If you pay attention to DC Extended Universe news, you know that Birds of Prey is the franchise’s next entry, arriving early next year. You also probably know that a teaser for the movie was leaked online, and while it continues to be shared by unofficial sources, Warner Bros still hasn’t posted it. Well, apparently the studio has no plans do so, preferring to keep it attached only to IT Chapter Two.
According to Variety, rather than release this Birds of Prey teaser online so that fans can at least watch it on official channels rather than through third parties, Warner Bros will only be showing this teaser in front of IT Chapter Two screenings.
Obviously that’s unlikely to stop others from posting the preview, but as far as WB is concerned, if you want to see it, you’ll need to buy a ticket for Pennywise’s latest round of terrifying shenanigans. The sequel hits theaters on Friday and, if it's like any other major theatrical release, it'll be on the big screen for at least two months.
Warner Bros pulled a similar move last month with Tenet, the upcoming Christopher Nolan-directed action thriller starring Robert Pattinson, John David Washington and Elizabeth Debicki, among others. A 40-second Tenet preview screened in front of the Fast & Furious spinoff Hobbs & Shaw last month, and it still hasn’t been officially released online.
In case you haven’t caught the Birds of Prey preview yet, it’s a quick one, poking fun at the IT movies by playing the creepy theme music and having a bunch of red balloons floating before Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn smashes a few with her giant mallet and telling the audience she’s “so over fucking clowns.” We then see quick shots of Harley and all the other main Birds of Prey characters before the title card pops up. It certainly functions as a tease for the DCEU movie, but also doesn’t resemble your average teaser trailer.
Given that Birds of Prey is five months away from coming out, I imagine that we won’t have to wait much longer to see a preview for it that will screen in theaters and be released online. It’s one thing to officially release a quick look only in theaters, but Warner Bros is definitely going to want to give something that people can share amongst themselves. Every superhero movie does it, and in this day and age, providing online material is crucial for cinematic marketing campaigns.
That said, if you are looking for a Birds of Prey video to watch, check out this one below that did come out officially (though not on the main Warner Bros platforms) and was shot at the beginning of principal photography.
Taking place after the events of Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey follows Harley Quinn embarking on the next chapter of her life after breaking up with The Joker. With Batman having mysteriously disappeared from Gotham City, it’s up to Harley, Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell’s Black Canary and Rosie Perez’s Detective Renee Montoya to protect a young girl named Cassandra Cain, played by Ella Jay Basco, who comes across a diamond belonging to Ewan McGregor’s Roman Sionis, better known in the comics as Black Mask.
Birds of Prey will be released in theaters on February 7, 2020, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for continuing coverage. In the meantime, you can learn what other DCEU movies are on the way in our handy guide.
