Why Batgirl Just Got Cancelled
5. Too Big For Streaming, Too Small For Cinemas
Another key change in the Zaslov era has been WB's approach to its theatrical and streaming service goals.
The previous regime had an ambitious goal for the then-new streaming service HBO Max. Not only was it going to put its biggest movies day and date on the service alongside their theatrical releases, but executives were opting to greenlight a bunch of mid-high budget movies around the $70million range to debut exclusively only HBO Max.
The plan was to rival the spectacle of original shows on Disney+ and Netflix without letting budgets spiral out of control, and Batgirl was one of the projects moulded around this approach. Greenlit for $70million (though that budget has reportedly bloated since), Batgirl was set to be a flagship title for the streamer.
That was the idea under the old regime though. According to reports, Zaslav had an entirely different view of how to approach movie and streaming distribution. The CEO has since ripped up those old plans, no longer releasing movies simultaneously in theatres and on streaming, and opting instead for bigger budget theatrical projects.
Deadline reports that Batgirl simply fell into a budgetary no-man's land: not flashy enough to compete with superhero tentpoles, and such WB is opting not to bother.