Zack Snyder’s early superhero moivie wasn’t a massive hit on release, but Christopher Nolan believes it would have done better if it came out today.
Christopher Nolan recently shared his thoughts on Zack Snyder’s Watchmen, and he’s right that it would be even better if it came out today. While Snyder is largely responsible for kicking off the DCEU with Man of Steel and Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, the director entered the DC universe a few years before. He directed Watchmen, an adaptation of the beloved graphic novel that introduced a new team of superheroes. However, Watchmen isn’t a standard team-up story as it is highly satirical of the superhero universe and Nolan told The Hollywood Reporter he believes Snyder’s version was ahead of its time.
Snyder’s Watchmen debuted in 2009, a year after the MCU began but a few years before The Avengers. The film debuted to mixed reactions from audiences and critics, but it has developed a passionate fanbase since its release. While the movie has supporters, Nolan is right that it would have done even better if it emerged in a post-Avengers world.
Watchmen Would’ve Been Even Better After The MCU Truly Kicked Off
Watchmen introduced viewers to many legendary heroes, like Rorschach and Dr. Manhattan. However, the film isn’t meant to be another superhero crossover event; it’s a criticism of superheroes and an imagining of what it would be like if heroes were flawed individuals and how the international community would react to beings of immense power. It’s an intelligent piece of fiction that audiences would have received better if it had come out in a post-Avengers world.
Superhero satires are nothing new, as films like The Incredibles critiqued the genre before it took over Hollywood. However, shows like The Boys and Invincible are incredibly popular now and that’s partly because people are looking for clever and fresh takes on these stories. Watchmen offers an intriguing and unique take on superheroes, which may land better as superhero fatigue is on the rise.
Why Watchmen Missed Its Perfect Movie Window
Watchmen underperformed financially, garnering around $185 million at the worldwide box office against a $130-$138 million production budget. However, there’s a good chance that it would have done better now, considering the type of content that audiences are looking for. In 2023, the only superhero films that performed well were Across the Spider-Verse and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Films like The Marvels, The Flash, and Blue Beetle bombed, showing audiences want content that feels fresh. While Watchmen is a superhero film, it’s a more mature and demanding movie that challenges the tropes of the genre. It might not have been a box office behemoth, but it would have come out at a perfect time when people wanted something different out of superhero films.
