As if promoting Blue Beetle wasn’t in DC’s wheelhouse enough, the company has made it even more complicated as it teases fans with an image of the canceled Batgirl movie at the bottom of promo material. It’s been canceled since last year.
Croc_Block shared an image on X where he took note of the bottom of the promo stand, which has a small image of some upcoming DC films, one of which being the canned $90 million Batgirl. Some felt like it was salt in the wound, but in the end, it’s more like obligations, being too close to make these changes, or perhaps something else.
As noted by Screen Rant, it’s clear these stands were made before the film was given the axe since movies that have already been released appear on the stand, too. It’s also worth pointing out that promo stuff for movies are ususally sent out way in advance, and that’s likely what happened — these comic stands were sent to stores before the official cancellation of the flick.
That said, it stands as an example of how little faith DC has for Blue Beetle as something to offer standalone promotions for. Perhaps it’s the fumbled last two films, or maybe it’s the niche nature of the hero, but very little promotion is happening for the movie. Sure, we’ve got fans promoting it like crazy, including Zack Snyder, but official promo material by Warner Bros. and DC Studios are a bit scarce. It’s also unfortunately timed, as not only is it hitting theaters this month — August 18, to be specific — but it’s also faced with some troubles because of the SAG-AFTRA strike, leading to actors unable to participate in press junkets, which are often significant bits of promotion that drive ticket sales.
With middling projected box office numbers, it’s possible it will face the same issue that Shazam! Fury of the Gods and The Flash encountered, putting Xolo Maridueña’s involvement in the DCU in jeopardy.
Gabriel enjoys all things entertainment from writing about video games as the Managing Editor for PSX Extreme to covering the latest film and TV news for his own publication — Early Reel. Follow him on X.