Didn’t Know the Blue Beetle Trailer Drops Today? Don’t Worry, DC Didn’t Either
2023 is not treating DC well, but maybe that’s kind of their fault.
Blue Beetle could’ve been the talking point of the industry – after all, the upcoming superhero film is the first one set in James Gunn ’s DCU, and, therefore, a big deal. Yet, Warner Bros. and DC Studios seem to be less concerned than usual with marketing the movie.
You’d think the Hollywood giants would pay a bit more attention to whatever is going on with their projects after the box office bombs they’ve been releasing lately. Shazam! Fury of the Gods, the sequel to the 2019 hit, only made $133.8 million, barely covering its $125 million production budget.
Warner Bros. had higher hopes for the hyped-up The Flash, but that turned out even worse – the movie grossed $262 million against a production budget of $220 million. Apparently, two disasters in a row were simply too much for them to handle, and they just decided to give up or something. Otherwise, we don’t know how to explain their lack of commitment when it comes to Blue Beetle’s marketing.
The new trailer (the last one dropped in April) is supposed to premiere today, and yet DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn didn’t have that information to offer to the inquiring fan just the day before. We get that he has a lot on his plate at the moment, but he is supposed to know this kind of thing in advance.
Hours after Gunn promised to find out when the new trailer would drop, the official Blue Beetle Twitter account announced that it would actually be shared with the rest of the world as soon as the very next day. We are happy about it, but come on.
The news is long-awaited, but the timing seems bizarre to say the least. Why would Warner Bros. decide to premiere the new Blue Beetle trailer on the same day as the trailer for another one of their films, Paul King’s musical fantasy Wonka, is set to come out? That’s like Marketing 101, Unit “What Not to Do.” The company certainly dropped the ball with this one.
For better or for worse, Blue Beetle is scheduled for release on August 18, 2023.