When Warner Bros.' Man of Steel came out in 2013, critics and audiences alike were essentially split down the middle. The superhero adventure scored a 56% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while taking in a slightly-underwhelming $291.3 million domestic, and $668 million at the worldwide box office. While those numbers aren't terrible by any means, it was produced for a whopping $225 million, cutting into the studio's profit margins. Regardless, just a few months later, Warner Bros.' announced at Comic-Con that both Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill) will collide in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, a decision that was reportedly made just three days before the San Diego convention. Now with just over one month left before the movie hits theaters, reports have surfaced that the studio is "worried" about the movie and the burgeoning superhero slate they built around it, while a new rumor from Latino Review claims that the budget has spiraled out of control.

Last week, a report surfaced that claimed Batman v Superman and their DC Extended Universe is in "trouble," and that the studio is worried about the movie after early screening reactions. The report also claimed that the studio may even delay Justice League Part 1, replacing it with Ben Affleck's rumored Untitled Batman Reboot. Even if Justice League Part 1 does start on time, word is that Zack Snyder may not direct it. According to this new report, the studio is more "nervous" than "worried" about the movie, because it may be just as divisive as Man of Steel, and because the budget has balloned beyond expectations.

This report claims that the total budget, including marketing costs, is now north of $400 million, nearly twice what Man of Steel cost to make. If these budget figures are accurate, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will now have to make at least $1 billion worldwide to be considered a hit. The site's source, who has seen Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, claims that the movie is good, but compared it to Man of Steel, claiming that this could divide audiences and critics alike much like the 2013 movie did, which could result in a box office take that is much lower than the studio needs.

As for Justice League Part 1, this new report claims that Warner Bros. is still moving forward, with Zack Snyder at the helm and production still set to begin this spring, most likely after the cast and crew finish promoting Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Still, the studio is "nervous" that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice won't be the "universal crowd-pleaser" they so desperately need it to be. If the box office results aren't quite up to the studio's standards, then it may actually cause Warner Bros.' to re-evaluate their plans after the two-part Justice League movie.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice launches Warner Bros. new DC Comics slate of movies, including Suicide Squad (August 5, 2016), Wonder Woman (June 23, 2017), Justice League Part 1 (November 17, 2017), The Flash (March 23, 2018), Aquaman (July 27, 2018), Shazam! (April 5, 2019), Justice League Part 2 (June 14, 2019), Cyborg (April 3, 2020) and Green Lantern Corps. (June 19, 2020). While all of these release dates are set, the lackluster performance of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice could throw the studio's plans into a tailspin, but we'll have to wait and see. What do you think about these rumors swirling around Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice?