Pros And Cons Of Movie Marketing Regulations

Man of Steel and Star Trek Into Darkness come to mind) that use their marketing materials to set the tone for the audience but save the big reveals for the actual theater experience. Unfortunately, not everybody does this and we have many trailers each year that spoil everything. It's tricky for trailer editors to find a balance between a tease and showing too much. Frequently, so-called "money shots" (think: the Jaeger swinging the ship in the latest Pacific Rim trailer, shown below) are used as a major selling point, but these iconic images are then not as impactful when we see them in the finished film (even if they are presented out of context, we're still waiting for said moment). The National Association of Theater Owners (or NATO for all you history students) is looking to combat this with a set of new marketing regulations for movie studios. In a recent report, it was announced that NATO wishes to put specific limits on trailers amongst other guidelines. In this article, I will examine the pros and cons of their intentions. Click "Next" to begin...