Why Do Trailers Keep Spoiling Movies??

Every time I see a movie trailer online, almost without fail, there are tons of comments complaining about how much was "given away" or "spoiled". I wanted to dive into that idea a little bit and see if it was true, and why that might be. Enjoy!

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0:00 Are studios spoiling their own movies?
4:49 Why are they doing this?
6:37 Sponsor
7:56 Marketing & Focus Groups
12:28 Trailers That Lie
16:30 Possible Solutions

[sem]

Personally I think the worst is when horror movies show off the 'best' jumpscares in the trailer

[legofan]

As someone who just LITERALLY WATCHED The Fall Guy today, I can guarantee you, they don't spoil SHIT in the trailer. Most of what was "spoiled" is introduced in the first act of the movie.

[BMcCauley]

Kangaroo Jack is literally my reference point for a misleading trailers. When I see a film that is NOTHING what the trailer showed us, I’ve said on multiple occasions, “I’ve been Kangaroo Jack’d”

[mathijsfrank]

The problem with trailers feeling like they give away too much, is that they answer all the questions that are asked, without asking new ones. If the trailer does not leave any unanswered question it feels like there aren't any, regardless of the truth.

[cinderefell]

Never been my problem. I hear that a movie is coming out and I'm like "cool", then I never watch the trailer and forget that the movie is coming out and watch it two years later.

[brianoestreich]

I work at an indie arthouse theater, and occasionally we do a "preview night" for our members to hype up some upcoming films, and have them vote on what they're most excited about. Without fail, the trailer that gives the most away about the plot does best, and if I only have a quick teaser trailer that gives a "vibe" and no info to show, it gets downvoted the most. People want to know exactly what they're about to see. As a friend told me one time about his mom "she loves movies but hates surprises."

[Lgdg]

"Do you have a time machine? Why aren't you using it for something more important??" Scott with the real questions lmao

[devichi]

My memory is just so bad I don't even remember what happened during the trailers, so I get to watch movies going in blind.

[amyefting]

My favorite lying trailer was Guardians of the Galaxy 2. The trailer made it seem that the big electricity monster was some final or climactic fight and it was the opening credits. We had no idea about the rest of the movie and it was great.

I also agree that keeping the tone correct is important in keeping the rug pull effect away from audiences.

[Glitteryteddy]

Thank you for shouting out the people with anxiety. Thats not me and i dont like spoliers in trailers but i do have ptsd and have to look up spoilers so i can be aware of/avoid triggers

[lillyrose]

The trailer for the Emperor's New Groove shows them swinging on a vine and getting tangled around a tree. Pacha says "Don't worry your highness, I gotcha. You're safe with me... Or not." In the movie, he NEVER SAYS "or not." This has pissed me off for the last 24 years!!!

[TechySpeaking]

12:45 There's actually a really interesting backstory behind the "Suicide Squad" trailers. The first one is pretty dark and bland, but was more accurate to the actual film. The second one was done by a trailer house, which added all the colors and Queen music. The studio then scrambled to try to retroactively edit the movie to be more like the upbeat trailer. And thus, the mess that was "Suicide Squad".

[TheInkTank]

I went into this thinking "yes they spoil way too much" but you have a good point that usually you'd forget most details a few days after seeing the trailer. Though with Superhero Movies I do feel it's slightly different because trailers are followed by waves of analysis videos and social media posts that can be trickier to avoid than just the trailer alone. I've been spoiled more by screenshots of trailers posted by fans for trailers I haven't even seen.

[BatAmerica]

The funny thing is, this was a problem that arguably has gotten better with time. Nowadays, people are angry and critical to trailers that do this forcing editors to be more creative. Back in the 1970s, these people would have a heart attack. My favorite example of this is The Deer Hunter, which is a great movie with a terrible trailer. It spoils everything from the heartbreaking ending to the amount of time spent in Vietnam yet audiences still adore it.

[jhammy]

I cannot STAND when horror movies give away the best jump scare in the trailer!?! It completely ruins the intensity of so many scenes

[seanbeard]

Going into a movie blind is truly the way to experience any movie. I saw Abigail recently and had no clue she was a vampire. Had I seen the trailer I would have sent 30 minutes waiting for the reveal I knew was coming

[mymakeupnonsense]

I remember the trailer for Pixar’s Brave made it seem like it focused on her “fighting for her own hand” but we got the the theatre and it was basically brother bear 😅

[Maxis_Mi]

As someone who tries to avoid spoilers like the plague, I have found that the teaser trailer and FIRST trailer of a movie are the perfect amount to inform me what the movie is actually about and getting me excited by keeping it a mystery
Going onto the second and especially third+ trailers is when they start revealing more- just recently my friend felt the newest Kingdom of the planet of the apes trailer spoiled it for him but the last two were fine

[murrenkelly]

I was able to see Fall Guy early through my university, and I can say that the trailer doesn’t take away from the movie experience. First, the trailer doesn’t reveal everything. Second, it’s the type of movie that is enjoyable because of the vibes and character dynamics, so it would still be fine if you knew the plot.

[AlecDouglas]

I am so glad you mentioned the Super 8 teaser, probably my favorite movie trailer I have ever seen. The fact that none of the footage in it is in the actual movie is such cool choice