Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. I recently talked a little bit about the audience confusion surrounding Rogue One. I've seen the trailer play a few times and each time the audience was confused about what it is instead of super excited that it's coming. I've heard everything from "Was that Rey?" to "Episode VIII looks different."
Warner Bros has a similar problem with Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. Fans know that it's in the Potter world, but not a Harry Potter story, but general audiences have been confused every time I've seen the trailer play. "Where's Harry Potter?" "I don't get it..." etc.
It's not an impossible hurdle to overcome and both studios will certainly do it by the time those films see release, but it's a tougher fight than simply marketing for exposure.
Warner Bros begins this fight using one of their best weapons: JK Rowling. She sets up the world, how it came about and where it fits in the below featurette. Check it out:
It's a good piece of marketing. My only concern is those internet savvy enought to see it already know the score. This is something that needs to be played during the pre-show rolls at cinema chains across the world to really give the average ticket buyer an understanding of what's coming.
I'm sure they'll do that, or some version of that, in the coming months. At the end of the day what's important is they make a good movie. Everything on top of that is punditry and studio politics.
-Eric Vespe
”Quint”
quint@aintitcool.com
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