The new Birds of Prey teaser trailer will not be officially released online. Set to hit theaters next year, the film marks the return of Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, teaming her up with Black Canary, Huntress, and Renee Montoya as they look to protect young Cassandra Cain from the villainous Black Mask. Robbie’s debut as Harley in 2016’s Suicide Squad was one of the most beloved aspects of the otherwise divisive film, making Birds of Prey one of the more anticipated offerings of 2020. Fans are excited to see the character return, particularly under the direction of Cathy Yan.

This year, Warner Bros. skipped Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con, forgoing an opportunity to promote projects like Birds of Prey on a grand stage. But with potential mega hit IT Chapter Two opening in theaters this weekend, the studio is kicking off the marketing campaign. In late August, a Birds of Prey teaser was rated and recently made its way online (though through unofficial means). Those waiting for WB to officially share the preview are bound to be disappointed, as it’s meant to be a theater exclusive.

According to Variety, the Birds of Prey trailer won’t be officially released online. It can only properly be seen in front of screenings of IT Chapter Two, which is apropos since the preview contains several red balloons and features Harley proclaiming she’s over clowns (a reference to Pennywise and the Joker).

If this sounds somewhat familiar, it’s because WB did this exact thing with the teaser trailer for Christopher Nolan’s Tenet. A short Tenet preview was attached to Hobbs & Shaw earlier this year, but was never officially released online. It’s debatable if the marketing strategy had the intended effect, since the buzz surrounding Tenet considerably cooled off in the weeks following the trailer premiere. And while this reads as WB’s admirable attempt to preserve the theatrical experience by only showing teasers on the big screen, the strategy loses a lot of its intended impact when the previews leak and circulate online. Many people have now seen the Birds of Prey trailer without buying an IT ticket, so arguably WB would have been better served posting it online.

As for when an “official” Birds of Prey teaser will come out, the most likely window is Joker’s opening weekend in October. Both Joker and Birds of Prey are R-rated DC adaptations going after similar target audiences, so it would make sense to have a preview ready for the latter when the former comes out. Plus, by that time, Birds of Prey will be four months away from reaching theaters, and WB is going to have to rev up promotional efforts sooner or later. It’s frustrating the first look at Birds of Prey won’t be officially online, but fans should get a taste of what’s in store in the near future.

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Source: Variety

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