Picture this, audiences everywhere go into the local cinema to watch the newest movie. They have their popcorn and soda, have just settled into their seats and then they hear it: a deep voice begins explaining the basic plot as scenes from “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” flash before their eyes. Trailers have changed quite a bit since they exchanged the voice over guy for longer trailers with more action filled moments, and in many cases major spoilers. Some will argue that films and their audiences have suffered from this new exchange, but we must ask why this trend continues to happen and why it will only continue.
Spoiler Warning
Cinema and media arts professor Michael Gonzales, who worked on the trailers for the reboot of Miami Vice, explained his thoughts about trailers being spoiler filled based on his own experience.
“We are just trying to get people to really wanna go see that based on the material that is given to us,” Gonzales said.
Promotional trailers that spoil major plot points cause a resentful outcry among fans who do not want to know the plot. In “Spider-Man: Homecoming” the trailers showed scenes where Spider-Man loses the suit he was given by Tony Stark and then fights the main villain, which took place in the third act of the movie. This has been even more amplified with the recent release of the “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” trailer, which includes an exuberant amount of spoilers to the point where the film’s director, Rian Johnson, tweeted out before the trailer’s release.
“I am legitimately torn. If you want to come in clean, absolutely avoid it. But it’s gooooood…..,” Johnson said.
Making the Money
Directors know these trailers contain spoilers so it makes one wonder why studios put them out. It all comes down to money. When one really thinks about it, a spoiler-filled trailer entices the viewer to buy a ticket and see the movie even when said movies do not have a fan base. The same thinking applies to films that have a fanbase or cult following, but only here do fans cry out in disappointment. The studios have their cake and eat it too, because they can put out a trailer with many spoilers and know that even though fans will complain, they will still go to the theater.
In the end, trailers rife with spoilers and unwanted plot details may disappoint fans, but we have to realize that business is business—a reality of the world we live in. We shall see this trend continue into the future. Thus, the reality of the situation presents itself—if you do not want to see spoilers, avoid the trailers.
