What Does Ben Affleck Really Think About Batman v Superman?

We've all seen the sad Ben Affleck meme that went viral shortly after the release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It saw a forlorn Affleck starring off into space as his co-star Henry Cavill countered questions about the movie not quite living up to expectations. At that time, the movie had only been in the hands of critics for a few days. Now, more than 7 months have passed, and Ben Affleck has had some time to reflect on the subject. In a new interview with Fox 5 DC, the actor offers his true thoughts on the matter.

"It's interesting: It was a huge hit movie - more people went to see that than any movie I've made in my career. It was the biggest hit of my career and then it had so much editorial negativity. Fans went, and I got a lot of positive response. It was interesting, that movie, because it was judged not necessarily on execution so much as on its tone. People seemed to want to have a lighter tone to the movie, and I thought that was interesting. Tone is not a qualitative thing. It's subjective, right? Some tones resonate with me that might not with you. And the tone of the movie was really parallel to the Frank Miller book [The Dark Knight Returns], which I liked and thought was great. I'm glad that so many people went and so many people liked the movie."

It's interesting that he feels this strongly about tone. It's widely known that Suicide Squad went back for reshoots to make its tone lighter and more fun. It also had some jokes added back into it. While Wonder Woman's first trailer doesn't make it look like a laugh-fest by any means, the first Justice League trailer hints that it will have a more colorful tone. And Ezra Miller is allowed to crack a joke or two. This is something that wouldn't have happened before Batman V Superman arrived in theaters.

Critics and fans all came down hard on Zack Snyder for his directorial efforts on Batman V Superman. So much so that there was a seismic shift at DC Films. Geoff Johns became the equivalent of Marvel's Kevin Feige, and Ben Affleck took on the role of executive producer of Justice League to help shepherd the project along during production. Many claimed Ben Affleck's role as Bruce Wayne was one of Batman V Superman's few highlights. So his heavier presence in making this next movie was deemed necessary.

Before Batman V Superman hit theaters, Warner Bros. felt they had the biggest film of the year on their hands. But that wouldn't be the case. As it stands, Dawn of Justice is only 2016's 7th highest grossing movie domestically with $330.3 million to its name. It went onto earn $873.2 million worldwide, and is not considered the true bomb many believe it to be. Warner Bros. and DC Films' scored a more positive reaction with this past summer's Suicide Squad, which sits just behind Batman V Superman in 8th place with $320.8 million domestic, $733.8 worldwide. Will Wonder Woman serve as another blockbuster hit when it arrives in June? We'll just have to wait and see. You can check out Ben Affleck's interview in the embed below.