Two of the most famous superheroes are somewhat at fault for making 2004’s Catwoman an absolute disaster at both the box office and critics’ scale. Written by John Rogers, John Brancato, and Michael Ferris, the movie was released by Warner Bros, and features the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant, Halle Berry.
The 57-year-old American actress, however, couldn’t manage to save the movie from being thrashed from every side. The movie turned out to be a huge failure as it was able to earn neither money nor fame. Unfortunately, Superman and Wonder Woman were more or less responsible for this disaster.
Halle Berry’s Catwoman’s Failure Is Partly On Superman and Wonder Woman
Halle Berry’s Catwoman only earned $82 million worldwide against a budget of $100 million. Not only at the box office, the movie was a flop with the critics too, with an awful score of 8% on Rotten Tomatoes. Superman and Wonder Woman are part of the reason Catwoman turned out to be this ill-fated.
Back in the day, Warner Bros. could only choose one movie out of Wonder Woman and Catwoman. According to the oral history (via Inverse), since Wonder Woman as a character was tacky, the media company went ahead with Catwoman. Another reason behind going with the movie was budget limitations and strategic priorities.
Warner Bros. thought that Catwoman as a character was more appealing than Wonder Woman, and hence, the audience will find the former more watchable. However, their prediction was not based on sound arguments and Catwoman turned out to be an awful project.
Superman was also indirectly responsible for the film’s failure. Warner Bros. didn’t go with Wonder Woman because she was way too used to doing the right thing, just like Superman and hence, they believed that nobody would be interested in her. This encouraged the company to go with Catwoman and the results went against the entire team.
John Rogers Had A Different Kind Of Script For Catwoman That Got Lost in Translation
During the interview with Inverse, John Rogers, the film’s screenwriter, revealed how his original ideas were not a part of the final copy of the Halle Berry movie. He told the outlet:
So my script was much darker and much more violent. It was meant to be sort of a return to this very genre-y, grounded vengeance story. And then we did none of that.
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Even production designer Bill Brzeski added that a lot of what Rogers thought got lost in translation. He claimed people who made the movie had a different perspective and hence there were a lot of changes in the original plan regarding Halle Berry’s Catwoman.
Catwoman’s director, Pitof, also mentioned that back then, people were not mentally ready to picture a female character as the lead fighter hero. According to him, this was also a big reason behind the movie’s failure.
Catwoman is available for streaming on Fubo TV.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Warner Bros. choose Catwoman over a Wonder Woman movie?
Per an Inverse oral history cited by the article, Warner Bros. was weighing Wonder Woman against Catwoman and went with Catwoman. Director Pitof recalled that industry-wide, “nobody wanted to be Wonder Woman. She was tacky,” while production designer Bill Brzeski noted Wonder Woman felt too similar to Superman in always doing the right thing, making her seem less dramatically interesting. Those factors, reportedly combined with budget and strategic priorities, led the studio to greenlight Catwoman with Halle Berry instead.
How much money did Halle Berry’s Catwoman make at the box office?
Catwoman earned just $82 million worldwide against a $100 million production budget, so it failed to recoup its costs. It also scored only 8% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it both a financial and critical disappointment for Warner Bros. and star Halle Berry.
Why did screenwriter John Rogers say his original Catwoman script was changed?
John Rogers said his original script was “much darker and much more violent,” envisioned as a grounded, genre-driven revenge story, but “then we did none of that” in the final film. Production designer Bill Brzeski confirmed much of that vision got lost in the process, and director Pitof added that audiences at the time weren’t ready to accept a female lead action hero.
