10 Movies That Saved Their Respective Franchises

The DCEU was undergoing some growing pains with its films during the mid-2010s. Man of Steel was divisive, while the double whammy of 2016's Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad highlighted the franchise's inability to keep up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thankfully, Wonder Woman proved to be a crowd pleaser and let DC carve its own path with solo-driven films.

For one, Wonder Woman doesn't try to establish a cinematic universe and is a solo adventure about Diana's first journey into the world of man. She's well written and likable as a heroine, while her doomed romance with Steve Trevor serves as one of the film's highlights.

The movie also takes what worked with the DCEU while course-correcting the franchise into something more palatable. It boasts colorful visuals and cinematography, as its predecessors were criticized for looking too dark. And while the story deals with mature themes, Wonder Woman keeps a hopeful and uplifting tone to strike a balance.

Because of this, the film brought the best of both worlds to appeal to casual audiences and hardcore fans. The success of Wonder Woman led to the DCEU spawning solo titles such as Aquaman and Shazam, both of which have sequels on the way.