Justice League: Resurrection

***Justice League: Resurrection*** is a 2015 American superhero film based on the DC Comics superhero team the Justice League. Produced by DC Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is the sequel to *Justice League* (2012) and the 15th film in the DC Cinematic Universe (DCCU). Directed by Zack Snyder and written by David S. Goyer and the writing team of Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim, the film features an ensemble cast including Jake Gyllenhaal, Charlie Cox, Gal Gadot, Alden Ehrenreich, Charlie Hunnam, Amanda Seyfried, Djimon Hounsou, Keri Russell, Emma Stone, Melissa Benoist, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jason Momoa, Jessie T. Usher, Brandon Routh, Joe Morton, Dylan Walsh, Taylor Russell, Joshua Orpin, Jason Isaacs, and Michael Caine. In the film, the Justice League sets out to resurrect Superman in order to defeat Brainiac, an intergalactic warlord intent on collecting cities from different planets.

The sequel was announced in July 2012 after the successful release of *Justice League*. J.J. Abrams could not return due to his commitments to *Star Wars: The Force Awakens*. Zack Snyder, who directed *Superman: The Last Daughter of Krypton* and *Superman: Doomsday*, was confirmed to be directing in March 2013. Casting began that June with the re-signing of Gyllenhaal and Cox. Second unit filming began in February 2014 in Italy with principal photography taking place between March and August, primarily at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in England. Additional footage was filmed in Detroit, Los Angeles, Australia, and around England. With an estimated net production budget of $300 million, the film is one of the most expensive films ever made.

*Justice League: Resurrection* was released in the United States on May 15, 2015, as part of Phase Two of the DCCU. The film received critical acclaim for its effects, story, action, and acting and grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide, becoming the third-highest-grossing film of 2015 and the third-highest-grossing film of all time during its run. Two sequels have been released: *Justice League: Final Crisis – Part 1* (2018) and *Justice League: Final Crisis – Part 2* (2019).

## Cast

* Jake Gyllenhaal as Bruce Wayne/Batman
* Charlie Cox as Clark Kent/Superman
* Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman
* Alden Ehrenreich as Barry Allen/The Flash
* Charlie Hunnam as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow
* Amanda Seyfried as Dinah Lance/Black Canary
* Djimon Hounsou as J'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter
* Keri Russell as Lois Lane
* Emma Stone as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl
* Melissa Benoist as Kara Danvers/Supergirl
* Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Ralph Dibny/Elongated Man
* Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry/Aquaman
* Jessie T. Usher as Victor Stone/Cyborg
* Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer
* Joe Morton as Silas Stone
* Dylan Walsh as Hank Henshaw/Cyborg Superman
* Taylor Russell as Natasha Irons/Steel
* Joshua Orpin as Conner Kent/Superboy
* Jason Isaacs as Brainiac
* Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth

## Reception

### **Box office**

*Justice League: Resurrection* grossed $643.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $924.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $1.568 billion, becoming the third-highest-grossing film at the time and the third-highest-grossing film of 2015. *Justice League: Resurrection'*s worldwide opening of $405.2 million was the second-largest ever. Deadline Hollywood calculated the film's net profit as $415.9 million, accounting for production budgets, marketing, talent participations, and other costs; box office grosses and home media revenues placed it fourth on their list of 2015's "Most Valuable Blockbusters".

#### **United States and Canada**

*Justice League: Resurrection* earned $83.4 million on its opening day, marking the second-biggest opening day for a superhero film and the third-biggest opening and third-biggest single-day gross, behind *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2* (2011) and *Avengers: Age of Ultron* (released two weeks prior). The film totaled $214.1 million in its opening weekend, setting an opening weekend record.

In its second weekend, the film fell 50%, earning $106.4 million, which was the biggest second weekend gross of all time (though this was narrowly surpassed a month later by Jurassic World's $106.6 million). It became the third-highest-grossing film of 2015.

### **Critical reception**

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 353 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads, "Boasting beautiful visual effects, a stellar ensemble cast, blockbuster action, and an emotional story, *Justice League: Resurrection* is comic book entertainment done right." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 83 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.