The DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU) is an American media franchise and shared universe of animated films distributed between 2013 and 2024 by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment. Based on characters from the DC Universe (DC Comics), the franchise is part of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line.
| DC Animated Movie Universe | |
|---|---|
 DC logo used between 2016 and 2024. | |
| Years | 2013–2024 |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Home Entertainment |
| Country | United States |
The main film series are split into two story arcs with different continuities. The first story arc began in 2013 with Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox and ended in 2020 with Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, while the second story arc, which was nicknamed as the "Tomorrowverse", began later that year with Superman: Man of Tomorrow and concluded in 2024 with the Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths trilogy.
The franchise comprises twenty-five films overall, with tie-in media including 5 short films, one web series and two digital comics.
Development history
editFirst story arc: "New 52" (2013–2020)
editThe franchise is initially loosely based on a set of New 52 storylines from the DC Universe. Following a teaser in the franchise's first film Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, a five-film story arc loosely based on the "Darkseid War" event written by Geoff Johns, started from Justice League: War and was later revisited in The Death of Superman, Reign of the Supermen and concluded in Justice League Dark: Apokolips War.[1]
After the first story arc ended, screenwriter Ernie Altbacker teased the possibility of a new project related to that continuity. He said that "the way we ended it ... it's really like a tough balancing act: It ends something on a bittersweet yet hopeful note, and I'll just say, people who are saying, 'Oh man, we're not going to get anymore of these!' ... you're not losing something, you're gaining something new ..."[2]
The DC Showcase short film Constantine: The House of Mystery was released in May 2022 and is a narrative sequel to Justice League Dark: Apokolips War.[3]
Second story arc: "Tomorrowverse" (2020–2024)
edit
Pre-production of the DCAMU's second story arc began in 2018 when Butch Lukic and Jim Krieg decided to plan out a ten-film story arc that would be set after the events of Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, which ends the first story arc with a universal reset. The arc itself originally was not planned to have the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline as a major plot point, but these plans were eventually changed once executives from Warner Bros. Animation asked for it to serve as the finale.[4]
Lukic and Krieg were also unaware of the Arrowverse's plans for their own adaptation at the time and only found out when Eric Carrasco contacted them, since he served as a writer for Justice League vs. the Fatal Five and knew them personally.[5]
The franchise's second story arc has the art style and storyline being carried over to further films that were set in the same continuity. It gained the nickname of "Tomorrowverse" after the release of Superman: Man of Tomorrow.[6]
Constantine: The House of Mystery continues certain story elements and helps set up the Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths plot, which was later confirmed to be a three-part storyline and serves as the overall conclusion to the DCAMU, with all the remaining films being released in 2024.[7]
Films
edit| Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Writer(s) | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First story arc "New 52" (2013–2020) | ||||
| Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox | July 30, 2013 | Jay Oliva | Jim Krieg | James Tucker |
| Justice League: War | February 4, 2014 | Heath Corson | ||
| Son of Batman | April 22, 2014 | Ethan Spaulding | Joe R. Lansdale Ethan Spaulding | |
| Justice League: Throne of Atlantis | January 13, 2015 | Heath Corson James Robinson | ||
| Batman vs. Robin | April 7, 2015 | Jay Oliva | J. M. DeMatteis | |
