Criticism is a hard pill to swallow. When it comes to your work, it can be hard to accept faults and follies and also just hear critiques. And in the internet age, avoiding harsh words can be nearly impossible, as anyone with a keyboard and an opinion can make their thoughts known to the world. This is surely a tricky game to play when you're in the world of entertainment, as consumers often feel very strongly about any TV show or movie that they shell out money to see.
One franchise that has suffered some pretty hard criticism is the still infant DC Extended Universe. Zack Snyder's first two entries, Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, have both suffered from mixed reviews, dividing audiences down the middle. David Ayer's Suicide Squad is the newest entry in the universe, and it unfortunately looks like it's going to suffer similarly at the hands of critics. Reviews thus far have praised the performances and character development, while also lamenting the upcoming blockbuster's overall plot (ourselves included). Now the man behind the squad has responded to haters, with a few choice twitter posts. Check it out.
David Ayer just dropped the mic. He loves Suicide Squad, and he wouldn't change a thing.
The director's first tweet is a quote from Mexican political figure Emiliano Zapata. The translation essentially means "I'd prefer to die on my feet than to live on my knees." Clearly, David Ayer is happy with the risks that he took during Suicide Squad, and is thrilled in the ability to truly create art, regardless of what others may think of the piece itself.
Suicide Squad's less than favorable reviews may have grave consequences for the DC Extended Universe as a whole. This is the third film in the universe that has been unable to win over both critics and the general audiences. It truly begs the question: is there something wrong happening over at Warner Bros.? And if this streak continues with Wonder Woman and Justice League, will the DCEU be disbanded altogether?
Of course, reviews aren't always as important to Hollywood studios as you'd think. When it really comes down to it, studios are mostly interested in making money. And Suicide Squad looks like it's going to do just that. Current projections for its opening weekend add up to an insane $140 million, and they've already beat Fandango's record for the most pre-sale tickets for the month of August. If Suicide Squad ends up being the money cow that DC is hoping it will be, perhaps they're not in trouble at all.
