Despite barely any promotion and striking stars, ‘Blue Beetle’ still named August’s most-anticipated movie

Could Blue Beetle exceed expectations and be a rare hit for Warner Bros.? It was only recently the DCU movie was considered something of a half-forgotten afterthought. Its roots as an HBO Max exclusive don’t exactly inspire confidence, especially as when spiritual sibling Batgirl was permanently shelved.

That being said, the trailers are actually kinda fun, we’re keen to see a superhero story with relatively low stakes, and let’s face it, there’s no way Blue Beetle can be worse than The Flash. All of which means we’re pleasantly surprised that it’s been widespread fan criticism of the studio’s lackluster marketing campaign.

Then again, it doesn’t exactly have heavyweight competition. Coming in second is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, followed by Meg 2: The Trench, Gran Turismo, and The Last Voyage of the Demeter. All of these movies are in a tricky promotional position due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and Writers’ Guild of America strikes, though the fact that all are in the same boat at least evens the playing field.

Being Warner Bros.’ best superhero blockbuster of the year isn’t a high bar to clear when stacked up against Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash and (potentially) Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Plus, at a relatively low $120 million budget, it actually has a chance of making a decent profit.

Blue Beetle lands in theaters on Aug. 18, and we’re curious to see how it turns out. Fingers crossed it hits the mark.