MOVIE NEWS – Jason Momoa’s Aquaman 2 (officially Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) is reportedly getting too many test screenings, even for a Warner Bros. film of its calibre.

The Warner Bros. Discovery seems nervous about Aquaman 2. Some insiders claim they are obsessed with test screenings.

After the announcement of James Gunn’s DC-slate, Aquaman 2 seems to have been squeezed between the DCEU and the new DCU, the result of a soft reboot where some characters and story threads remain the same while others change.

The success of the first Aquaman movie is reason enough to keep Jason Momoa in the character. However, the sequel seems to have taken a wrong turn before the film was even released.

Insider ViewerAnon expressed his dissatisfaction with the number of test screenings of the film in a Twitter post. He addressed the tweet directly to Warner Bros. This sentiment is expanded upon by saying that it is not a reflection of the quality of the film but the sheer number of test screenings. “It tested last week, it’s testing again tomorrow. I think everyone in Los Angeles has seen it at least once.” All this comes after ViewerAnon previously reported that Aquaman 2 tested very poorly after a dozen test screenings. It called the film “boring”, which others have backed up. The infamous conflict between Amber Heard, who played Mera in the first film, and Johnny Depp probably didn’t help the film‘s reputation.

The performance of Shazam 2 could be a bad sign for Aquaman 2, especially after Shazam director David Sandberg said that several scenes from the film were removed after test screenings.

The argument against test screenings could spill over into a better film, as they could diminish artistic integrity by using any person – unbiased or not – to judge the quality of the film. Other Warner Bros. superhero films have been plagued by the same studio interference, which plays on what they think audiences want to see. This often results in the director’s vision being stripped of its originality. Instead, the audience or studio executives insert their own analysis and shape the film into what they believe will be a financial success.

The irony is that if Warner Bros. had trusted its directors, they might have achieved more financial success. For example, with the final release of Batman v Superman and Zack Snyder’s Justice League on the big screen. It seems that the same pattern of choices haunts Aquaman 2. But hopefully, it will be a film that James Wan can still be proud of. Even though the same thing happened to David Ayer, who is still campaigning to cut Suicide Squad.

Source: Twitter

This is not about the film's quality but the sheer number of test screenings. It tested last week, it's testing again tomorrow. I think everyone in Los Angeles has seen it at least once.

— ViewerAnon (@ViewerAnon) April 17, 2023