The Suicide Squad has set a new record by getting 150 million views for its red band trailer. The DCEU’s first attempt at the Suicide Squad came in 2016, as David Ayer directed DC’s ensemble film. However, despite being a box office success, the film bombed with its reception from both critics and audiences, partly due to its tame PG-13 approach. Warner Bros. later hired James Gunn to take the reins of The Suicide Squad, a soft reboot/sequel, which will see Amanda Waller’s Task Force X embark on a dangerous mission to the island of Corto Maltese. The much-anticipated DCEU project has generated the right type of buzz thanks to its red band trailer.
Although the red band trailer for The Suicide Squad doesn’t provide too many plot details, it does showcase the wild and varied characters like the returning Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), and King Shark (Sylvester Stallone). In addition to the absurdly great-looking characters, the trailer has the director’s classic humor, and more importantly, it delves into the R-Rated violence and language that fans desired - like with the gruesome visual of King Shark ripping a body in half as blood splatters everywhere. The trailer also came a little over a month after Warner Bros.’ red band trailer for Mortal Kombat, which became the most viewed red band trailer of all time with 116 million views after its first week. However, it turns out Gunn’s trailer really hit the mark, as the director has announced a new record.
Gunn took to Twitter to make the announcement the red band trailer for his The Suicide Squad has “set a new record for most views of a redband trailer in a week,” as the director revealed his film’s trailer had “over 150 million views worldwide.” Gunn would go on to express his gratitude to the fans, writing he’s “incredibly grateful” to everybody for “making this happen! THANK YOU!” The tweet is also appropriately accompanied by that King Shark visual from the red band trailer. The joy behind the tweet is certainly justified as it means the film has now surpassed Mortal Kombat, as well as classic R-rated comic book films like Logan and Deadpool. Full tweet can be seen below:
The Suicide Squad's trailer has deservedly taken the record from Mortal Kombat with a witty, bloody, and highly entertaining trailer that clearly hit the right notes for all the fans. The intrigue in the project has always been high ever since it was announced Gunn was coming on board, and fortunately for Warner Bros., the interest has only grown with every piece of marketing material. The film has a lot going for it as it is fresh off the heels of a DC-heavy couple of months that have seen Wonder Woman 1984 and Zack Snyder’s Justice League release. The film also has a stellar cast, and the trailer came with some exciting announcements, such as Stallone voicing King Shark. The record also justifies Warner Bros.’ confidence in the project, which was already evident due to a Peacemaker show already in production for a January 2022 release on HBO Max.
Shortly after the release of the red band trailer, Suicide Squad creator John Ostrander expressed his excitement for the film, and judging by the views, the fans share the same feelings as the creator. The film has already rolled out more TV spots and a theatrical trailer, and with more announcements and details sure to come before its August release, the excitement for the film will surely continue to grow. However, Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is already breaking records.
Source: James Gunn
