'Sicario 2' Gets Caught Up in Border Controversy
by EG
The vision of the U.S./Mexico border presented in Sicario: Day of the Soldado leans much closer to Donald Trump's view of the place as infested with criminals and terrorists than it does to the real-life images of crying children separated from their parents by U.S. authorities. That disconnect could spell trouble for the sequel as it heads into theaters, or it could be a big selling point. Read on to see which it's going to be.
On June 19, MSNBC cut from a lengthy segment on border chaos and immigration policy right into a commercial break that featured a guns-blazing ad for Sicario: Day of the Soldado. The trailer, which depicted gruesome border violence carried out by the Mexican drug cartels, made for a awkward segue as it touted the film’s June 29 release.
But the placement of the trailer was entirely coincidental given that spots for the movie were bought long before border issues, including images of children separated from their families, began dominating the news cycle, according to sources. Still, it raised the question of whether or not Sony, the film’s distributor, would alter its marketing plan in light of current events.
With one day to go before the film opens, the answer appears to be no. The studio has neither leaned into the hot-button coverage of America’s southern border nor pulled TV ads that might be seen as insensitive or opportunistic given the depictions of real-life human suffering on the news. Instead, although the studio declined to comment, it appears to be sticking with its original marketing plan. As is typical, Sony declined to discuss the film's marketing strategy.
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.
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