Birds of Prey (2020 film)

In May 2016, ahead of the release of Suicide Squad, Warner Bros. Pictures announced a spinoff film focusing on Harley Quinn and several other female DC Comics heroes and villains, such as Batgirl and the Birds of Prey. Margot Robbie was attached to reprise her role as Harley Quinn, and would also serve as producer.[7][31] British screenwriter Christina Hodson was announced to be writing the film in November.[32] Robbie had pitched the film to Warner Bros. in 2015 as "an R-rated girl gang film including Harley, because I was like, 'Harley needs friends.' Harley loves interacting with people, so don't ever make her do a standalone film." Robbie felt it was important for the film to have a female director. While Warner Bros. and DC Films had various other Harley Quinn-oriented films in development, Birds of Prey was the only one with whose development Robbie was directly involved.[33]

Robbie spent three years working on Birds of Prey and continued to present it to Warner Bros. until the studio felt the project was at the point it could be made.[33] By April 2018, Warner Bros. and DC Films had finalized a deal with Cathy Yan to direct, making her the first female Asian director to direct a superhero film.[34] Yan pitched for the job as "wanting to smash the patriarchy."[35] Robbie was confirmed to be producing the film under her LuckyChap Entertainment banner, as part of a first look deal she has with the studio; Sue Kroll and Bryan Unkless were also announced to serve as producers through their companies Kroll & Co. Entertainment and Clubhouse Pictures, respectively. Production was scheduled to begin by late 2018 or early 2019.[36] The Penguin was intended to appear in the script at one point, but was dropped to preserve his DC Extended Universe debut in The Batman.[37] Barbara Gordon / Batgirl, a founding member of the team in the comics, was removed from Birds of Prey due to her upcoming standalone film, which is also being written by Christina Hodson.[38]

Margot Robbie in 2019.

By July 2018, the film was entering pre-production.[39] Robbie confirmed the film would be titled Birds of Prey, describing it as "different" from the other DC films featuring Harley Quinn, and said it would be produced on a relatively small budget compared to other superhero films.[40][41] She also stated that Harley Quinn would receive a new costume, and teased the casting of diverse actors.[42] The line-up for the Birds of Prey team was revealed to include Black Canary, Huntress, Cassandra Cain, and Renee Montoya, with the villain set to be a Batman adversary who had not yet been seen in film.[20] Casting began in August,[43] with Warner Bros. considering a number of actresses for Huntress and Black Canary. Alexandra Daddario, Jodie Comer, Blake Lively, and Vanessa Kirby expressed interest.[44][45] In August, Roman Sionis / Black Mask was revealed to be the film's antagonist.[46] Janelle Monáe, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Jurnee Smollett-Bell were under consideration for Black Canary by September, while Sofia Boutella, Margaret Qualley, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Cristin Milioti were being considered to play Huntress.[47] Justina Machado and Roberta Colindrez tested for Renee Montoya, while Warner Bros. began seeking a 12-year-old Asian actress to play Cassandra Cain.[48]

In late September, Smollett-Bell and Winstead were respectively cast as Black Canary and Huntress,[10] Warner Bros. scheduled a February 7, 2020 release date,[49] and Ewan McGregor and Sharlto Copley were under consideration for the role of Black Mask.[50] During the U.S.-China Entertainment Summit in October, Yan confirmed the cast and that the film would be R-rated. She said, "[I] could not put the script down, it had so much dark humor to it which a lot of my work does, and there are themes of female empowerment which are so strong and relatable."[51] Cinematographer Matthew Libatique joined the film that month,[52] as did Rosie Perez as Renee Montoya.[21] Stunt coordinator Jonathan Eusebio and fight coordinator Jon Valera joined in November,[53] along with McGregor as Black Mask[25] and Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain.[23] Robbie revealed the full title,[54] and said that the subtitle reflects the humorous tone of the film.[55] Production designer K. K. Barrett joined in December,[56] as did Chris Messina as Victor Zsasz.[22] Steven Williams, Derek Wilson, Dana Lee, François Chau, Matthew Willig, Robert Catrini, and Ali Wong were also cast.[22][24]

Principal photography began in Los Angeles, California in January 2019 under the working title Fox Force Five.[57][58][59] Although filming had been expected to also take place in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia,[60] the entire shoot took place in Los Angeles after the production received a tax credit from the state of California.[61][39] Filming was expected to be completed by mid-April 2019.[62] In February, Charlene Amoia joined the cast.[12] Filming wrapped on April 15, 2019.[63]

Jay Cassidy and Evan Schiff served as editors, while Method Studios, Weta Digital, Luma Pictures, Image Engine and Crafty Apes provided the visual effects for the film.[64][65][66][67] In August 2019, Chad Stahelski served as a second unit director for reshoots, his company 87eleven having been already involved in the development of the action scenes.[68] Photography for the additional footage began on September 3, 2019.[69][70]