| Batman: Bad Blood | January 20, 2016 | |||
| Justice League vs. Teen Titans | March 29, 2016 | Sam Liu | Alan Burnett Bryan Q. Miller | |
| Justice League Dark | January 24, 2017 | Jay Oliva | Ernie Altbacker J. M. DeMatteis | |
| Teen Titans: The Judas Contract | April 4, 2017 | Sam Liu | Ernie Altbacker | |
| Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay | March 27, 2018 | Alan Burnett | Sam Liu | |
| The Death of Superman | July 24, 2018 | Jake Castorena Sam Liu |
Peter J. Tomasi | Sam Liu Amy McKenna |
| Reign of the Supermen | January 29, 2019 | Sam Liu | Jim Krieg Tim Sheridan |
James Tucker |
| Batman: Hush | July 20, 2019 | Justin Copeland | Ernie Altbacker | Amy McKenna |
| Wonder Woman: Bloodlines | October 5, 2019 | Justin Copeland Sam Liu |
William Moulton Marston H. G. Peter Mairghread Scott |
Sam Liu Amy McKenna |
| Justice League Dark: Apokolips War | May 5, 2020 | Matt Peters Christina Sotta |
Ernie Altbacker Mairghread Scott Christina Sotta |
James Tucker |
| Second story arc: "Tomorrowverse" (2020–2024) | ||||
| Superman: Man of Tomorrow | August 23, 2020 | Chris Palmer | Tim Sheridan | Jim Krieg Kimberly S. Moreau |
| Justice Society: World War II | April 27, 2021 | Jeff Wamester | Jeremy Adams Meghan Fitzmartin | |
| Batman: The Long Halloween – Part One | June 22, 2021 | Chris Palmer | Tim Sheridan | |
| Batman: The Long Halloween – Part Two | July 27, 2021 | |||
| Green Lantern: Beware My Power | July 25, 2022 | Jeff Wamester | Ernie Altbacker John Semper |
Jim Krieg Sam Register |
| Legion of Super-Heroes | February 7, 2023 | Josie Campbell | Jim Krieg Butch Lukic Kimberly S. Moreau | |
| Justice League: Warworld | July 25, 2023 | Jeremy Adams Ernie Altbacker Josie Campbell |
Jim Krieg Kimberly S. Moreau | |
| Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One | January 9, 2024 | Jim Krieg | ||
| Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Two | April 23, 2024 | |||
| Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three | July 16, 2024 | |||
Cancelled projects
editShort films
edit| Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Home media release |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nightwing and Robin | January 14, 2015 | Bruce Timm | Scott Lobdell Greg Pak Charles Soule |
||
| Adam Strange[10] | May 5, 2020 | Butch Lukic | J.M. DeMatteis Butch Lukic |
Butch Lukic Amy McKenna |
|
| Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth![11] | April 27, 2021 | Milo Neuman | Paul Giacoppo |
| |
| Blue Beetle | July 27, 2021 | Jeremy Adams | Jennifer Keene |
| |
| Constantine: The House of Mystery[12] | May 3, 2022[13] | Matt Peters | Ernie Altbacker | James Krieg Rick Morales |
|
Other media
editWeb series
edit| Title | Episodes | U.S. release date | Director | Writer | Producer | Production companies | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constantine: City of Demons[14] | 5 (original version) | March 24, 2018 | Doug Murphy | J. M. DeMatteis | Butch Lukic | Berlanti Productions Blue Ribbon Content DC Entertainment Digital eMation Inc. Phantom Four Films Warner Bros. Animation |
CW Seed |
| 2 (re-version) | January 17, 2019 |
Digital comics
edit| Title | Issue(s) | Publication date(s) | Writer | Artist(s) | Colorist(s) | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay | 12 | March 21, 2018 | Jeff Parker | Agustin Padilla Stefano Raffaele Mathew Dow Smith Cat Staggs |
Tony Aviña | DC Digital First |
| The Death of Superman: Part 1 | August 1 — October 17, 2018 | Louise Simonson | Cat Staggs | Wendy Broome |
Collected editions
edit| Title | Material collected | Publication date | Publisher | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay |
|
February 19, 2019 | DC Comics | 1401287786, 978-1302957308 |
| The Death of Superman: The Wake |
|
November 26, 2019 | 1779501137, 978-1779501134 |
Extended setting
edit- Super Friends (1973–1985)
- DC Animated Universe (1992–2006)
- Teen Titans (2003–2006)
- Teen Titans Go! (2013–present)
- Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans (2019)
List of characters and cast members
editReception
editSales
edit- Sales figures represent DVD and Blu-ray sales in the United States. International sales, digital sales, and rentals are not included.
