Warner Bros. has changed the title of their latest DC movie: “Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” is now called “Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey.” The title change is already reflected on movie ticketing sites across the web.
While Warner didn’t release a statement about why they made the change, it’s presumably part of a strategy to help the film perform better at the box office after it had the lowest opening weekend for any DCEU movie to date.
IGN reached out to WB for comment and will update this story with any information we learn.
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Harley Quinn is immensely popular compared to the likes of Huntress, Renee Montoya, and Black Canary, so it makes sense why Warner Bros. would pivot in an attempt to cash in on the character’s name recognition. Instead of burying her name at the end of an obscenely long title, causing many people to not even include her name when referring to the movie, it has now been moved to the front. The absurd original title was very much in-character for Harley Quinn, but it seems the studio wants to eschew that in favor of being crystal clear with viewers. Not to mention, Harley Quinn is the star of the film, with the Birds of Prey acting as supporting characters in her wild and zany narrative, so this new title better reflects that.
For more on Birds of Prey… er… Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey, check out why star Margot Robbie decided to not include Joker in the film, what you need to know about the closing credits scene, and if you haven’t already, be sure to read our review of the movie.
To see Harley in action, watch this clip from the movie showing Black Mask interrogating Harley Quinn:
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Joshua is Senior Features Editor at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.
Source: IGN.com Birds of Prey Gets New Movie Title Putting the Spotlight on Harley Quinn