Warner Bros. Adjusts ‘Birds Of Prey’ Name Due To Underwhelming Box Office
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
DC superhero movie Birds of Prey clawed in underwhelming results at the North American box office over the weekend, forcing Warner Bros. Pictures to tweak the film’s title for more recognition.
The film reaped US$33 million at the opening in North America, which was less than the amount executives were expecting despite clinching the top spot this weekend.
The disappointing box office could be influenced by the movie’s ‘R’ rating, in addition to viewers’ unfamiliarity with its characters.
To boost ticket sales, Warner Bros. decided to replace the movie’s official title, Birds of Prey: the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, with Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey on ticket merchants’ sites like AMC, Cinemark and Regal. As audiences are more acquainted with Harley Quinn, the name tweak will hopefully grab more attention.
A representative of Warner Bros. told CNN Business that the original title hasn’t actually changed. Rather, the new name was created to help moviegoers find the title on ticket websites.
Birds of Prey’s lackluster opening in North America might have been a head-scratcher for executives, since it received an 80-percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
#BirdsOfPrey has been retitled for movie audiences, the new marketing name:
— MoviesMatrix 🎥 (@MoviesMatrix) February 10, 2020
HARLEY QUINN: BIRDS OF PREY
🤔 What do you think about the updated title? Good idea, too late, don't like it, etc?#HarleyQuinn #HarleyQuinnBirdsOfPrey pic.twitter.com/pQtbTxhLdk
[via CNN Business, cover image via Warner Bros. Pictures]
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