Is it possible to hype an upcoming blockbuster too much? Here’s what studios face when they release teasers into the market early.
Remember the good old days when you had to wait until the cinema to see a teaser poster or trailer for a new movie? Or maybe you read about it in a magazine or newspaper? Nowadays, it seems like you can’t even log onto Twitter without seeing a trending topic about an upcoming film that’s years away from release. As a movie fan, it’s almost like a game to be in the know about everything related to your favorite genre. And studios love it. It’s free promotion that creates a buzz and builds anticipation. But is there such a thing as too much hype?
Image via Rudy Manahan (©2013 SDCC).
Releasing teasers and trailers early has become the norm, and fans eat it up. They create social media accounts to promote and discuss the film in their free time, and studios need to get content out early to allow the build-up and following to accumulate. But sometimes, releasing unfinished content can backfire. Fans and the internet can be unforgiving, and negative feedback can start pouring in within hours of publishing the material. It’s a double-edged sword that studios must navigate carefully.
For example, the first teaser for The Great Wall featured an unfinished CGI creature and was so severely mocked that Universal removed it from their Twitter account just a day later. And when Netflix released a 20-second costume test for The Witcher, fans were quick to criticize the less-than-great costume and wig. It was only a costume test, but the damage was done. It’s almost like a sport to be cruel to a film if the initial impressions are negative.
So, is it possible to hype an upcoming blockbuster too much? Maybe. In an oversaturated marketplace with so much media to consume, it seems frivolous to release unfinished teasers and trailers nearly a year out from release. Would negative opinions falter if blockbusters released fully polished trailers just two months before the release of the film? It’s worth considering. After all, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.
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