Rumor: Warner Bros. is not pleased with Birds of Prey movie
There is speculation that reactions of test screenings have split the opinions of WB executives and audiences for Birds of Prey.
Slowly, but surely, some tidbits are being revealed about the status of Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). While the executives at Warner Bros. were pleased of the direction Cathy Yan had gone with the female-led R-rated film, it’s been reported by We Got This Covered that, after seeing a rough cut of the film, the excutives at Warner Bros. are not pleased. Conversely, a focus group of audiences that viewed a test screening had a more positive reaction.
On Twitter, Screen Rant’s Stephen M. Colbert, commented that the test screening had “people raving about it,” and noted the internal WB execs had the “opposite effect” in terms of the response. Colbert had shared briefly that “[Margot] Robbie can keep their hands off it.” So what gives? Why is there a general split between the execs at WB and test audiences at the screening?
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Since Warner Bros. execs are not pleased with the initial cut that has been shown at test screenings, what is likely to happen are pre-emptive reshoots of the film. How extensive those reshoots entirely depend on which area in production may need to be adjusted as part of its overall mise en scène (i.e. the story exposition, pace, tone, character interactions etc.).
Reshoots planned in advance turn out great, although reshoots as a response to executive mandate or audience dissatisfaction can go either way. For Birds of Prey, it could be anything as simple as altering a scene they feel is representative of the character or adding in more screen time for said character.
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Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) stars Margot Robbie, Ali Wong, Jurnee Smollet-Bell, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rosie Perez and Ewan McGregor. Cathy Yan will direct from a screenplay by Christina Hodson. Robbie is producing under her LuckChap Entertainment banner. Sue Kroll and Bryan Unkeless will also produce for Kroll & Co Entertainment and Clubhouse Pictures. Warner Bros. Pictures will distribute. The girl power ensemble hits the big screen on February 7, 2020.