If you've watched Creature Commandos or Superman, you will have seen DC Studios' unassuming opening animation.
Instead of Marvel Studios' grand, sweeping montage of its heroes and villains, DC has instead opted for the button of a Fleischer-style Superman breaking out of chains, followed by the DC Studios logo.
According to DC boss James Gunn, that decision was partly down to budget and, perhaps more importantly, due to the Superman director feeling that previous comic book movie intros could run too long.
"[DC Studios co-CEO] Peter Safran is too cheap to push for a big, animated Marvel-esque thing," Gunn told Cinema Blend. "I remember we were talking to one of our marketing guys at the beginning and saying, 'We want a new intro' and he said, 'Okay, well it's going to cost $2 million'."
Of course, with several DCU Chapter One projects on the way – Peacemaker season 2, Lanterns, and Supergirl among them – there had to be some cost-cutting at some point. That's without taking a certain Super-Pup into consideration.
"I said, 'We're not going to spend $2 million on that. I've got a CGI dog I want to make! But I do like the simplicity and elegance of [the DC Studios opening tag]. I did find sometimes, with other things I've had to deal with both at DC and Marvel, they were both so long that it almost became too much a part of the movie itself as opposed to just being the stamp on it."
Superman is currently showing in cinemas, with Peacemaker season 2 hitting screens from August 21.
For more, be sure to head on over to our guide to upcoming DC movies.
