Bobby Roberts
Banned
Do you know what day Wonder Woman releases? Do you know what month even?
If your answer is (shrug), you're not alone. Warner Brothers isn't really selling their big summer tentpole. Like, at all
Donna Dickens at Uproxx breaks down this weird lack of marketing.
The article acknowledges that there is some marketing, and the first comments (and the primary narrative in response to this in general) seem to think this is a calculated move by WB to clear out of Guardians of the Galaxy's way. Which... doesn't make any fucking sense. Giving a competing film space is what you do with release dates. Not with marketing. With marketing, you piggyback. You stick your commercials all over that other release, you make sure when people search for that movie, your ads pop up right next to it.
That's how marketing for these superhero films has worked for a very, very long time now. It just makes sense - if you're already looking at something in the same genre, you're probably gonna be interested in this similar thing.
So why is WB not selling this movie with just over a month to go? Is there a super-compressed press blitz coming? Are they still confused somehow as to how to sell a Wonder Woman movie? Is there something about the movie that makes it so inherently hard to sell that they're just... sitting on their hands?
(My personal worry: They know exactly what they have, and what they have is a Wonder Woman movie where Captain Kirk is the primary hero, and you can't really sell that and not drive the anticipation for your movie into the dirt).
edit: The comparison as used in the article is raising question marks, my post from later in the thread attempts to make a more direct comparison between single superhero films and their YouTube channel upload/updates, starting at the beginning of their campaigns and ending somewhere around three weeks before their release.
Batman v. Superman
Release: March 25, 2016
Teaser - 4/17/2015
Comic-Con Trailer - 7/11/2015
Sneak (Kimmel) - 11/30/2015
Trailer 2 - 12/2/2015
TV Spot - 1/9
TV Spot - 1/9
TV Spot - 1/24
TV Spot - 1/24
Final Trailer - 2/14
Henry Cavill/Omaze - 2/22
Eisenberg/Omaze - 2/25
TV Spot - 2/29
TV Spot - 2/29
TV Spot - 2/29
TV Spot - 2/29
Affleck/Omaze - 3/1
Justice League
Release: November 17, 2017
Comic-Con trailer - 7/23/2016
Unite the League (Aquaman) - 3/23
Unite the League (Batman) - 3/23
Unite the League (Flash) - 3/23
Unite the League (Wonder Woman) - 3/24
Unite the League (Cyborg) -3/24
Trailer - 3/25
If your answer is (shrug), you're not alone. Warner Brothers isn't really selling their big summer tentpole. Like, at all
Donna Dickens at Uproxx breaks down this weird lack of marketing.
But if you didn't know Wonder Woman starring Gal Gadot was coming out in 36 days as of today, no one could blame you. Warner Bros. has been weirdly reticent about the marketing campaign for one of the most iconic superheroes in the world. The hype should be off the charts. But, as Shana O'Neil points out over at SyfyWire, it isn't. When Suicide Squad came out, you couldn't escape the world's worst heroes. They were everywhere, despite the average audience-goer knowing only who Harley Quinn and the Joker were due to pop culture osmosis. Everyone knows who Wonder Woman is. Yet a quick look at the playlist for Suicide Squad vs. Wonder Woman on the official Warner Bros. YouTube page is as different as night and day.
The article acknowledges that there is some marketing, and the first comments (and the primary narrative in response to this in general) seem to think this is a calculated move by WB to clear out of Guardians of the Galaxy's way. Which... doesn't make any fucking sense. Giving a competing film space is what you do with release dates. Not with marketing. With marketing, you piggyback. You stick your commercials all over that other release, you make sure when people search for that movie, your ads pop up right next to it.
That's how marketing for these superhero films has worked for a very, very long time now. It just makes sense - if you're already looking at something in the same genre, you're probably gonna be interested in this similar thing.
So why is WB not selling this movie with just over a month to go? Is there a super-compressed press blitz coming? Are they still confused somehow as to how to sell a Wonder Woman movie? Is there something about the movie that makes it so inherently hard to sell that they're just... sitting on their hands?
(My personal worry: They know exactly what they have, and what they have is a Wonder Woman movie where Captain Kirk is the primary hero, and you can't really sell that and not drive the anticipation for your movie into the dirt).
edit: The comparison as used in the article is raising question marks, my post from later in the thread attempts to make a more direct comparison between single superhero films and their YouTube channel upload/updates, starting at the beginning of their campaigns and ending somewhere around three weeks before their release.
Wonder Woman
Release: June 2nd, 2017
Comic Con trailer - 6/23/2016
Trailer - 11/3/2016
Origin Trailer - 3/11
Art featurette - 4/4
Art featurette - 4/4
TV Spot - 4/27
TV Spot - 4/27
Doctor Strange
Release: Nov 4, 2016
Teaser - 4/12
Trailer - 7/23
Sneak Peek - 8/30
Featurette - 9/15
TV Spot - 9/27
TV Spot - 10/5
TV Spot - 10/5
Featurette - 10/10
TV Spot - 10/10
Featurette - 10/13
Man of Steel
Release: June 14, 2013
Teaser (Jor El) - 6/24/2012
Teaser (Jonathan) - 6/24/2012
Trailer 2 - 12/11/2012
TV Spot - 4/8
TV Spot (You are not alone) 4/14
Trailer 3 - 4/16
TV Spot - 5/1
TV Spot - 5/6
TV Spot - 5/12
TV Spot - 5/13
Zod Trailer - 5/21
TV Spot - 5/25
TV Spot - 5/26
Batman v. Superman
Release: March 25, 2016
Teaser - 4/17/2015
Comic-Con Trailer - 7/11/2015
Sneak (Kimmel) - 11/30/2015
Trailer 2 - 12/2/2015
TV Spot - 1/9
TV Spot - 1/9
TV Spot - 1/24
TV Spot - 1/24
Final Trailer - 2/14
Henry Cavill/Omaze - 2/22
Eisenberg/Omaze - 2/25
TV Spot - 2/29
TV Spot - 2/29
TV Spot - 2/29
TV Spot - 2/29
Affleck/Omaze - 3/1
Justice League
Release: November 17, 2017
Comic-Con trailer - 7/23/2016
Unite the League (Aquaman) - 3/23
Unite the League (Batman) - 3/23
Unite the League (Flash) - 3/23
Unite the League (Wonder Woman) - 3/24
Unite the League (Cyborg) -3/24
Trailer - 3/25