Summary
Barbenheimer, the marketing campaign that promoted bothBarbieandOppenheimer, has paid off for both movies, withBarbiehaving the biggest opening of the year andOppenheimerperforming better than expected. There are a few key lessons from their success thatSuicide Squaddirector David Ayer strongly agrees with for reasons that may be considered personal.
Barbiehad the biggest opening of the year, pulling in $162 million domestically, butOppenheimerperformed better than analysts had predicted, with an $82 million opening weekend.Christopher Nolan supported Barbenheimer, which asked audiences to see both films back to back, with even Quentin Tarantino partaking in the double feature. While it is unclear if Ayer took part in Barbenheimer weekend, theSuicide Squaddirector publicly supported Margot Robbie, as she initially broke out as Harley Quinn in hisSuicide Squadfilm. In the aftermath of both movies, Ayer agrees with why Barbenheimer was successful.
RELATED:Suicide Squad David Ayer Cut Details Drop From Fan Who’s Seen It
Varietyreported on what made Barbenheimer a success, stating: “The lesson is that all of this works only when we give artists the license to follow their muse, to express the excitement of what’s in their soul. Everything else is just algorithms.” ConsideringWarner Bros, turned Ayer’sSuicide Squadinto an algorithmto chase the success of films likeDeadpool, according to Ayer, it is no surprise that theSuicide Squaddirector would agree with this. Ayer replied to the Variety article, saying, “This. Just this. Dear God.”
Ayer’s film was critically panned, but the theatrical version resulted from studio meddling, withAyer publicly denouncing the WB studio cut ofSuicide Squad. The original editor for Ayer’s trueSuicide Squadcut was Lee Smith, who editedThe Dark Knight,Inception,andDunkirk. However, it was reported that the studio gave this version to a lesser-known trailer editing company to cut together a “secret 2nd edit” for its theatrical release. Further examples of interference include the various re-shoots that Ayer said “ripped to pieces” Leto’s Joker performance, butchered characters' arcs, and the absurd amount of pop songs present in this 2nd edit that replaced the film’s “haunting score.”
It is unknown if Ayer’s cut would have been better received critically. That said, a lack of studio interference is partly why Barbenheimer was a success and also why Ayer would agree with this, as hisSuicide Squadfilm was not given the same chance thatBarbiewas given, despiteBarbiedirector Greta Gerwig having to stand up to WBD because the studio wanted to cut scenes.
While the cast has shown support for Ayer’s true cut ofSuicide Squadto be released,Margot Robbie played coy on the Ayer Cutin the build-up to James Gunn’sThe Suicide Squad. Robbie may have wanted to stay on Warner Bros.' good side, as she had starred inBirds of Prey, which used ideas from Ayer’s original cut ofSuicide Squadthat portrayed a real toxic relationship between Joker and Harley instead of the studio cut that romanticized it, and of course, now stars inBarbie. Some fans have put together a trending event for the hashtag ‘Release The Ayer Cut’ on August 5th, hoping WBD will release it amid the writers' strike.
