Warner Bros. gave the CineEurope trade show a healthy assortment of big name exclusives in its presentation on Tuesday.
Arguably chief among them was the explosive new trailer for “Joker: Folie à Deux,” Todd Phillips’ sequel to his billion-dollar-topping 2019 smash hit, which the audience in Barcelona got the very first taste of in the build up to the film’s release in October. The first trailer — which debuted at CinemaCon in April — racked up 167 million views in its first 24 hours. Warner Bros. didn’t reveal when the new trailer would be released publicly.
Phillips was among a who’s who of major names the studio had called upon to record special messages for CineEurope. Other included Jack Black, speaking from the set of the “Minecraft” movie, James Gunn, David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan as they took a break from filming DC’s “Superman” reboot, Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway from the set of “Flowervale Street,” Maggie Gylenhaal as she walked around the set of her sophomore feature “The Bride!,” and Ryan Cooler and Michael B. Jordan from the set of their as-yet-untitled gothic supernatural horror.
Peter Jackson was also on hand to introduce extensive footage from “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim,” the anime animation set in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien that takes place before “The Lord of the Rings.”
Meanwhile, Bong Joon Ho and Robert Pattinson introduced a series of exclusive clips from “Mickey 17,” the Oscar-winning director’s first English-language feature. The sci-fi — in which Pattinson plays multiple version of himself — is due out in 2025.
Andrew Cripps, president of International theatrical distribution, noted that, thanks to films such a “Dune 2” and “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” Warner Bros was the first studio to pass the $1 billion mark in 2024’s international box office, a feat it accomplished in April after just 15 weeks.
Alongside the “Joker” sequel, other titles hoping to add to that figure this year are Lee Isaac Chung’s “Twisters,” starring starring “Normal People” breakout Daisy Edgar-Jones and man of the moment Glenn Powell. New and extensive footage from the thriller — due out in July — was shown, as was an extended trailer for Zoe Kravitz’ directorial debut, the psychological horror “Blink Twice.”
Meanwhile, footage and behind the scenes shots from “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” the long-awaited to sequel to Tim Burton’s 1988 cult classic, was also unveiled for the first time, together with on stage performance from a troupe of dancing zombies. The film — which brings back Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara alongside new stars Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux and Monica Belluci — releases in September, and marks the 10th collaboration between Burton and Warner Bros.
Referencing the studio’s 2023 phenomenon “Barbie,” Danielle Bekas, Warner Bros.’ executive vice president of international marketing said: “Last year we turned the world pink, this October everyone will be wearing black and white.”
From Variety US