4 Tips To Guide Your Movie Trailer Distribution
The quality of a movie trailer can mean the difference between a successful opening weekend and a box-office flop.
In fact, there are plenty of examples of movies that were made by their trailers. And creating an engaging and intriguing piece of pre-release content is an art-form unto itself.
But what persuades fence-sitters to go see your film, or gets film buffs talking? How do you entice groups of friends – and how do you snare those coveted opening night viewers?
Using Unruly EQ for Trailers™, the most comprehensive content evaluation tool on the market, we tested hundreds of movies to understand what makes different moviegoers tick.
To get you started, here are 4 tips (backed up by data) that can guide your trailer distribution.
1. 29% of moviegoers are more likely to watch a movie on opening weekend after seeing the trailer
Trailers increased a sense of urgency to see the movie for a third of viewers, switching their response to “would you see this movie?” from “maybe” to “yes, on opening weekend!”. Capitalise on this by using pre-release distribution and making sure you reach as many moviegoers as possible in advance.
2. “Trailer converts” are 81% more likely to convince their friends to come too!
Once your trailer has convinced one person to go see your film, the effect snowballs! Persuasive and engaging trailers make people want to spread the word, which can lead to increased box office revenue. Use Unruly Custom Audiences to identify these “converts” (people convinced by the trailer to see the film) and reach them in your market ahead of launch!
3. Positive emotions and cognitive responses increase interest in the movie
A trailer that converts audiences is 25% more likely to elicit a strong positive emotional response, such as Warmth or Sadness, or a strong cognitive response, such as Shock.
4. Trailers that elicit surprise are more likely to drive people to the theatre
Trailers that reveal something new about a film’s content, like a previously unrevealed star or an unexpected tone, are likely to drive interest – with 26% of ‘converts’ feeling intense surprise while watching. Consider keeping some secrets from your audience and surprising them in the trailer to kickstart the conversation.
