Birds Of Prey Title Change Explained: Why Harley Quinn Movie Has A New Name

DC's Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) has been given a new title for movie theater websites and ticket buying apps, putting a greater focus on Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, but what's really happened with the name and how much has changed? Directed by Cathy Yan, Birds of Prey focuses on bringing together the titular team from DC Comics - made up of Helena Bertinelli/Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Dinah Lance/Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) - as they join forces with Harley Quinn.

Released on February 7, 2020, Birds of Prey has received great reviews from critics, and has proved to be a crowd pleaser with those who have turned out to see the film. Unfortunately, that last part has proved to be the issue for Warner Bros., with Birds of Prey underperforming at the box office so far. The movie's opening was the lowest for a DC movie in over a decade, which has led to some questions being asked over the marketing for Birds of Prey, and also to WB seemingly making some changes in its approach going forward.

The biggest example so far of Warner Bros. a) acknowledging the movie has disappointed and b) trying to change things comes from the way the movie's title is appearing to potential customers. Instead of Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), or even just Birds of Prey, those looking to purchase tickets for certain cinemas, such as AMC and Regal, will instead be booking to go and see a movie called Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey. This title change has been mandated by WB, and although no official reason has been given, it's clear that the intent is to put the focus on Harley in the hopes that attracts more viewers. At the same time, however, while this is the title appearing when searching for and booking tickets online, the official name of the movie does remain as Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). That's what viewers will still see just before the movie plays and as its opening title.

The title change, then, is done in the efforts to give movie goers a better indication of what the film is. While the Birds of Prey have their own fans thanks to DC Comics, Harley Quinn is undoubtedly a much bigger mainstream sell and far more well known generally. What's more, though, is that the Birds of Prey trailers put the focus on Harley Quinn, but then the film's title didn't, which could've been confusing to some. By front-loading the title for cinema sites with Harley's name, then it's much more explicit what movie this is. It's maybe a little unfair on the Birds, but from a marketing standpoint Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey makes a lot more sense as the film's title.

Just how much of an impact this has remains to be seen. Selling it as a Harley Quinn movie first and foremost is certainly an advantage, but there are other hurdles for Warner Bros. to overcome, such as a restrictive R-rating that may be preventing many who'd love to see the movie in theaters from doing so. It's also unclear just how overt the change will be. If selling the movie as Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey shows a clear uptick in performance, then it wouldn't be a surprise if the studio did send out a new version with an updated title card, or at least call the movie that when it comes to its home release. As it stands, though, the film is still officially known as Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).

Next: Birds Of Prey's Box Office Problems: What DC Got Wrong With The Harley Quinn Movie