| Title | U.S. release date | Gross in the 1st three weeks | Gross total | Rotten Tomatoes | IGN | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox | July 30, 2013 | $2,961,457 | $5,263,783 | 100% (5 reviews)[15] | [16] | |
| Justice League: War | February 4, 2014 | $3,119,314 | $5,806,863 | 50% (6 reviews)[17] | [18] | |
| Son of Batman | April 22, 2014 | $4,071,112 | $7,035,303 | 64% (11 reviews)[19] | [20] | |
| Justice League: Throne of Atlantis | January 13, 2015 | $2,445,009[21] | $4,661,509 | 63% (8 reviews)[22] | [23] | |
| Batman vs. Robin | April 7, 2015 | $2,537,343 | $4,275,014 | 100% (5 reviews)[24] | [25] | |
| Batman: Bad Blood | January 20, 2016 | $3,093,355 | $4,884,919 | 100% (5 reviews)[26] | [27] | |
| Justice League vs. Teen Titans | March 29, 2016 | $2,522,134 | $4,680,315 | 80% (5 reviews)[28] | [29] | |
| Justice League Dark | January 24, 2017 | $1,286,255 | $3,321,532 | 78% (9 reviews)[30] | [31] | |
| Teen Titans: The Judas Contract | April 4, 2017 | $1,514,960 | $3,279,855 | 83% (6 reviews)[32] | [33] | |
| Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay | March 27, 2018 | $1,202,526 | $2,880,096 | 88% (8 reviews)[34] | [35] | |
| The Death of Superman | July 24, 2018 | $4,219,828 | $6,551,111 | 92% (13 reviews)[36] | [37] | |
| Constantine: City of Demons – The Movie | October 9, 2018 | $750,022 | $1,699,592 | NA (3 reviews)[38] | [39] | |
| Reign of the Supermen | January 29, 2019 | $3,797,618 | NA (0 reviews)[40] | [41] | ||
| Batman: Hush | July 20, 2019 | $2,584,555 | $3,603,543 | 88% (17 reviews)[42] | [43] | |
| The Death and Return of Superman | October 1, 2019 | |||||
| Wonder Woman: Bloodlines | October 5, 2019 | $764,095 | $1,723,810 | 88% (8 reviews)[44] | [45] | |
| Justice League Dark: Apokolips War | May 5, 2020 | $1,563,760 | $5,576,143 | 100% (18 reviews)[46] | [47] | |
| Superman: Man of Tomorrow | August 23, 2020 | 93% (14 reviews)[48] | 7/10[49] | |||
| Justice Society: World War II | April 27, 2021 | 76% (17 reviews)[50] | 9/10[51] | |||
| Batman: The Long Halloween – Part One | June 22, 2021 | 100% (21 reviews)[52] | 8/10[53] | |||
| Batman: The Long Halloween – Part Two | July 27, 2021 | 100% (15 reviews)[54] | 9/10[55] | |||
| DC Showcase Animated Shorts – Constantine: The House of Mystery | May 3, 2022 | |||||
| Green Lantern: Beware My Power | July 25, 2022 | 56% (9 reviews)[56] | 4/10[57] | |||
| Batman: The Long Halloween – Deluxe Edition | September 20, 2022 | |||||
| Legion of Super-Heroes | February 7, 2023 | 60% (5 reviews)[58] | ||||
| Justice League: Warworld | July 25, 2023 | 50% (6 reviews)[59] | 6/10[60] | |||
| Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One | January 9, 2024 | 88% (8 reviews)[61] | 6/10[62] | |||
| Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Two | April 23, 2024 | 17% (6 reviews)[63] | 4/10[64] | |||
| Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three | July 16, 2024 | 4/10 | [65] |
Accolades
editIn 2019, Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay and The Death of Superman were nominated for the Golden Reel Award in the category of "Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Sound Effects, Foley, Music, Dialogue and ADR for Non-Theatrical Animated Long Form Broadcast Media".[66]
In 2020, Superman: Man of Tomorrow was nominated for a Critics' Choice Award in the category of "Best Superhero Movie".
See also
edit- DC Animated Universe (1992–2006)
- Arrowverse (2012–2023)
- DC Extended Universe (2013–2023)
- DC Universe (2024–TBD)
References
edit- ^ Barnhardt, Adam (March 29, 2020). "Justice League Dark: Apokolips War Will Be the Last Film in the DC Animated Movie Universe". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
- ^ Stone, Sam (May 12, 2020). "Justice League Dark Writer Eulogizes the DC Animated Universe". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on May 22, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- ^ Constantine: The House of Mystery Exclusive Trailer - IGN Fan Fest 2022. YouTube.
