There seems to be a new trend in Hollywood: movie trailers that reveal far too much about the film, giving away the entire setup and sometimes even the outcome within a 2-minute montage. I recall a time when movie trailers were equally exciting as a trip to the cinema – the perfect blend of teasing the story, its characters and the setup without giving away any surprises. That art seems almost forgotten. I suppose the real question we need to ask ourselves, is whether movie trailers are spoiling cinema or whether a lazy generation is to blame?
It’s easy to admit that movie trailers can make or break a film. There are numerous examples of films that seemed destined to doom even before their release date, mostly due to an awful two-minute introduction. 2016’s Ghostbusters is a perfect example of a bad trailer happening to a fairly decent film. Regardless of all the marketing that followed the first trailer for the film, nothing could be done to rectify the negative publicity.
So why do studios seem to be getting it so wrong? Why are they giving away entire film plots and twists? Why are spoiler-heavy trailers getting longer?
In their heydey, trailers were an art. They were simply there to whet our appetites for what’s to come. However, things have changed. Unfortunately, audiences are to blame. According to experts in the business, the more audiences know about a film, the likelier they are to go see it. Audiences are demanding to see what they are paying for before they go see it. Sadly, the numbers prove this to be true. And all of this results in the studios overselling their products.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice‘s reveal of Doomsday is the perfect example. While many fans have mentioned that they would have preferred if the character remained a secret, there were audiences that still needed to be convinced to go see the film. So what did the studio do? They gave you another reason why you should go see Batman v Superman.
Of course, that’s not the only problem. Audiences also are quick to grumble when trailers are shorter or “misleading”. In 2011, a woman sued the makers of Ryan Gosling’s Drive because she was expecting something along the lines of The Fast & the Furious. It sounds completely insane, but the trailer probably didn’t do enough to convince her otherwise. So in order to have audiences fully understand what they are buying tickets for, and to avoid all this chaos, we get trailers that overexplain what the film is about – with no secrets and very little surprises.
The balance is incredibly tricky. We no longer have voice-over narration to spell out the plot of a film without showing too much footage. Instead, we get a Terminator: Genisys trailer that reveals that John Connor has become a bad guy or a Jurassic Park trailer where the monster dinosaur is revealed ahead of the release. What makes matters worse is that most trailers are cut by a distributor or studio and not the film’s director. Sometimes these surprises aren’t meant for the trailers at all. Jurassic World director, Colin Trevorrow, told IGN that the trailers showed “far more of the movie than [he] would ever have wanted”.
So what does a good trailer look like? Let’s take a look at the trailer for Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining as an example of how it was done in the past:
In 90 seconds the film tells me everything I need to know in order to go see The Shining without showing any footage aside from the bloody elevators. It tells me who is in it, who made it and is creepy enough to intrigue me and convince me to go see it.
Not everyone is the same though. Some people want much more.
I had way too much déjà vu watching Spider-Man: Homecoming and kept waiting for the beats I had seen in the trailer (which even shows part of the ending).
The solution for me has been watching the first minute of the trailer and then switching it off. Anything more than that and I feel like I’ve watched a summary of the entire film. Part of the beauty of the film is the mystery created. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t want to see the best parts of the film before I sit down to watch all of it.
Preach
Nowadays watch first 30-45 seconds and if its something i want to see i stop. Trailers literally show the entire movies at this point. The actual movie is just padding
Too damn true.
Ahh let them do 15 trailers. Keeps the kids attention and they’re the ones spending the money. Just don’t watch them. Simple.
Yes.
Batman v superman is the best recent example.
So is civil war
if a trailer can spoil a movie then it has not enough content
Definately! They show all the best parts!
Yes as always
Definitely not just you – I used to allow myself to watch the first two trailers of new movies (because the third gives almost everything away), but after watching Homecoming I don’t think I’ll be watching any more trailers. The movie was awesome, but would have been even better if, for example, Iron Man hadn’t been revealed as being in the movie, or that Peter had to give the suit back, or revealing anything about the final battle.
And wayyy too many trailers give important, cool, epic stuff away – like Skull Island revealing Kong in all his glory; the stuff that isn’t revealed in trailers is simply sub-par in comparison, and even though I still enjoy the movies, there are just some things I don’t want to know.
Yes
Yes. They show waaaay toooooo much.
Spidey just sucked tho
Yes! Make them STAHP!
Yes yes they are I often feel like I have watch the entire movie from just the preview
Yup
I believe the answer is duh.
I say sometimes yes, they absolutely do. The worst offenders are the ones that show parts that got cut from the movie.
The article is well done, but you have to remember with YouTube there are a number of content creators that dissect every second of the trailer (“As you can see here Peter’s hair has 2 strands out of place which indicates Gwen and Mary Jane’s inner conflict with Parker’s alter ego”) so if you missed something these sites are sure to let you know.
but unlike on tv where a trailer suddenly comes in between commercials and totally surprising, on youtube everyone decides for themselves if they wanna see it.
I think the problem is that trailers and marketing for a movie is for people that are on the fence on the movie. If you are already going to see the movie then don’t watch all the trailers.
#spoilerphobia
Yup
just dont watch the movie trailers its that simple
Nah but other people are, can’t remember the last time I went to the cinema and someone didn’t talk through it or have their phone out.
