The Suicide Squad Breaks Mortal Kombat Red Band Trailer Record

The Suicide Squad breaks Mortal Kombat record as most-viewed red band trailer

More than a week after the first trailer for The Suicide Squad had hit the internet, director James Gunn took to Twitter to excitedly reveal that the upcoming DC film’s trailer is now the most-watched red band trailer of all time with over 150 million views worldwide. According to Warner Bros., The Suicide Squad trailer trended in 40 markets on YouTube and 28 markets on Twitter. The said record was previously held by New Line Cinema’s Mortal Kombat reboot, whose first trailer garnered a total of 116 million during its first-week.

I just got word #TheSuicideSquad redband trailer set a new record for most views of a redband trailer in a week, with over 150 million views worldwide. I’m incredibly grateful to all of you for making this happen! THANK YOU! pic.twitter.com/3bRFBDcvOV

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 2, 2021

As a way to thank fans, Gunn went on to answer a few fan questions where he confirmed that the theatrical cut is indeed going to be R-Rated. When asked about the characters, he teased that fans should be excited to see Margot Robbie’s Harley in “her full insane glory,” and the magic of Daniela Melchior’s Ratcatcher 2.

I can’t wait for you to see Harley in her full insane glory & @IdrisElba‘s intense star power & the madness of King Shark, Weasel & Starro… but I’m maybe most excited about introducing the magic of @MelchiorDaniela as Ratcatcher 2 to the world. https://t.co/fa2Sy4h0DM

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 2, 2021

#TheSuicideSquad is, in large part, a war film, & a tale of sad, strange, wary soldiers. I didn’t want to tell that story with one hand tied behind my back. So I made sure Warners was on board with making an R-rated film before I agreed to take on the project. https://t.co/WRimaTTEmn

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 3, 2021

The ensemble roster for James Gunn’s standalone sequel includes return of DCEU alums Margot Robbie (Birds of Prey), Jai Courtney (Honest Thief), Joel Kinnaman (Suicide Squad), and Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), who are reprising their roles as Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Rick Flag and Amanda Waller, respectively. The film is set to introduce new characters including Idris Elba (Avengers: Infinity War), John Cena (Peacemaker), Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who), David Dastmalchian (Dune), Daniela Melchior (Parque Mayer), Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy), Alice Braga (Elysium), Pete Davidson (The King of Staten Island), Joaquín Cosio (Spider-Man: Into the SpiderVerse), Juan Diego Botto (The Europeans), Storm Reid (Euphoria), Nathan Fillion (The Rookie), Steve Agee (Brightburn), Sean Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy), Mayling Ng (Wonder Woman), Flula Borg (Ralph Breaks the Internet), Jennifer Holland (Peacemaker) and Tinashe Kajese (Valor) Sylvester Stallone (Rambo)

The official synopsis for The Suicide Squad reads:

“Welcome to hell — a.k.a. Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out—even join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X. Today’s do-or-die assignment? Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Captain Boomerang, Ratcatcher 2, Savant, King Shark, Blackguard, Javelin and everyone’s favorite psycho, Harley Quinn. Then arm them heavily and drop them (literally) on the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. Trekking through a jungle teeming with militant adversaries and guerrilla forces at every turn, the Squad is on a search-and- destroy mission with only Colonel Rick Flag on the ground to make them behave…and Amanda Waller’s government techies in their ears, tracking their every movement. And as always, one wrong move and they’re dead (whether at the hands of their opponents, a teammate, or Waller herself). If anyone’s laying down bets, the smart money is against them—all of them.”

Click here to purchase the 2016 Suicide Squad!

The film is directed by Gunn from his own screenplay, based on characters from DC. Charles Roven and Peter Safran are producing while Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Walter Hamada, Chantal Nong Vo, Nikolas Korda and Richard Suckle are executive producing.

The Suicide Squad will debut in theaters and HBO Max on August 6.

Recommended Reading: Suicide Squad Vol. 1: Trial by Fire