The original Matrix trailer was such stylish mystery and intrigue. Media consumption volume of the average person was drastically less than today and its release predated wide broadband availability. IYKYK but that film dropped like an absolute hype bomb and deserved all the love & success it received.
Just to add to this… When I first saw the trailer, I became completely obsessed with the film. I visited the website and read a bunch of short stories on there about the world of the Matrix.
And besides all that, when I finally sat down in theaters and watched Neo take the red pill, I had absolutely no clue what was happening. Their marketing material 100% avoided even spoiling the very premise of the film. All they did was build a mystery.
Terminator 2 didn’t even feature a single shot from the actual movie in its teaser trailer. It was just that iconic:
I mean, (assuming you’ve seen it already) from what I remember the entire first act is set up for the audience to believe that the T800 is the bad guy again, hunting down Sarah Conner just like before, with a huge reveal when he ends up saving her and her son instead, and the trailer gives that away in the first 30 seconds.
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Cloverfield. It didn’t even contain the title, just the date. It ended up being the biggest January opening of any movie.
Blair Witch Project had one of the best marketing campaigns ever. Hitchcock’s Psycho had a groundbreaking campaign as well.
Yeah I was in highschool (Aus) and we bought the idea that it was real found footage and a real legend, hook, line and sinker. Excellent marketing.
Lion King, hands down. The trailer was just the entire opening scene, and seeing the trailer for the first time (in the theater, as was the style at the time), gave me chills. The scope of the animation was clearly something new, and Carmen Twillie & Lebo M fucking killed the vocals in Circle of Life