Trailer Park: 'Thunderbolts,' 'Gladiator II' and 'Red One'

Come for the previews, stay for three 400-word articles about the films in question

We knew Paramount was dropping a new trailer for Gladiator II, but Disney launching its Thunderbolts campaign was a surprise. I can only speculate whether it was an intentional attempt to punk Paramount (all’s fair in love and war). After all, this 194-second trailer is seemingly identical to the SDCC preview, meaning they didn’t have to do much beyond spit-and-polish to have it ready to go. That said, I imagine we’ll see a lot of substantial trailer drops (like the first look at Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan’s Sinner arriving tomorrow) before Joker: Folie a Deux. 

It’s still a big-deal DC comic book flick and a comparatively rare tentpole-sized “safe space” for R-rated trailers. Anyway, you can watch the trailers yourself. Both key tentpole flicks represent comparative banking on IPs in the abstract over specific elements. Thunderbolts is yet another attempt to see if the raw MCU brand name can carry a film filled with lesser-known characters. Gladiator II is more aggressively selling itself as a glorified remake disguised as a sequel. Oh, and some quick thoughts on Red One because of the Amazon MGM film’s second trailer dropping yesterday. That film’s theatrical release is partially on-the-job training.