The first wave of reviews forBirds of Preyhave arrived and things continue to look good for DC Films heading into 2020. Warner Bros. has been trying to bounce back ever since the disappointment ofJustice Leagueand, over the last year or so, they’ve done a great job at re-establishing the brand. And, based on the early reviews for Margot Robbie’s return as Harley Quinn, this latest DC Comics adaptation won’t be breaking the trend.
Rotten Tomatoes has revealed the movie’s official score and, with 53 reviews counted (as of this writing),Birds of Preysits very comfortably at 91 percent. That makes it thesecond-highest rated entry in the DCEU, just behind 2016’sWonder Woman, which holds a 93 percent approval rating from critics. It also sits just above last year’sShazam, which also earned a great deal of critical praise, currently sitting at 90 percent. That puts it in very good company, as both of those movies went on to become major successes.
This will be the first time we’ve seenMargot Robbie in the role of Harley Quinnsince her debut as the fan-favorite character inSuicide Squad. That movie is currently the lowest-rated entry in the DCEU, sitting at 27 percent, just behindBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which is at 28 percent. Even thoughSuicide Squadwasn’t heralded critically, it went on to earn a stellar $746 million at the global box office. With that, Warner Bros. quickly started developing a sequel, as well as several spin-offs centered on Harley Quinn.Gotham City Sirenswas also in the works, but has been shelved for the time being. David Ayer, who directedSuicide Squad, was attached to the project.
Cathy Yan (Dead Pigs) is in the director’s chair, working from a script by Christina Hodson (Bumblebee). The movie also starsMary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary, Rosie Perez as Renee Montoya, Chris Messina as Victor Zsasz, and newcomer Ella Jay Basco rounding out the cast as Cassandra Cain. Ewan McGregor stars as villain Roman Sionis, aka Black Mask. The story centers on Harley and her unlikely gang trying to protect Cassandra from Black Mask and his goons in Gotham City.
In terms of box office,Birds of Prey is expected to make $50 million or moreon its opening weekend. However, those projections could easily go up with the positive response. Plus, box office tracking has been a bit unreliable with big releases in recent years. Not only that but the movie comes with a relatively small budget of just $75 million, which means it doesn’t need to make $1 billion at the box office likeAquamanto be considered a success. It can easily take in $360 million worldwide, much likeShazam, and be another win for DC.Birds of Preyhits theaters on February 7. Be sure to check out the Tomatometer score reveal from theRotten Tomatoes Twitteraccount.
