Gladiator 2 Trailer’s Jay-Z and Kanye West Song Leads To Fan Backlash
The first trailer for Gladiator 2 arrived on Tuesday and immediately got viewers talking about its visuals, cast, and the grand spectacle it offers with its battle sequences. However, it also received backlash from commenters over some aspects. One of the key talking points was the choice of soundtrack for the trailer.
Gladiator 2 trailer’s song choice criticized by viewers
While depicting its ancient Roman setting, the Gladiator 2 trailer uses Jay Z and Kanye West’s rap song, “No Church in the Wild.” Among other elements, the song proved to be a questionable choice for many who viewed the trailer.
At the time of writing, the trailer has amassed 11.5 million views following its launch on Paramount’s official YouTube channel. While it has received over 98,000 likes, there are a notable number of dislikes on the video. YouTube keeps the dislike statistics hidden, but various third-party extensions can still showcase accurate numbers.
As seen in the image above, almost 56% of people hit the dislike button out of the total reactions to the Gladiator 2 trailer. Currently, the number of dislikes has crossed 124,000 and is consistent with multiple dislike viewer extensions. It has also received several negative comments with people questioning the need for the sequel. However, a number of comments are directed at the song choice in the trailer.
One YouTube user commented sarcastically on the use of the song “No Church in the Wild” in the trailer by posting, “This Jay Z song mentions a colosseum. Yeah stick that in there.”
Several other commenters further criticized the music choice. Furthermore, the backlash on the Gladiator 2 trailer’s soundtrack continued across other social media platforms.
One user posted on X (previously Twitter):
Compare the new trailer to the original and so much of the impact is lost using generic trailer scores and modern music trying to make it sound cool. It's about Rome not the Bronx.
It's also twice as long with half the story.#Gladiator2 https://t.co/sR2iwpK7uP pic.twitter.com/1Nu5j2ipVM— Theo (@tprstly) July 9, 2024
Another questioned the replacement of Hans Zimmer’s score from the original film:
Gladiator has an amazing soundtrack, how can you not use it?
And if not, there are better options than this.
Fire whoever agreed on this song.
Nothing against the song itself, but it doesn't fit at all.
This is how you ruin the first impression of a sequel no one asked for. https://t.co/HWZKYvML4y— Dan Luxembourg (@DanLuxembourg) July 9, 2024
One reaction states:
I grew up on theater, loved epic music scores. Later, I had a deep appreciation for Jay Z/Kanye tracks like ‘No Church in the Wild’. But rap on Gladiator 2? What were you thinking ? https://t.co/LT0iUyTTO7
— Charana Kanankegamage (@CharanaK) July 9, 2024
The Gladiator sequel promises to deliver a visual treat with its ensemble cast, its giant set pieces, and unique action sequences such as a naval battle set within the Colosseum, among other things. But after getting a strong reaction from the audience at the CineEurope trade show, its first global marketing push has begun on the wrong foot, leading many commenters online to criticize the sequel’s overall approach.
Whether future trailers will manage to change the opinion of those dissuaded by the first before the film’s November 22 release date remains to be seen.
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