After Deadpool set all sorts of box office records for an R-rated feature film earlier this year, there was talk of all sorts of potential R-rated superhero films. Warner Bros. even went so far as to announce that it would release an extended R-rated cut of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice on DVD, in spite of the fact that studio’s generally don’t bother getting a rating for their "director’s cut" or "extended cut" disc releases, but Deadpool’s success suddenly gave the "R" rating some cachet (see "Here Comes the Parade of R-Rated Superhero Movies").
Then Dawn of Justice hit theaters, and after a great opening weekend ($160 million, demonstrating the pent-up demand for films about those legendary characters), the movie developed a bad case of "alligator legs" with critics and crowds quickly tiring of the film’s relentlessly serious tone. Reports indicate that, worried that the tone of the Suicide Squad was also too dark, Warner Bros. spent quite a bit of money shooting some new scenes to alter the film’s tone (see "'Suicide Squad' Sent Up for Reshoot").
Especially after the hot and cold performance of Dawn of Justice, Warner Bros. has a lot riding on the success of Suicide Squad, including an already announced spin-off film starring Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn (see "Harley Quinn Headlining DC Spin-Off Film"). The studio is already ramping up publicity for Suicide Squad’s August 5 release (see "New 'Suicide Squad' Pics") with puff pieces like a profile of Robbie in the current issue of Time Magazine in which her role in Suicide Squad is described as "her buzziest part to date, as the bonkers baddie Harley Quinn." Certainly after looking at the set photos from Suicide Squad, there is little doubt that the costume designers have done their part to create that "buzz" with some inspired touches for Ms. Quinn’s funky wardrobe.