- ^ Adam Holmes (2024-01-18). "Crisis On Infinite Earths Is Ending DC's Tomorrowverse, And The Producer Revealed This Has Been 'Reluctantly' Planned Since The Beginning". CINEMABLEND. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
- ^ Behbakht, Andy (2024-01-18). "DC's New Crisis On Infinite Earths Movie Was Planned Even Before The Arrowverse's Crossover Event". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
- ^ "Superman: Man of Tomorrow Movie Announced". DC. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
- ^ "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Warner Bros. Confirms The End of the Tomorrowverse". Anime. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
- ^ DeMatteis, J.M. [@JMDeMatteis] (September 19, 2017). "@An_EqualSociety Actually, I'd like to adapt my Batman story "Going Sane". I think it'd make a great movie" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 15, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ DeMatteis, J.M. [@JMDeMatteis] (September 20, 2017). "@An_EqualSociety A story NOT written by me? New Gods!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Wilding, Josh (July 22, 2022). "GREEN LANTERN: BEWARE MY POWER Producer Butch Lukic On Long Wait For The Movie And Future Plans (Exclusive)". Comicbookmovie.com. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ^ Burlingame, Russ (May 6, 2021). "Gotham's Cameron Monaghan Breaks Down the World of Kamandi (Exclusive)". ComicBook.com. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ^ Constantine: The House of Mystery Exclusive Trailer - IGN Fan Fest 2022. Retrieved 2024-05-05 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Constantine: Ogłoszono datę premiery House of Mystery - IGN"
- ^ Schwartz, Terri (January 8, 2017). "Constantine Is Back With Matt Ryan as a CW Seed Animated Series". IGN. Archived from the original on January 9, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
- ^ "DCU: Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on November 29, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
- ^ "Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox". The Numbers. Nash Information Service. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ "Justice League: War (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
- ^ "Justice League: War". The Numbers. Nash Information Service. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ "Son of Batman (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on December 5, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
- ^ "Son of Batman". The Numbers. Nash Information Service. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ only 2 weeks
- ^ "Justice League: Throne Of Atlantis (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on November 29, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
- ^ "Justice League: Throne of Atlantis". The Numbers. Nash Information Service. Archived from the original on June 4, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ "Batman Vs. Robin (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
- ^ "Batman vs. Robin". The Numbers. Nash Information Service. Archived from the original on September 9, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ "Batman: Bad Blood (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
- ^ "Batman Bad: Blood (2016) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ "Justice League vs. Teen Titans - Movie Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
- ^ "Justice League vs Teen Titans (2016) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on September 14, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ "Justice League Dark (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
- ^ "Justice League: Dark (2017) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on July 30, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ "Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on November 26, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
- ^ "Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2017) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ "Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
- ^ "Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (2018) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ "The Death of Superman (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
- ^ "The Death of Superman (2018) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ "Constantine City of Demons: The Movie". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media.
- ^ "Constantine City of Demons: The Movie - Financial Information". The Numbers.
- ^ "Reign of the Supermen". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved Jan 1, 2022.
- ^ "Reign of the Supermen - Financial Information". The Numbers.
- ^ "Batman: Hush (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
- ^ "Batman: Hush (2019)". The Numbers. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
- ^ "Wonder Woman: Bloodlines (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
- ^ "Wonder Woman: Bloodlines". The Numbers. Nash Information Service. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ "Justice League Dark: Apokolips War". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ "Justice League Dark: Apokolips War". The Numbers. Nash Information Service. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Superman: Man of Tomorrow". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ "Superman: Man of Tomorrow Review". IGN. 24 August 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- ^ "Justice Society: World War II". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ "Justice Society: World War II Review". IGN. 27 April 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- ^ "Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ "Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One Review". IGN. 22 June 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- ^ "Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ "Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two Review". IGN. 27 July 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ "Green Lantern: Beware My Power". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ "Green Lantern: Beware My Power Review". IGN. 23 July 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ "Legion of Super-Heroes". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ "Justice League: Warworld". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
- ^ Mears, Hayden (2023-07-22). "Justice League: Warworld Review". IGN. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
- ^ "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Mears, Hayden (2023-07-22). "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One Review". IGN. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Two". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 25, 2024. |
- ^ Schedeen, Jesse (2024-04-22). "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Two Review". IGN. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ Mears, Hayden (2024-07-18). "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three Review". IGN. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ Giardina, Carolyn (February 17, 2019). "'Bohemian Rhapsody' Wins Pair of Trophies at Sound Editors' Golden Reel Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
External links
edit- DC Movie titles at dccomics.com