DC Entertainment is experiencing a shakeup lately, with its president and chief creative officer both leaving their roles.
According to Variety, both DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson, and Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns are both stepping away from their current titles.
When it comes to Nelson, Variety reports that she has been on leave for family issues since March and will not return to her position. Variety also writes that the decision was made on her own, and that she wasn’t forced out of the job.
Nelson was initially named head of DC in 2009. There she oversaw projects in TV, film and gaming. Moving forward, Warner Bros. and DC executive management teams are reporting to Chief Digital Officer Thomas Gewecke until a new person is hired.
Johns, meanwhile, is stepping down from the role and is transitioning to a new position in a writing and producing deal with the two companies. With Johns departing, DC Entertainment Publisher Jim Lee is expanding his role to include chief creative officer, according to Variety.
The departures come after a rocky few years at DC, with the film section of the company continuously lagging behind its main competitor, Marvel. Other than last year’s “Wonder Woman,” DC films have been met with low box office results, average-at-best reviews, or both.
For example, 2017’s “Justice League” earned $93.8 million in its opening weekend, with a $229 million domestic total and a $657.9 million worldwide total. In comparison, Marvel’s “Avengers” in 2012 had a $207 million opening, a $623 million domestic total and earned $1.5 billion worldwide.
Variety reports that Johns was the co-writer and executive producer of “Aquaman,” which hits theaters on Dec. 21. According to Variety, he’s also still writing and executive producing the “Wonder Woman” sequel, scheduled for November 2019.
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At the weekend box office, it was a newcomer finally pulling the top spot away from “Star Wars” and the two May comic book films. The women-led “Ocean’s 8” snagged first place, with a convincing $41.5 million, well ahead of “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” which took in just over $15 million.
The full top five was:
1. Ocean’s 8 – $41,500,000
2. Solo – $15,154,000
3. Deadpool 2 – $13,650,000
4. Hereditary – $13,037,336
5. Avengers: Infinity War – $6,836,000
We’re likely going to see another new top five this coming weekend, as the highly anticipated “Incredibles 2” gets released. Other new films this week include the comedy “Tag” and the action flick “SuperFly.”
Meanwhile, on the small screen, new releases include:
- Tomb Raider, Large Association of Movie Blogs rating: 3 out of 5, my rating: 3.9 out of 5, Rotten Tomatoes rating: 49%
- Love Simon, Large Association of Movie Blogs rating: 4 out of 5, my rating: 3.5 out of 5, Rotten Tomatoes rating: 92%
- I Can Only Imagine, Rotten Tomatoes rating: 71%
- Sherlock Gnomes, Rotten Tomatoes rating: 29%
- The Strangers: Prey at Night, Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 38%
- An Ordinary Man, Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 33%
Matthew Liedke on Film 