Blumhouse will debut the first trailer for Happy Death Day 2U in theaters this weekend, ahead of Halloween screenings. The film is the sequel to 2017’s Happy Death Day, which earned $122.6 million worldwide against a budget of only $4.8 million. That profit ensured a followup would happen, and the studio wasted no time at all getting it through the pipeline. Reuniting director Christopher Landon with star Jessica Rothe, Happy Death Day 2U will premiere in February 2019, opening alongside the likes of Alita: Battle Angel and Isn’t It Romantic.

Though that release date is fast approaching (four months from now, as of this writing), there’s yet to be any marketing materials for Happy Death Day 2U. That’s poised to change in the (very) near future, as Blumhouse is planning to raise awareness for their upcoming sequel in a high-profile manner.

Bloody Disgusting reports a preview for Happy Death Day 2U will be attached to prints of Blumhouse’s own Halloween. Interestingly enough, the trailer won’t be online (officially, anyway) for another few weeks, meaning those interested in seeing it right away will have to buy a ticket for Michael Myers’ triumphant return.

All in all, this is a pretty savvy strategy on Blumhouse’s part. Halloween is poised to be one of their biggest box office hits, possibly equaling Venom’s recently-set all-time October opening weekend record. With a haul projected to go as high as $80 million domestically, it all but ensures a wide audience will be treated to the first look at Happy Death Day 2U, kicking off the promotional campaign in style. Considering Halloween is both a legacy sequel to an iconic Hollywood property and a well-received genre entry in its own right, the Happy Death Day 2U trailer isn’t exactly the biggest selling point for it, but this will nevertheless be a nice treat for those seeing Halloween on opening weekend. The target demographic for both projects is roughly the same (though, Happy Death Day was rated PG-13), so Halloween crowds should respond positively to a trailer.

While the plot for Happy Death Day 2U is largely being kept under wraps, Landon confirmed it will address lingering unanswered questions from the first movie (including the origins of the mysterious time loop). As such, it’ll be interesting to see what details are revealed in the trailer, and if those answers are in any way satisfying. The first Happy Death Day was a fun and creative riff on classic genre tropes, so hopefully Landon was able to work some magic again and deliver another entertaining hit.

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Source: Bloody Disgusting

  • Happy Death Day 2U Release Date: 2019-02-14