1. Different Needs
DC Entertainment is not making the decisions, so it might be better to start referring to any potential crossovers as a Warner Bros. Cinematic Universe when examining its chances of catching Marvel's. With that in mind, it is important to realize that one of the main reasons Marvel cannot be caught by Warner Bros. is because the latter simply has no need to catch the former. These companies are quite different, and so are their needs. Marvel Studios is expected to deliver two films per year for Disney to distribute. Marvel Studios only makes superhero films, which means Marvel needs a crossover universe to improve the chances of each individual film's success. Warner Bros., on the other hand, produces and distributes a dozen or so films each year that span across all genres. Warner Bros. could stop making superhero films right now and still be a very profitable company. When the studio "only" has Batman and Superman movies to roll out, that really is not much of a problem. As long as those films remain highly profitable along with other properties Warner Bros. has like
Lord of the Rings and
Harry Potter (which one can bet will be rebooted), the studio will be quite successful. Time Warner investors do not seem to be complaining about the lack of superhero films and they will not as long as Robinov and his team deliver a great bottom line. It can and should be argued that Warner Bros. is leaving a lot of potential profit on the table by allowing so many of its DC properties to collect dust on the shelf. Undoubtedly, studio executives can and probably have countered that argument by pointing out the risk of large financial losses that come with the failure of a lesser-known property to find an audience (see:
Green Lantern). There is a legitimate question as to whether or not the potential reward merits the inherent risk. Studios take calculated risks with every tent pole film they produce. Warner Bros. takes risks, just not with its entire superhero lineup. The studio prefers to take risks with bankable talent, like director Christopher Nolan's
Inception, and uses those big names to sell an original film or a film based on a lesser-known property. There is nothing wrong with that business strategy, even if it leaves comic book fans out in the cold.