DC fans think Jason Momoa and Amber Heard are getting sidelined in the lead-up to “Aquaman 2” — and the rumored reason … the studio’s reportedly preparing for a bomb.
The comic book crowd is in a frenzy this weekend amid some gossip about “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” — which is coming out in December … but which has yet to show off any official marketing material, including first-looks, teaser trailers or much of anything else.
Because they know it’s bad, they know it’ll lose money, and they aren’t putting a marketing budget behind it at all https://t.co/Gh2kqmqkEo
— KC Walsh (@TheComixKid) September 7, 2023
@TheComixKid
The lack of promotion is starting to concern some of the most fervent DC heads, and many have wondered why Warner Bros. is taking their time. Welp, one purported comic book scooper — who’s often credited with insider knowledge — says he has the answer.
KC Walsh of The GWW wrote in response to one fan, “Because they know it’s bad, they know it’ll lose money, and they aren’t putting a marketing budget behind it at all.”
All currently released footage of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
It’s set to release in 3 months pic.twitter.com/AZrvlcto2E
— Neb | 🏳️🌈 (@NebsGoodTakes) September 5, 2023
@NebsGoodTakes
It’s unclear if KC is actually citing sources within the industry, or if he’s just floating his own theory on why the trailers have been slow to roll out — so take his words here with a grain of salt. Still, though … his “report” is being taken seriously by a lot of comic-centric outlets.
More importantly, the logic seems to make sense to many — and this all has to do with how DC’s latest big superhero movies recently did at the box office. Of course, there’s “Blue Beetle,” which didn’t make much money at all … but the big mistake lies in “The Flash.”
The Ezra Miller-led film reportedly cost hundreds of millions of dollars to both shoot and market — and, as we all now know, the movie performed abysmally … leaving WB in the red.
Lop on the alleged fact that this new movie supposedly stinks, and it’s no wonder Warner would be wary to pour even more money into ‘Aquaman 2’ — the budget of which is said to have ballooned north of $200 million through a ton of different reshoots amid the pandemic.
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Plus, there’s the strike that’s still ongoing … not to mention lingering Amber hate, as well as James Gunn‘s overarching reboot of the DCU. With all these factors combined, it’s easy to see why WB possibly scaling back the “Aquaman 2” rollout actually checks out.
Warner might have experienced a windfall in “Barbie,” but appear to have issues elsewhere.