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Warner Bros. has faced a challenging couple of years, marked by significant financial losses. In August, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) reported a share price decline of over 10% following the announcement of a $9.1 billion write-down on its television networks and a failure to meet revenue expectations.
For the three months ending June 30th, WBD disclosed total revenue of $9.7 billion, reflecting a 5% year-over-year decline, alongside a net loss of $9.9 billion that included the $9.1 billion non-cash goodwill impairment charge. The company attributed these major losses to the write-down in the value of its cable network.
WB’s movies and TV shows have struggled to receive positive critical and audience feedback, with only a few recent releases standing out. The latest DCEU films have either flopped at the box office or barely broken even, and it appears the company is determined not to let this negative reputation affect the upcoming launch of the DCU, a new cinematic universe centered on DC characters.
Recently, Gunn’s DCU faced heavy criticism for appearing low-budget, with fans pointing out that the costumes, supporting cast, and locations in the Superman movie seemed more reminiscent of CW productions than a high-budget project. The casting of Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan also drew backlash, with fans questioning the decision to choose a significantly older actor for the upcoming Lanterns show, labeling the production as “cheap” and “nonsensical.”
However, following this initial criticism, a shift has occurred, with numerous “fans” online suddenly praising the casting. Observers noted that the comments had an unusual and stiff tone, leading to suspicions that they might be generated by bots rather than genuine users.
Additionally, there’s the concern that Gunn has been blocking users who criticize his casting choices.
I recognize that the account sharing this information may have a strong bias, but it’s worth examining the evidence. Moreover, this wouldn’t be the first instance of Warner Bros. inflating its projects and employing staffers to defend them online.
For example, HBO executives Casey Bloys and Kathleen McCaffrey discussed using staffers to troll critics on social media. Text messages reviewed by Rolling Stone reveal their plans to create a “secret army” to counter negative critiques, including a suggestion from Bloys to find someone to rebut a Vulture critic’s tweet about the show Perry Mason.
While they ultimately decided against responding to that particular critic, they did engage in trolling others with snarky comments from fake accounts on multiple occasions.
Additionally, Warner Bros. has previously been a target of bots. A study by Rolling Stone and Warner Bros. found that Zack Snyder allegedly used fake accounts and made threats to company executives to secure the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League (the Snyder Cut).
The report indicated that approximately 13% of the accounts driving the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut and #RestoreTheSnyderVerse campaigns were fake, a figure notably higher than the typical 5% found in viral social media movements.
The study also highlighted harassment directed at Warner Bros. executives, including Ann Sarnoff, who faced backlash after asserting that a Snyder Cut did not exist. Overall, it pointed to a growing divide between Warner Bros. and Snyder, with little chance of the SnyderVerse being continued.
While it may be impossible to definitively prove whether these so-called bots are connected to Warner Bros., it certainly isn’t far-fetched to consider the possibility, especially given their history with this strategy.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!