Warner Bros has struggled with its blockbusters of late.
But back in summer 1997, the year of Batman & Robin, it faced similar problems.
This article originally appeared onDen of Geek UK.
In some ways, it marks the end of an era.
Once again during that time, it seemed to have a line-up that others could be envious about.
Just two summers later, the studio releasedThe Matrix, and blockbuster cinema changed again.
But come the start of summer 1997?
Interestingly, it dropped theNational Lampoonmoniker in the U.S. and instead released the eventual movie asVegas Vacation.
It was a belated sequel, back when belated sequels werent that big a thing.
The film was quickly pulled apart by reviewers, but it still just about clawed a profit.
Not a massive hit, it was still hardly a project that had a sense of foreboding about it.
Yet the problems were not far away.
It had hit written all over it.
It quickly did the deal, few questions asked.
The problem though was that the film simply wasnt very good.
Warner Bros. had snapped it up, without it seems even properly reading the script.
He added, We dont scrutinize the production.
When we saw the movie, it took the wind out of us.
We kept reshooting and enhancing, but you cant fix something thats bad.
And it was bad.
WBs first film of the summer was a certified flop.
More would soon follow.
A more modestly priced project wasAddicted To Love, a romantic comedy starring Meg Ryan and Matthew Broderick.
The film was a modest success at best.
But while it was sold as a rom-com, the muddled final cut was actually a fair bit darker.
Addicted To Loveended up with $34.6 million at the U.S. box office.
It would eke out a small profit.
June
And this is when the alarm bells started to ring very, very loudly.
But that word of mouth still accelerated its departure from theaters.
It wouldnt be for eight years until Batman returned to the big screen in Christopher NolansBatman Begins.
Warner Bros. would undergo big changes in the intervening period.
As for the immediate aftermath ofBatman & Robin?
The movie had to service too many characters.
It invested heavily in special effects and gave Zemeckis licence to make the film that he wanted.
The studio was rewarded with the most intelligent and arguably the best blockbuster of the summer.
Reviews were strong, it looked terrific, and the initial box office was good.
But then the problem hit.
WhileContactwas a solid hit for Warner Bros., it wasnt a massively profitable one.
But when they failed to take off, the pressure shifted toContact.
But once Warner Bros. had paid its bills, there wasnt a fat lot over for itself.
Fortunately, the film still sells on disc and on-demand.
Yet it wasnt to be the massive hit the studio needed back in 1997.
But still, it would have had its eye on a modest success.
What it got in return was red ink.
The films not a bad one, and certainly worth seeking out.
WBs summer slate was running out of films.
Conspiracy Theoryproved to be one of the more ambitious summer blockbusters of the era.
The bigger problem, however, was that the film never quite worked as well as you might hope.
Yet star power did have advantages.
Still: Warner Bros. did getLethal Weapon 4off Gibson and Donner a year later…
Yeah.
Magoo),Free Willy 3barely troubled the box office.
Not much was expected fromSteel, a superhero movie headlined by Shaquille ONeal.
Which was fortunate, because not much was had.
And even though the budget was set at a relatively low $16 million, the film bombed.
It was a miserable end to what, for WB, had been a thoroughly miserable summer.
So what did hit big in summer 1997?
This was also the summer that Nicolas Cage cemented his action movie credentials withFace/OffandCon Air.
Crucially though, the star movies that hit were the ones that veered on the side of good.
For the first of many years, the internet was blamed for this.
In the rest of 1997, Warner Bros. had a mix of projects that again enjoyed mixed fortunes.
The standout was Curtis Hansons stunning adaptation ofL.A.
Confidential, that also proved to be a surprise box office success.The Devils Advocatedidnt do too badly either.
However, two of the studios key filmmakers failed to really deliver come the end of 1997.
No wonder the studio rushedLethal Weapon 4into production for summer 1998.
The studio would eventually take action.
But the immediate plan of action following the disappointment of summer 1997 to getBatman 5andSuperman Livesmade would falter.
