In the talk about how the DCCU needs to change its style, I look to the Transformers franchise:
TF1 $710M. TF2 $836M. TF3 $1.12B. TF4 $1.10B.
TF1 57% RT. TF2 19%. TF3 35%. TF4 18%.
Now, TF2 was critically and internet-ally reviled. Did they change anything for 3? Not really. And look how much more it made. TF4 was even more reviled than 2, but it did just a smidge less than its predecessor. And they're not changing #$%. They're actually doubling down with an entire new franchise of movies and spin-offs. Money talks.