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Trailer Talk Doesnt Doom Movies

“Whenever a movie’s marketing folks release a trailer with the actors talking about the film, you know it’s going to be bad”
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Confidence: High Checked on June 12, 2026

Summary

Academic research shows that while trailers influence audience expectations and can be used to predict box‑office performance, there is no evidence that a trailer featuring actors speaking about the film reliably indicates poor quality. Studies highlight many factors—such as narrative content, marketing mode, and cognitive engagement—that affect a film’s success, and examples of misleading trailers are exceptions rather than a rule. Therefore, the blanket claim that such trailers always signal a bad movie is unfounded.

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Sources 60 searched

sciencedirect.com
nature.com
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
stern.nyu.edu
  • Understanding the Effectiveness of Trailers, Teasers, and ...

    difficulty and pressure for its advertising efforts, predominantly trailers and spot · commercials, to generate growth. The graphs contained in Appendix 2 illustrate the · trends in film revenues and costs. Production and advertising costs per film have tracked · total box office figures in recent years. However, both categories have demonstrated a · lack of growth resulting from a decline in admissions in theaters balanced by an increase ... 16 Entertainment Industry Market Statistics.

guides.nyu.edu
sports-entertainment.brooklaw.edu
  • False Promises: When Movie Trailers Cross the Line – Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment Law Blog

    On the second prong, the Court found that plaintiffs had plausibly pled false advertising, unfair competition and unjust enrichment claims under California law because general consumers could plausibly have been misled by the trailer.26[26]Id. In coming to a conclusion, courts will consider whether viewers expected the movie to include actors and scenes featured in the trailer and whether the trailer portrayed the actors in a way that made it seem like they would have a significant role in the film.27[27]Id.

ign.com
  • 16 Movie Trailers That Lied to Us - IGN

    Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla remake hit in the wake of Breaking Bad’s acclaimed final season, a time when Bryan Cranston was at the zenith of his popularity as an actor. Perhaps that’s why the trailers for Godzilla go out of their way to make it seem as though Cranston’s character Joe Brody is the main protagonist.

watchmojo.com

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