Costume concept artist Greg Hopwood released an exclusive look at Costume production art at San Diego Comic Con in July 2019 [71]

On March 19, Warner Bros. Pictures announced that the film would be available digitally in the United States and Canada through Premium VOD on March 24 due to movie theaters closures because of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. This was just over one month after the film's theatrical debut and before the end of the usual 90-day theatrical run.[92] Another film distributed by the studio, The Way Back, was also released earlier than expected for the same reason.[93] In the United Kingdom, it was released digitally and on video on demand on April 24, 2020.[94] The Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD, and DVD were released in North America on May 12, 2020.[95][96]

Birds of Prey grossed $84.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $117.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $201.9 million.[3][4] According to Variety, the film needed to gross $250–300 million worldwide in order to break even.[2]

In the United States and Canada, Birds of Prey was initially projected to gross $50–55 million from 4,236 theaters in its opening weekend.[97] However, after making $13 million in its first day, including $4 million from Thursday night previews, estimates were lowered and it went on to debut to $33 million. The film finished first at the box office but marked the lowest opening for a DC film since Jonah Hex in 2010 ($5.3 million), and was 75% smaller than Suicide Squad's $133.4 million opening in 2016. The low start was blamed on the possible lack of demand for a solo film surrounding the character of Harley Quinn, as well as the confusing title and the R rating limiting the appeal and demographics for ticket sales.[98] In its second weekend the film fell 48% to $17.1 million, finishing second, behind newcomer Sonic the Hedgehog, and then made $7 million in its third, dropping another 59%.[99][100][101]

In other territories, the film was expected to debut to $60–70 million from 76 countries, for a worldwide total of $110–125 million.[97] It made $7.8 million after two days of overseas release in 51 countries and $18.1 million from the full 76 after three. The film went on to make $46 million from international play in its opening weekend, and $79 million worldwide. Its highest-grossing territories were Mexico ($4.6 million), Russia ($4 million), the United Kingdom ($3.9 million), Brazil ($2.8 million) and France ($2.7 million). The low opening was blamed on similar audience hesitation as in the United States, as well as the coronavirus pandemic in Asia closing some theaters.[102]

Yan acknowledged the film's unsatisfactory box office performance and stated, "There were also [undue] expectations on a female-led movie, and what I was most disappointed in was this idea that perhaps it proved that we weren't ready for this yet. That was an extra burden that, as a woman-of-color director, I already had on me anyway. So, yes, I think there were certainly different ways you could interpret the success or lack of success of the movie, and everyone has a right to do that. But, I definitely do feel that everyone was pretty quick to jump on a certain angle."[103]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 78% based on 394 reviews, with an average rating of 6.73/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "With a fresh perspective, some new friends, and loads of fast-paced action, Birds of Prey captures the colorfully anarchic spirit of Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn."[104] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 60 out of 100, based on 59 critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews."[105] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, and PostTrak reported it received an average 3.5 out of 5 stars, with 61% of people surveyed saying they would definitely recommend it.[98][99]

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, and said that "Robbie turns in a much richer and funnier and layered performance as Harley this time around, thanks in large part to the stiletto-sharp screenplay by Christina Hodson."[106] Joe Morgenstern, writing for The Wall Street Journal, stated, "Much of this R-rated movie is chaotic, yet it’s a richly hued, madly inventive, gleefully violent and happily slapdash contraption with a formidable female at its center."[107] Matthew Monagle of The Austin Chronicle gave it 4 out of 5 stars, and said that "Yan and Robbie lean into both sides of Quinn’s personality throughout the film. This allows Birds of Prey to earn every bit of its R-rating while still feeling like a Looney Tunes cartoon."[108] The Arizona Republic's Nicole Ludden praised Yan's direction, saying that it "carries a visually distinct style throughout the film that makes the layering of several chaotic scenes feel cohesive."[109]

John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter called the film "action-packed, but more rule-following than its bonkers protagonist," and wrote, "Yan finds plenty of opportunities for exciting set pieces: Extravagant action choreography makes the most of colorful set design, unlikely gimmicks and wrasslin'-style brutality. But Hodson's script offers far less diverting banter than it might've between the fight scenes."[110] Writing for Variety, Owen Gleiberman said the film was "thin but lively" and praised the performance of Robbie, as well as Yan's direction, although noted the script as having "attitude to spare, but in a rather bare-bones way."[111] Calling it "DC's first good action movie," Joshua Rivera of The Verge offered a mixed review while praising the film's relation to breakups, writing, "That manic energy is all that’s holding Birds of Prey together at times, and the fact that all of its characters seem to thrive in it makes it all the more disappointing that the movie doesn’t really take any time to get to know them better."[112]

In a scathing review, Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote "Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn is more than horrible. It should not exist. Money should never have been raised for it. The screenplay should never have been filmed. Margot Robbie shouldn't have produced it. She certainly shouldn't have starred in it."[113]