Production delays associated with the 3D special effects for Warner Bros. Green Lantern tentpole have seriously delayed marketing efforts for the $200 million film. Warner Bros. did release a trailer for the film last November, but it was so poorly received that it might have done more harm than good. A new trailer that will give audiences a sampling of the film’s intricate 3D special effects and “big-scale sequences” won’t hit theaters until May 6th when it will be shown in front of Marvel Studios’ Thor.  That's just a little more than a month before the Green Lantern, which stars Ryan Reynolds, debuts on June 17th. New footage from the film will be shown at this weekend’s WonderCon, though it is not clear if it will be the final theatrical trailer or not.

 

Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group President Jeff Robinov told The Los Angeles Times, which characterized the Green Lantern movie as “easily Warner Bros.’ riskiest bet of the year,” that the lack of a coordinated marketing campaign for the film was the result of the studio’s “learning curve in getting 3D materials and marketing materials on the same schedule.” 

 

Robinov is betting that the Green Lantern film will allow the studio to establish a third successful superhero franchise to complement Batman and Superman, the only two DC superheroes who have scored big screen successes so far.  Warner Bros., which needs to replace the revenue generated by its Harry Potter franchise that will end this summer with the release of the 8th and final installment in the series, is financing the cost of the Green Lantern film entirely by itself, which raises the stakes for the studio even higher.