Image via ©Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collection
By
Rahul Malhotra
Published 20 minutes ago
Rahul Malhotra is a Weekend News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.
He has been writing for Collider for over two years, and has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal to introduce audiences to a whole new world of cinema.
Swing and a miss > measured victory. Also, #JusticeForHan. (He/Him). Sign in to your Collider account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recapReleased in the immediate wake of Iron Man and The Dark Knight, the two movies most responsible for changing the Hollywood landscape of that era, director Zack Snyder's Watchmen was stranded in no man's land. It wasn't the colorful superhero movie that Iron Man was, nor did it have the gritty realism of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. Years later, Nolan himself would go on to say that Watchmen was "ahead of its time," and that it would've likely done much better had it been released in a post-Avengers world. The epic superhero movie is streaming on Netflix, but not for much longer. It'll leave the streamer on November 30, which gives you just around a week to check it out.
Released in 2009, Watchmen delivered a huge opening weekend haul — one of the best ever at the time for an R-rated movie — but in a fashion that has become typical of Snyder in the years since, it suffered a massive second-weekend drop. Watchmen concluded its run with around $190 million worldwide against a budget that has been reported to be as high as $150 million, making it a box office bomb. However, former Warner Bros. executive Greg Silverman claimed in 2023 that of all the movies that Snyder made at the studio, only Sucker Punch and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hool generated losses. Snyder famously went on to collaborate with W.B. on the now-defunct DC Extended Universe; he directed Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the controversial Justice League as part of the franchise.
Zack Snyder Is Directing a Smaller Film Now
He then switched base to Netflix, where he tried (and failed) to set up at least two franchises. He's now directing The Last Photograph, a thriller based on his own original story. Meanwhile, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' classic comic book was "remixed" by Damon Lindelof for a critically acclaimed HBO limited series, which debuted in 2019. A two-part animated adaptation of the book was released last year. Snyder's Watchmen earned mostly positive reviews upon release, and is now sitting at a 64% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics' consensus reads, "Gritty and visually striking, Watchmen is a faithful adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novel, but its complex narrative structure may make it difficult for it to appeal to viewers not already familiar with the source material."
You have until November 30 to watch the film on Netflix. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
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Watchmen
Like Follow Followed R Mystery Action Science Fiction Release Date March 6, 2009 Runtime 163 minutes Director Zack Synder Writers Alex Tse, David Hayter, Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons Producers Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Deborah Snyder
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Ozymandias in his costume toasting with a glass of champagne in Watchmen
Jeffrey Dean Morgan smoking a cigar as Edward Blake aka The Comedian in Watchmen.Image via Warner Bros. Ent.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan crying as the older Comedian in WatchmenImage via Warner Bros. Ent.
Nite Owl in his snowsuit atop of the owl ship in Watchmen 2009Close
Cast
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Malin Akerman
Laurie Jupiter / Silk Spectre II
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Patrick Wilson
Dan Dreiberg / Nite Owl II
In a version of 1985 where superheroes exist, the murder of a colleague sends active vigilante Rorschach on the trail of a conspiracy that will change the course of history.
Genres Mystery, Action, Science Fiction Powered by
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Watchmen
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