In an interview atSan Diego Comic-Con, the stars ofRed Sonjaclaim that the recent trailer left out the best parts of the new movie. Red Sonja is originally afemale warrior character from the Marvel Comicsof the same name. She wascreated by writer Roy Thomas and illustrator Barry Windsor-Smith.
After theRed Sonjacomics debuted in 1973,a movie adaptation by Richard Fleischer was released in 1985.This film starred Brigitte Nielsen in the titular role and also featured Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Four decades later, anotherRed Sonjamovie is coming out. Set for release on August 15,this iteration is directed by M.J. Bassett and features Matilda Lutz in the lead role.The film’s supporting cast includes Wallis Day, Robert Sheehan, Robert Rhodes, Veronica Ferres, and Trevor Eve.
In an interview withScreenRant’s Ash Crossanat SDCC, Day and Sheehan reflect on their thoughts on theRed Sonjatrailer. Day noted that"they also didn’t put a lot of the best parts in the trailer.“Sheehan would tend to agree with this statement, but said that he was glad “that they didn’t roll out the plot.”
Unfortunately, he noted that marketing trends have moved away from providing “people a little taste,” even if that is his personally preferred way of consuming trailers. Still, he praised theRed Sonjatrailer. Check out the full quotes from Day and Sheehan below:
Wallis Day: Can I just quickly say that I also feel like with Red Sonja, they also didn’t put a lot of the best parts in the trailer. I dunno if you guys would agree.
Robert Sheehan: Yeah, the trailer is a kind of calling card, isn’t it? I’m glad, as well, that they didn’t roll out the plot. Do you know they do that with the trailer sometimes? And they’re like, repellents. You watch it and you go, “I’m not watching that, there’s no surprises left in the box.” But I think the whole trailer marketing culture has gone away from that now where it’s like, “Just give people a little taste, a little sousant, a little amuse-bouche as opposed to this happens and then that happens. There, for your ticket price. Good luck.” [Laughs] But I really like the trailer, it’s a very different beast to the film as well, isn’t it? It’s its own little film thing.
What This Means For Red Sonja
The 1985 Movie Struggled At The Box Office
TheRed Sonjatrailerwas released earlier this month andrevealed some of the key stylistic components.This included key elements of the sword-and-sorcery genre, including Sonja’s trademark chain mail bikini. The trailer also includes horses, elaborate costumes, action, and other key genre elements.
The reaction to the trailer has not been the strongestso far. The trailer has pulled less than 250k views on YouTube in the time since its release two weeks ago. Many commenters noted the trailer felt dated, with some criticizing it for not staying true to the source material.
The pressure is also on forRed Sonjato perform after the 1985 movie’s poor box office showing. The film made only $6.9 million worldwide, which was a modest sum even for the period.
With this in mind, it seems like the cast ofRed Sonjais hopeful about the film itself.Day’s quote implies that the most interesting elements were left out of the trailer, perhaps suggesting that audiences go check it out even if they disliked the trailer.
Our Take On The Red Sonja Trailer
Good Trailers Can Still Make Or Break The Box Office
As Sheehan alludes to, theRed Sonjatrailer reveals very little of the plot itself. The action present in the film is clear, but the motivation driving said action is not. This does, at least, leave a lot to be learned in the film itself.
Nonetheless,Red Sonjamay confuse audiences enough to hurt its box office performance. As much as Sheehan may gripe about the state of modern trailers, they are essential marketing tools to get people to the theaters. Ultimately,Red Sonja’s box office performance will be the judge of whether its strategy was effective.
