This past weekend I went to the cinema to see Noah (expect a review soon, but it wasn’t as good as I hoped) and I am not a fan of all the trailers that get shown (which I never watch). When they were all done I was ready to watch the movie and to my shock there was a message that we would now get shown the first 5 minutes of How to Train Your Dragon 2. First I was surprised that they were showing a part of a kids movie before Noah, secondly that it was in Dutch (I hate dubbed versions) and thirdly that I was forced to sit through 5 minutes of something I would not be able to see completely (the movie will be out in July over here). Simply put I was not a fan of this concept. I know it is something which is done more (for example for one of the Batman movies) and I am wondering:
What is your opinion of cinemas showing the first couple of minutes of a movie before the main feature?
I don’t know like the idea at all. It takes away some of the excitement of knowing what one wants to see. Aren’t teaser trailers enough?
I avoid trailers with a passionso I don’t see this as a good development.
I haven’t encountered any of these, but like Steven, I press on the fact that teaser trailers already serve the same exact purpose–and they already take 15 minutes before the film even starts.
Great question as always, Nostra!
I think I’ve previously encountered it with Thor where one battle scene was shown, so it’s a new development I see as something to worry about. She that all the commercials and trailers already take up too much time.
Haven’t come across that in a theater, but I agree the trailers are more than enough. It already takes three hours in the theater to watch a two hour movie. No need to lengthen my stay any further.
Wondering if there will be fine mass that will eventually do away with all of them, which is something I’d applaud.
Haven’t encountered something like that, but it shouldn’t be shown. Trailers are enough to get the excitement for the film going, and showing the first five minutes can be torture to the viewer. It ruins the anticipation – like, if you’ve seen the first few minutes, then watch the full film months later, it ruins the excitement because you already have some sort of idea on how the film is.
Exactly. I’m off the school of Ebert in that respect. He once made a post about critics and watch my trailers and thought you should go into a film knowing as little add possible.
I have never personally seen this, but it reminds me of when I was a kid and would get those stupid Goosebumps books and they would include, at the end, the first chapter of the next book (in an attempt to lure you in to buy the next book). I always found it stupid. It’s essentially harmless, because it’s the very beginning of the film, but it can also be damaging because a lot of films have real shitty intros and blossom later.
All in all, I’m against this.
But, on a funnier note…I had a dream last night (no lie) that I was watching How to Train Your Dragon 2 with my kids and the whole “I’m your mother” aspect of the film was completely stripped out of the finished film and it was just some dumb recreation of the first film.
I was pissed.
Yeah, not all movies have the most amazing opening although for this movie those first five minutes were OK. Funny you dreamt about the film.
I’ve never encountered that at the cinema, but I wouldn’t like that at all. That’s what trailers are for.
Yeah they are although you could argue they actually show more of a movie than one of these previews does. Not a fan of either though.
I personally like trailers and so I don’t mind seeing them before the main feature. I don’t know if I’d like seeing an extended clip of ANOTHER movie though, that is so odd and no I don’t think I’d like that either, Nostra.
You know my stance on trailers and know how you think about them. At least we agree on this development not being one we’d like to see.
Hey Nostra,
well, you know I like trailers. and I won’t miss them at the theater, BUT sometimes trailers are WAAAYY too spoilery whereas a clip only gives you a few minutes and acts more as a teaser than as a spoiler. (depending).
I’m starting to like clips more, but I prefer the option to see it or not. The opening scene for X-Men: Days of Future Past was released and I have avoided it, but the first few minutes of Joss Whedon’s In Your Eyes released before it became available on VOD today and that made me LOVE it!
They can be a dual-edged sword.
Yeah that is a good point about them being less spoilery, the option to see them or not would be best. Maybe showing both trailers and clips after a movie has ended would be à great solution for it.
This hasn’t happened to me, but I would not like it. I like watching trailers, but when they are done I’m ready for the feature. I would be pissed if I had to sit through five minutes of something else.
I thought it happened a whole lot more in the U.S. than it does over here. That clip has now appeared online by the way and I understood that it actually isn’t the actual first 5 minutes of the movie, but the best parts of the first 7 or 8 minutes put into one clip, which makes me hate the idea even more as it means when you would go see the movie you’d see something slightly different.
I don’t like this at all. I can see why studios would do it but it’s bad enough being fed all the best lines and images from a forthcoming film via trailers and TV spots. The least you know the better.
Hear hear, I subscribe to that school of thought. I’d like to go into a movie knowing as little as possible.
Really, really beginning to get tired/bored/frustrated at all these “5 minutes of …. movie”. I understand studios want to build hype, but this feels like such a cheap way of doing it. Really beginning to hate it. Especially as these long trailers and clips aren’t smartly put together and reveal pretty much everything.
Been thinking about putting an end to seeking out and seeing trailers. Well, in fact I have. So looking forward to seeing the likes of X-Men and How to Train your Dragon, but not going to see any thing to do with them.
Happy to see I’m not the only one with that feeling. Trailers are made to sell a movie and the creators usually do not care if everything is revealed, because all those awesome shots will get people excited. As you know I stopped watching trailers ages ago and it is nice to watch a movie without any knowledge in advance. For example with the last Bond movie I did not know he would be shot and that came as a big shock. Had I seen the trailer I would have been expecting it and it would have had no impact at all, especially since the trailer also showed he’d be fine. Try to refrain from watching them in the future Jaina, the experience just is better.
Going to give it a try, definitely. Though, I have to say, I was very impressed with the first Godzilla trailer. It was a good teaser. Trailer’s that don’t have dialog really pull me in for some reason.
So nice that you also hate trailers haha! I totally agree on the topic. But sometimes I think it can be nice if they show some trailers first. I don’t have to see them all but it can be new information to get interested in. But of course, it is not necessary. What you had, the first 5 minutes of a totally different genre, that is weird! Why did they not tell you when you bought the ticket? They should have. Complain!! 🙂
Hate them with a passion. It is strange that they did not inform people about it. I am not quick to complain though about something like this to the cinema personnel, they probably are not able to change it anyway.
…never experienced this myself. I love all the trailers – I find them genuinely thrilling most of the time as they usually get my anticipation levels up – but I don’t like the idea of seeing the first 5 minutes of a new movie before the main feature. I’m likely to find this marketing ploy very annoying if it becomes commonplace.
Would not be surprised if you will be experiencing sooner or later. As for trailers we are in a different camp, do not want to see them. The directors or actors are usually enough to get me interested in watching something and else I’l catch some of the buzz once a movie is getting positive reviews.
I have noticed that tendency, to tease the first 5 min, I think they did that with a Brit Marling movie a while back, but never knew it was forced on cinema goers in that way. That’s crossing the line, especially if there’s no prior warning.
Yeah, it is not a development I am cheering for…