The story of Suicide Squad is probably unique in blockbuster history: in 2016, DC positioned the superhero film as a billion-dollar blockbuster. An elaborate marketing campaign, stars like Will Smith and Margot Robbie and numerous re-shoots preceded the launch.
It all came to nothing. Most fans and critics couldn’t do anything with the film. A complete restart was needed. Today you can see Suicide Squad 1.0 on TV.
What is Suicide Squad about?
The Suicide Squad is a group of supervillains who are commissioned by the US government to go on suicide missions in order to avoid punishment. The illustrious group consists of the war-hardened Rick Flagg (Joel Kinnaman), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), the trigger-happy Deadshot (Will Smith), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) and other dark characters. Her opponent: Enchantress (Cara Delevingne).
Suicide Squad was a multi-million dollar disaster that was remade (much) better
DC
The Suicide Squad
The production of the film alone cost a hefty $175 million, and that doesn’t even include the immense marketing budget. The film performed far below expectations at the box office: it only grossed just under $750 million – not enough for a film that was supposed to be at least close to the billion dollar mark.
But the fan response was even more devastating. This is the balance:
This team had no future. Instead of the hoped-for sequel, Suicide Squad received a soft reboot 5 years later. Stars like Will Smith returned in James Gunns The Suicide Squad from 2021 is not returning. The film also received a higher age rating.
However, almost nothing changed in the initial situation. This helped the ratings: at Moviepilot the reboot gets a very good 7 out of 10. It is much more popular with fans and led to the spin-off Peacemaker. However, the new edition was shattered by the lack of interest in cinemas during the pandemic.
On the subject:
Stream or TV: When and where is Suicide Squad showing?
ProSieben is showing Suicide Squad today on Friday at 8:15 p.m. The repeat runs next Sunday at 10:25 p.m. Alternatively, you can stream the film on Netflix.