Aquaman 2's Trailer Issue Blows Every DCU Movie Out Of The Water In The Worst Way
Remember "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," the sequel to DC's billion-dollar movie that pitted Jason Momoa's aquatic hero against Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's Black Manta? Despite the never-ending turmoil at DC and Warner Bros. delaying films into 2024, the Momoa sequel is still releasing this year. But with no trailer in sight, fans are starting to wonder what's going on with the film.
As pointed out by The Direct, Warner Bros. has actually set a new record with "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," but it's not a good one. As of August 31, 2023, there's still no trailer for the sequel, which means it now holds the DCEU title for the least amount of time between the release of a trailer and the movie. With its December 20 release date swiftly approaching, there are only about 112 days until "Lost Kingdom" hits theaters, setting a new precedent within WB when it comes to a lack of marketing.
When you compare its marketing to previous DC movies, the situation surrounding "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" only gets worse. The previous record holder, "The Flash," released its first trailer 124 days before the movie's premiere, and it bombed at the box office, so things aren't looking too good for the "Aquaman" sequel. Other recent DCEU installments, like "The Suicide Squad," "Black Adam," and "Blue Beetle," all had roughly 130 days between their first trailers and release, while "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" boasted 237 days. Of course, the window between the two doesn't directly correlate to a movie's success, but it's noticeable enough to raise questions regarding WB's marketing strategy.
Aquaman 2 has already been in hot water
"Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" having virtually zero marketing despite releasing in just a few months is just the latest in a long line of issues plaguing Jason Momoa's next DC outing, dating back to before Warner Bros. and Discovery merged.
As is the case with many of the DCEU's films, the "Aquaman 2" production problems started from the top, with Warner Bros. unsure of what direction to take the on-screen comic book universe in. Unfortunately for "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," it has suffered from those problems much more than most of its DCEU siblings. Initially, Warner Bros. planned to release the sequel after "The Flash" and had Michael Keaton film scenes as Batman, as he was intended to be the DCEU's Caped Crusader moving forward. Then "The Flash" got delayed, pushing its release to after the "Aquaman" sequel, which now confused test audiences because of Keaton's appearance. Momoa later took to Instagram to announce Ben Affleck's return as Batman, connecting the sequel to the original DCEU. However, post-merger, the new Warner Bros. Discovery moved "Aquaman" after "The Flash" again, making its Batman problem even more complicated.
Fast forward to 2023, and "Aquaman 2" has had three rounds of reshoots in just one year, spelling trouble for Arthur Curry's next oceanic adventure. Adding to everything, DC is in the midst of yet another reboot, with James Gunn and Peter Safran taking over, Keaton out as Batman (making his "Flash" appearance a one-off), and rumors swirling that Momoa will leave his aquatic role behind in the new DCU. At this point, no one knows what version of "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" fans will get come December, and not having a trailer yet only adds to the ongoing confusion.