Aquaman 2 Reportedly Being Test Screened Way Too Much By Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Discovery appears nervous aboutAquaman and the Lost Kingdom, with claims suggesting an obsessive amount of test screenings.AfterJames Gunn’s DC slate announcement,Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomseems stuck between the DCEU and the new DCU, which is a consequence of a soft reboot where some characters and storylines stay the same while others change. The success of the firstAquamanfilm is reason enough to keep Jason Momoa as the character, but it seems like the sequel has taken a turn for the worse before the movie has even been theatrically released.RELATED:Michael Keaton’s Batman Was Reportedly Going To Appear In Aquaman 2InsiderViewerAnonexpressed their discontent with the amount ofAquaman and the Lost Kingdomtest screenings in a Twitter post that directly calls out Warner Bros. They expand on this sentiment by stating that it is not a reflection of the film’s quality but of 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.” This comes after ViewerAnon had previously reported thatAquaman 2was testing very poorlyafter a dozen test screenings, calling it “boring” and “not as good as the first,” backed up by others supporting these claims. Big Screen Leaks replied to the post agreeing and further expresses that if they have to “hear about [REDACTED] one more time” they’re “gonna lose it,” which could be about Amber Heard, the actor who played Mera in the first film, and the controversies that have followed her since the Johnny Depp trial.

The performance ofShazam 2could be a bad sign forAquaman 2, especially afterShazamdirector David Sandberg expressed that many of the film’s scenes were removed after test screenings. An argument against test screenings could also translate to a better film, as they may diminish artistic integrity by using any person, unbiased or not, to gauge a film’s quality. Other superhero films by Warner Bros. have been hit by the same studio meddling that plays into what they think audiences want to see, like whyShazam 2needed to be less silly,Batman v Supermanneeded to be more lighthearted,Justice Leagueneeded to be more comedic, orSuicide Squadneeded to be more silly and fun. Often, this results in a director’s vision being stripped away from them, as audience or studio executives insert their own analysis and change a film into something other than what it was intended to be and into what they think generates financial success.

The irony is that if Warner Bros. had trusted their directors, they might have found more financial success, such as theatrically releasing the Ultimate Edition ofBatman v SupermanandZack Snyder’s Justice League. The same pattern of choices seems to hauntAquaman 2, but hopefully, it amounts to a film that James Wan can still be proud of, despite the same thing happening to David Ayer, who is stillcampaigning for his cut ofSuicide Squadto this day.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomis scheduled to release on July 15, 2025.