The opening weekend box office for Birds of Prey wasn’t great, but it was hardly disastrous. However, it became clear that Warner Bros. had begun to question their marketing strategy, leading to them making the quick decision to change the title to Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey, putting an emphasis on the movie’s popular breakout character. But there are even deeper reasons for the switch, and they are, to be perfectly honest, kinda dull.
The Verge talked to a WB rep who told them the title change was made to increase the movie’s SEO, in order to ease “search expansion for ticket sites.” Basically, they want to make it easier for people to find the movie when attempting to make online ticket purchases.
Told you it was pretty dull.
Still, it’s just another sign that WB royally screwed up just about everything from a marketing angle. The focus should have been 100% on Margot Robbie, who is not only one of the biggest stars in the world but has completely thrown herself into this character. It wouldn’t be happening at all if not for her.
Anyway, Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey is in theaters now and you should check it out.
