Suicide Squad 2 Is Meant To Be Seen In A Theater, Says Star

Joel Kinnaman, star of The Suicide Squad, says the upcoming DCEU blockbuster is meant to be seen on the big screen. Part sequel, part reboot, the upcoming follow-up to David Ayer’s 2016 film Suicide Squad is a chance for the DCEU to get the supervillain team-up right this time. Despite the fact that the original film soared at the box office, its critical and fan reception left a lot of room for improvement. Enter James Gunn, director of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Gunn had turned the obscure, galaxy hopping comics characters into household names for the MCU and Warner Bros. was hoping he could do the same with their new film.

Currently, all signs point to vast improvement over the original. The Suicide Squad will have a hard R-rating, something fans had hoped for from the original. Gunn has also made it clear that the film will not shy away from killing off members of its vast cast of characters. All of that, coupled with an out-of-this-world villain in Starro the Conqueror and Warner Bros. may have the perfect mix of idiosyncratic humor and balls-to-the-wall violence and mayhem that the first film hoped to achieve.

Now, with The Suicide Squad‘s simultaneous release in theaters and on HBO Max looming, Kinnaman is encouraging audiences to see the film in theaters in a new interview with VF. The actor describes it as an “entertaining, crazy movie,” one that is begging to be seen on the biggest screen possible. This isn’t just because The Suicide Squad is a massive blockbuster, though – Kinnaman says watching the final product was an emotional experience, one he hopes fans can share together in a communal setting.

It’s just such an entertaining, crazy movie. That is exactly the kind of film that you want to see in a theater. We’re all dying to have these communal experiences. I got really emotional when I saw it for the first time. I think it’s going to be really meaningful.

Luckily for Kinnaman and the cast and crew of The Suicide Squad, that communal experience seems to be just what audiences are craving. As theaters begin to reopen, the state of the box office looks promising. Despite In The Heights faltering, blockbusters like A Quiet Place Part II and Godzilla vs Kong have proven to be huge draws for audiences eager to return to the theatrical experience. The latter film even had a simultaneous debut on HBO Max like The Suicide Squad will have, proving that people will still turn up to theaters to see blockbusters on the big screen.

With the combined star power of the cast, Gunn’s draw as a director, and the clever and hilarious marketing for The Suicide Squad, the upcoming DCEU film seems primed for success. With an August release date, there’s even more time for audiences to get acclimated to returning to theaters as states around the US begin to open up and lift mandates put in place because of the pandemic. While only time will tell if The Suicide Squad is as financially successful as its predecessor, it sure seems on track to be another hit for Warner Bros.