Yea especially when the trailer is all the best parts of the movie terrible
This just now being noticed? Terminator 3 gave away the reprogramming scene, star wars gave away the dual sided lightsaber scen. This crap has been done for 20 years.
I watch the 1st trailer released. Skip the rest.
to me its all the rebooting/re-imagining/remaking of movies that are killing cinema, there is no originality, i blame the writer’s strike of the 1990’s, after that it was all reality shows and remakes
Seeing as comics get rebooted all the time, rebooting a comic book movie should be no surprise. And when they can’t get it right, rebooting it is necessary. If you were complaining about rebooting something like Back to the Future or The Gladiator, then I would understand though.
They have been for years its the main reason I do not watch trailers
Well, duh.
Short answer: yes.
Yes, I knew the plane with Peter in his old suit would be the final act, wish they’d leave a little for surprise
Yes
Yes.
I was worried for spider-man, but there was a lot that surprised me in it. Trailers didn’t give away shit.
Sometimes, it definitely depends.
Absolutely. I don’t watch them anymore for that reason. It’s not supposed to be a highlight real or it spoiles too much.
Absolutely!! I watch the first few seconds then talk to my husband to avoid watching or seeing the trailer otherwise it’s ruins it for me when I get to watch that movie!
Yeas and for years
Yes!!! My only complaint about the new spidey!! Kasey
Yes they are. You watch a 2 minute trailer, and feel like you watched all the best parts.
Agree
Yeah, which is why I only watch teasers and then nothing else
The main problem is they keep rehashing the same old crap. Staying in the superhero genre how many more freaking times must we see batmans parents die? For the love of god we all know by now, move on with the story
Totally agree! Often have to resort to looking away if it’s a movie I really want to see!
This is Rhetorical right?
Movie Trailers were supposed to be cut down from 2minutes and 30seconds to 2minutes, but that’s still too long. A minute in a half is long enough for me.
Social media certainly is!
Yes!!
YES
Eh, I tend to forget what happens in the Trailer while I’m watching the movie. Trailers just make it more exciting and myself hungry for more. :3
Yes
So. Much. Yes. And it’s impossible to avoid the ads even when you’re trying. I feel like I spoil 1/2 the stuff I see between trailers, teasers and pics from the sets.
Yes
If I’m pretty sure I’m going to want to watch a movie I avoid watching the trailers for this very reason.
Simple answer, no
If studios stopped putting deleted material in their trailers, stopped making them 2 and a half minutes long and pace them like a mini film, AND limit it to no more than 2 trailers, it wouldnt be so bad. Id also like to not see anything from the last act of a film as well
Yes. I’ve been saying that for year!
Simply yes just flash that shit maybe a simple joke that’s all
Yes
Stopped reading after the “2016 Ghostbusters is a perfect example of a bad trailer happening to a deeent movie”.
Wrong, crappy trailer for a crappy movie.
Yes. They even be releasing movie clips before the movie is released.
This is why I feel, that the trailer for VENOM is great as you see very little (blink-and-you-miss-it) of the life-form and nothing of Hardy/Brock covered by the symbiont. Yet for showing too little many fans dismissed the trailer straight away…
Well people have made it a business model breaking down every detail of every trailer and theorizing, just look at how many YouTube channels do this. So will it go away? I don’t think so, but for me I prefer not getting that many trailers. It spoils the entire experience. Teasers is all we should have.
I’ve always said so! A trailer should be a 10 second flash and then logo!
I don’t even watch trailers anymore, my last one was BvS.
Stopped watching trailers for the most part.
YES!!!!! >:(
I watch the first, maybe second trailers, then that’s it
You think of many plots and twists theories and such after watching trailers especially marvel does anyone remember the trailer of antman such epicness but in the movie it was a tiny miniature of cross industries was epic man
I don’t watch trailers at all anymore
I would have been completely happy with only 1 trailer for “Infinity War”. There isn’t a geek on the planet who needs to be convinced to see this film.
AVENGERS INFINITY WAR SPOILERS
When Thanos gets the fourth infinity stone I knew he would get the fifth and be successful because I’d seen him extracting it from vision in the trailers
Need not be. Batman v superman first imax teaser trailer was all enough. The brooding darkness, the venge to fight each other was all wrapped. That was the best one. I need no more. Neither anyone. But see what happened? Second trailer full of plot elements. Zod’s body. Lex luthor uttering dialog if god doesnt kill man, the devil will do it. Have they really spoilt the film here. Yes it is clear that now from this shit trailer that lex has made superman to kill batman. When that does nt occur. Doomsday the devil will do it. How much they have spoilt here. And oh the wonder woman cameo. Whole movie revealed except climax. Now why should i watch the film. They should have stuck with the action scenes little bit of drama and no spoilers. But alas whole movie spoilt. Seriously zack snyder needs to avoid this in future. Every director out there please dont make your efforts wasted.
According to me trailer must just tease. Should not be more than a minute.
Introduce characters
Show some drama
Keep the background score moving
Build up to an epicness
Bang ! Finish the trailer. This is what trailers are to do. So i always prefer the first teaser. All movies first teasers are the best. They do not reveal much.