10 Movies Killed By God-Awful Trailers

Never underestimate the power of a great trailer. The crappiest blockbuster, rom-com, or superhero flick can make a billion dollars if the promotion is done right. Moviegoers flocked to see The Phantom Menace and the Transformers sequels, despite the scathing reviews, because they were won over by the masterfully crafted advertising campaign.

Of course, there are some trailers which failed to impress us. Previews for The Emoji Movie were cringeworthy. Clips from Batman V Superman spoiled Doomsday's big reveal. The first footage for Sonic the Hedgehog was so frosty, it compelled the director to redesign the titular character.

Although these promotions were terrible, it didn't stop these movies from crushing it at the box-office. Even if a film has a terrible trailer, it can still make money if it hails from a recognised property.

But that's not always the case. There are some teasers that are so poor, they annihilate any interest you had in watching the film, even if you were dying to see it up until that point. We're not just talking about trailers that are generic or boring. These trailers are so god-awful, they single-handedly killed any chance of these films turning a profit.

Observe and Report's trailer opens with a security guard called Ronnie trying to stop a flasher showing his bits to the public. Based on that set-up alone, you'd safely assume this comedy is in the same vein as Paul Blart: Mall Cop.

The fact that the cast includes comedic talents like Patton Oswalt, Aziz Ansari, Michael Pena, Anna Faris, and its lead star, Seth Rogen compounds this assumption further.

But contrary to what the trailer implies, Observe and Report is about a troubled security guard struggling with bipolar and living with his alcoholic mother. Although the film is a comedy, it relies more on dark humour rather than the zany antics you'd expect from a Rogen flick.

Even though Observe and Report is decent, many viewers hated it, simply because it was not what the trailer promised.

Imagine if Die Hard was advertised as a comedy. It would still be awesome, but viewers would be totally thrown off since it wasn't what they were expecting.

If the trailer for Observe and Report focused on the serious tone, viewers would've known what was in store for them, and enjoyed the movie a lot more.