THB #515b: Trailers and ShoWest
I saw a bunch of trailers before my 2 movies yesterday.
I saw A Quiet Place: Day One twice. And it seems like Paramount has a smash on its hands… maybe bigger than the original. It has the benefit of an established hit, but also scratches the itch that the original film really made a point of not over-indulging… big action!
On the other hand, Paramount signaled, no doubt unintentionally, that they a crapping their pants over IF, the John Krasinski family fantasy film. They are using the same gimmick for their latest theatrical trailer that they used to promote their Super Bowl commercial, with Ryan Reynolds and Krasinski (this time, the real one) doing schtick as an intro to the trailer. That does not tell me that they are confident that people are getting excited about the content of the film itself. That tells me they are panicking. I hope that this is wrong and that the film is, somehow, embedding itself in the souls of every child in the world. But I have seen all the materials and I still couldn’t tell you more than a sentence about what the film will be. Compare this to Paramount’s Sonic franchise, also mixing CG and live action… those trailers were as clear as a bell. I am very nervous for the movie, the studio, and the industry, as I see this film as a key hinge movie, swinging the summer between a stronger-than-projected one and a weak one.
The Watchers, An M. Night Shyamalan’s Daughter Film, is another trailer I saw twice… and I really dug it. Creepy. Interesting. Want to know what that Shy-family hook is. But the reality is that Daddy Night hasn’t has a $100 million worldwide non-sequel in over a decade. Knock At The Cabin, which had a lot more actor firepower, did $55 million worldwide. Maybe this is one of those $40 million-ish grossers that are hits when A24 or Neon does them, but not so much when a major studio takes them wide.
Civil War turned up in the first screening. Can’t wait. Still.
Tarot, a Screen Gems cheapie, was trailer and, oddly enough, had a giant standee being built in the theater hallway and when I came out of the movie, a live show going on. But the trailer looked like a movie that sticks to the bottom of your shoe. Good pitch. Is it really a movie?
Sting, a Well Go USA title, shocked me by showing up. It looks like a humorless version of 8 Legged Freaks with less money for big effects. Keep it dark! But I will happily try it out when it lands on my TV.
Another movie with a creepy little girl, Abigail, trailed.
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