Birds of Prey (film)

***Birds of Prey*** is a 2020 American superhero film based on the DC Comics team, the Birds of Prey. Produced by DC Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is the 29th film in the DC Cinematic Universe (DCCU). It was directed by Cathy Yan and written by Christina Hodson, and stars Emma Stone as Barbara Gordon/Oracle, alongside Evan Rachel Wood, Melissa Barrera, Michelle Rodriguez, Ella Jay Basco, Aldis Hodge, Pedro Pascal, and Margot Robbie. The film follows Barbara Gordon as she joins forces with Kate Kane, Helena Bertinelli, Renee Montoya, and Harley Quinn to protect Cassandra Cain from mob boss Ricardo Diaz Jr.

Robbie pitched the idea for *Birds of Prey* to Warner Bros. in 2015. The film was announced in May 2017, with Hodson being hired to write the script that November, followed by Yan signing on to direct in April 2018. The majority of the cast and crew were confirmed by December 2018. Principal photography lasted from February to June 2019 in Downtown Los Angeles, parts of the Los Angeles Arts District, and soundstages at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Additional filming took place in September 2019.

*Birds of Prey* was released in the United States on February 7, 2020, as the first film of Phase Four of the DCCU. It grossed over $779 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2020. The film received positive reviews.

## Cast

* Emma Stone as Barbara Gordon/Oracle
* Evan Rachel Wood as Kate Kane/Batwoman
* Melissa Barrera as Helena Bertinelli/Huntress
* Michelle Rodriguez as Renee Montoya/The Question
* Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain
* Aldis Hodge as Luke Fox/Batwing
* Pedro Pascal as Ricardo Diaz Jr.
* Margot Robbie as Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn

## Reception

### **Box office**

*Birds of Prey* grossed $244.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $535.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $779.5 million.

In the United States and Canada, *Birds of Prey* was initially projected to gross $90–110 million from 4,236 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $38.8 million on its opening day, including $8.9 million from Thursday night previews, and it went on to debut at $99.3 million, finishing first at the box office. In its second weekend, the film fell 64% to $35.6 million, finishing second, behind Sonic the Hedgehog, and then made $16.6 million in its third, dropping another 53%.

Outside North America, the film topped the box office during its opening weekend, grossing $188.1 million, for a worldwide total of $287.4 million.

### **Critical reception**

Based on 417 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, *Birds of Prey* has an overall approval rating from critics of 74% and an average score of 6.5/10. The critical consensus reads: "Though it doesn't approach the depth of the best superhero films, *Birds of Prey* has enough witty dialogue and action to satisfy fans of the franchise." On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating from mainstream critics, the film has received a score of 56 out of 100 based on 35 reviews, which indicates "mixed reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an A- grade, on an A+ to F scale.