DC Movie "Justice League" was a superhero film released in 2017, and fans had reportedly asked for the "Snyder Cut" version of the movie online.
However, according to a report from Rolling Stone, the online campaign was due to the increase in a large number of bots and fake accounts and not actual people wanting to see the said version.
Justice League Snyder Cut Requested by Bots
According to Engadget, Warner Media held an investigation, and they found that 13% of the accounts that took part in the campaign about the Snyder Cut of "Justice League" were fake. Cyber experts said that they see around 5% of fake accounts on trending topics.
This means that while many real DC fans pushed for the longer and uncut version of the superhero film, their demand was amplified by bots.
The director, Zack Snyder, stepped down during the movie's editing due to personal reasons, and Warner Media's executive Joss Whedon stepped in to complete the film as an uncredited director.
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Whedon oversaw the reshoots and other changes to reduce the film's runtime and increase its humor. When the movie was released in 2017, it was a critical and commercial failure.
Due to its disappointing response from the fans and critics, an online fanbase pushed for Snyder's darker original version called the Snyder Cut, according to CBR.
Investigation of the Campaign's Authenticity
When it was released in 2021, it became the fourth most viewed film on the streaming platform HBO Max, and it was praised for its better storyline.
But questions arose as to whether the fan interest was organic or not. Warner Media had launched an investigation after severe cyber harassment that included calls for boycotts, firings, and death threats.
The company identified communities that are made up of real and fake authors that spread negative content about them for not releasing the Snyder Cut and direct harassment toward the former CEO of Warner Bros., Ann Sarnoff, and other executives and creatives that were involved with the film.
Rolling Store also hired a security company to do their own investigation and check for any suspicious activity, and it said that bots were certainly involved.
Another firm used by Warner Media to investigate the bots and fake accounts could trace a certain domain to a defunct ad agency that promised cheap and instant Avatar traffic to websites.
Meanwhile, Snyder fanned the flames online when he posted that his cut of the film was 214 minutes long, and he may have played a role in the online campaign.
Rolling Stone revealed that they talked to more than 20 people involved with both the original "Justice League" movie and its Snyder Cut. Most of the people believed that Snyder worked to manipulate the ongoing campaign.
But Snyder denied the accusation and said that it was Warner Bros. who pulled the strings online by trying to leverage his fan base to increase subscribers of the streaming service.
Warner Bros. has not released any statement regarding Snyder's accusations.
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Written by Sophie Webster
