AboutAquaman 2: The Lost KingdomThe absence of traditional marketing raises questions about whether Warner Bros. Discovery has been noncommittal about the film.
Summary:
With Aquaman 2: The Lost Kingdom on the horizon, there is a surprising lack of aggressive marketing campaigns. For a superhero movie with a huge budget, the actors usually go all out to spark fan interest in the movie. After a series of DC box office bankruptcies in 2023, one can't help but wonder if Warner Bros. Discovery has abandoned Aquaman 2. The sequel to Aquaman will be released in theaters, but the general audience does not seem to know this information. Aside from several appearances by star Jason Momoa and a gaming collaboration, Warner Bros. Discovery seems to have been noncommittal about Aquaman 2: The Lost Kingdom.
For a film with a supposedly budget of over $200 million, they have little marketing for the final entry of the DC Extended Universe. Throughout the summer, Hollywood was shut down by striking writers and actors fighting with studios for their fair share of the huge profits from their creative labor.
With a few exceptions like "Barbie," "Oppenheimer" and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," other films are nowhere near the record levels of the 2010s. In fact, Aquaman 2 is closer to the opening of The Flash or Wonder Woman. However, since the end of the sag-aftra strike, actors, including Momoa, should have been free to actively promote. But apart from one appearance on Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show in November 2023, he seems to be nowhere to be found.
DC Studios has suffered a series of box office weakness since 2022, including the much-hyped film Black Adam. Admittedly, it is unrealistically unrealistic to create fan enthusiasm for the coherence of "Dead", but given the success of Aquaman, Warner Bros. Discovery seems too abnormal about promoting the film.
The strike may have affected the publicity of Aquaman 2
Captain Marvel 2 is a sequel to another movie that grossed over 100 million, but it didn't perform well when it was released. This seems to be largely attributable to the SAG-Aftra strike rules that prevent actors from promoting their work. Stars Brie Larson, Tiyona Parris and Iman Villani were not available for interviews. As the holiday season approaches, the strike may have affected plans to market Aquaman 2: The Lost Kingdom. Even if the end of the strike later can be promoted, the actors may not be willing or unable to do so.
After the strike ended, the projects that had been suspended quickly returned to work. Deadpool 3 resumed filming almost immediately, and certainly wasn't the only project to resume. After months of being unable to work, Momoa, Patrick Wilson, and the other Aquaman 2 cast may have other assignments. Add to that the desire for a holiday-like break, and Momoa and others may simply not have time to sit down and accept something promoted.
At the time of his appearance on The Tonight Show, Momoa couldn't even promote the film under normal circumstances. It wasn't until half of the time passed that he mentioned "Aquaman 2", and the host Jimmy ** asked if it was "the last one", and Momoa also struggled to have a good answer, just saying that there would always be a place for him in DC. This doesn't really convey to the audience whether Aquaman 2 is a must-see movie.
The new DC universe may be the reason for the box office bankruptcy
Blue Beetle is another superhero movie that was released during the strike, and it needs a lot of publicity. Jamie Reyes isn't a big name in DC, and the actor's charisma could have gone a long way in encouraging audiences. However, "The Flash", "Black Adam" and "Shazam!".Films such as Fury of the Gods have been subjected to a traditional all-encompassing marketing offensive, but to no avail. The average viewer may not be aware of the changes in DC Studios, or if they do, they probably don't care either. Viewers choose to wait for the new title to premiere on the streaming service. MAX without ads costs less for a month than two matinee tickets to the theater.
On the contrary, fans who love DC – definitely care about the bigger picture. Knowing that these films "have no impact on the overall story" doesn't help. Despite pushing for shared coherence, these films can easily stand on their own. For example, Captain Marvel 2 is technically a sequel to three separate MCU projects (Wanda vs. Vision, Ms. Marvel, Captain Marvel). But there is enough background in the movie for the average viewer to follow the plot.
Aquaman 2: The Lost Kingdom could be a movie worth watching, whether because of the acting or the direction of Wen Ziren. However, after more than 10 years of Xi treating movies as a larger whole, Aquaman 2 is not a must-see movie for them.
With DC movies focusing on crossover coherence, knowing that everything will be erased when Superman: Legacy premieres means die-hard fans prefer to wait for the movie to land at Max. One of the reasons Warner Bros. Discovery may have abandoned Aquaman 2 is the fear that another bankruptcy will further damage the DC brand.
Quietly" releasing a blockbuster of over $200 million doesn't make sense, but aggressive marketing of The Flash becomes part of the conversation about its disappointing performance. If the film is successful, it's a win. If it fails, it's just the same as the rest of the old DCEU film that Warner Bros. Discovery undertakes. There are even simpler explanations.
DC's recent releases and domestic box office
Blue Beetle: $72488072 Flash: $108133313 Shazam!Wrath of the Gods: $57638006 Black Adam: $168152111 DC Super Pet League: $93657117 Batman: $369345583 Suicide Squad: $55817425 Wonder Woman 1984: $46801036Don't have the money to promote Aquaman 2?
With the exception of Jason Momoa's two NBC appearances, Aquaman 2: The Lost Kingdom's marketing seems to have been limited to social interstitial ads and odd Roblox collaborations. The addition of the "Aquaman Simulator" to the game is designed to appeal to young fans and spark interest in the movie. These, as well as a handful of TV commercials, seem to be all there is to promote the movie. This could be a lack of confidence in the movie or the old DCEU, but it could also be purely a business decision.
Despite the success of Barbie, Warner Bros. Discovery has not had a great time over the past few years. In 2022, the company lost 22$800 million, compared to "only" 4The $0.7 billion loss seems dwarfed.
WB Discovery's executives, led by David Zaslav, are primarily focused on paying off its massive debts. CFO Gunner Wittenfels said at the same earnings** conference that the company paid off only $2.4 billion of debt in the third quarter of 2023. Momoa, Winn and the other artists involved in the production of Aquaman 2 may have been lucky that the company didn't decide to scrap the film, listing it as a loss for tax credits. WB Discovery recently tried to do the same with Wolf vs. Arkmi until the public ** forced them to give permission first. Whatever the reason, Aquaman 2: The Lost Kingdom won't break DC's losing streak at the box office, and the lack of publicity suggests that the company is well aware of this.
Aquaman 2: The Lost Kingdom will be released in theaters on December 20, 2023.