.
And he delivered Warner's supreme decree for DC's future:
"The sequel to Batman can be put on hold for now."
"We'll talk after Superman releases next year."
"Other projects are to be suspended."
"Personally… I don't think you can make a good movie right now."
"..."
In that moment, the hearts of DC's executives, which had been dangling for a century, finally fell.
Because they completely died.
But just as they saw nothing but darkness ahead…
Almost at the same moment, Isabella, who was in the Scottish Highlands filming Goblet of Fire (Part Two), received an invitation.
"Who's asking for me?"
She frowned slightly at Margot Robbie.
Transformers was still in early prep, and wouldn't start filming until next year, so little Robbie had nothing to do.
Thus… the assistant was back in action!
"Uh… someone claiming to be Marvel Studios' top producer came to the set to find you. He said his name is Kevin Feige."
Robbie added, "The staff said that if you don't know him, you can ask Chris. He said Richard Donner is his mentor's lover, and his mentor is Lauren Donner."
How could Isabella not know Kevin Feige?
In her previous life, this guy was the man who saved Marvel!
So if he's here now…
Probably to talk about Iron Man, right?
She thought she had it all figured out.
But when she showed up with Chris, and her mother Vivian…
Feige's first words stunned her.
"Miss Heywood, Director Columbus, Mrs. Heywood, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"I know you're all busy, so I'll get straight to the point."
"I'm not here for Iron Man. I'm not representing Marvel Studios."
"I want to talk to you about DC's Batman Begins."
"This movie is excellent, but its performance might not be ideal, so…"
"Uh… do you know the status of its sequel?"
"Did Warner kill the sequel?"
"If they didn't… well… could I join the production?"
He paused, rubbing his hands like a hamster.
Smiling at them, waiting eagerly for approval…
Isabella stared wide-eyed, as if she'd just seen a ghost.
Kevin Feige wanted to join the Batman Begins sequel?
Marvel's savior wanted to make a DC movie?
What in the actual hell…
Was going on?