Written By Mikey Sutton • Editor-in-Chief • Owner
HBO Max is watching and listening to the fans, and Snyderverse discussions are apparently heating up.
Detractors continue to find ways of either downplaying the success of The Snyder Cut or twisting data to suit their vengeful agenda. It doesn’t help that streaming channels don’t have the kind of quickly released and specific data theaters do.
If The Snyder Cut had been released in the cinemas, you’d know later opening night how well it was performing. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case so what’s left is speculation, misinformation, or an incomplete picture.
Third-party researcher Samba TV has been providing the latter.
On the surface, Samba TV’s report is positive yet somewhat underwhelming depending on your expectations. According to CBR, “Samba TV found Zack Snyder’s Justice League was streamed by 1.8 million households subscribed to HBO Max from March 19-21. By comparison, Samba TV reported Wonder Woman 1984 was watched by 2.2 million households on HBO Max during its opening weekend from Dec. 25-27 last year.”
There is an issue with their information.
Luiz Fernando explained Samba TV’s methods on Twitter. Fernando wrote that, “The catch is: #SambaTV only measures selected opted-in SmartTVs with its #AutomaticContentRecognition technology, what means they only reach a limited amount of devices/households.”
There are websites that conveniently left out that information.
Of course they would.
HBO Max: Discussions Heating Up After Snyder Cut Success
Don’t get me wrong; Samba TV is being completely objective. Unfortunately, their updates are spun negatively by click-baitors.
However, there is actually another problem. HBO Max’s expectations were not for The Snyder Cut to top Wonder Woman 1984. Why would they care if a four-movie had higher ratings than another movie on the same streamer?
This is an apples-and-oranges scenario, too. Wonder Woman 1984 was completely new; it was intended to be a purely theatrical sequel to a huge and beloved box-office smash.
I’m quite sure that’s just an ego boost for DC Films president Walter Hamada and his cronies. “Sorry kids, but my Wonder Woman 1984 beat your Snyder Cut! Bwa-ha-ha.” (Hamada burgers passed to everyone in the office with added Toby fries.)
That’s not HBO Max’s goal.
Their mission was to give the House of Mouse a swift Snyder kick in the crotch.
Did The Snyder Cut beat The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney Plus?
Per CBR in the same article, “Samba TV found Zack Snyder’s Justice League was streamed more than the first episode of Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+ over the same frame.”
Mission accomplished.
Ratings may be everything on commercial network television, but added subscriptions are at the heart of streaming channels.
Bloomberg revealed that “AT&T Inc.’s HBO Max had the biggest increase in video streaming last week, as viewers flocked to its recut version of the superhero epic Justice League. The WarnerMedia streaming platform recorded a 8.9% jump in users launching its mobile app…For the week ended March 28, downloads of the HBO Max app rose 64% for the top increase. ”
Given that, insiders said that HBO Max is now considering multiple possible spin-offs from The Snyder Cut beyond sequels to Man of Steel, Justice League, and the Ben Affleck Batman prequel I leaked before.
Despite this, I recommend that Snyder fans continue their social-media campaigns supporting the movie.
HBO is waiting for more numbers to come in to see how far they’ll dive in; nevertheless, the blackest nights are becoming the brightest of days.
Related: Does Zack Snyder Have a Future With DC Films?
