Does Hype Kill a Movie?

Post by: Sarah Barclay

Movies are released all the time, ranging from large scale to more independent productions, but what happens when what seems like unconditional praise surrounds either the releases or weeks following?

Oversharing

We, as humans, have strong opinions on the things we like, dislike, and what we agree and disagree on, from politics, to morals, to our favorite and least favorite movies. We have an overwhelming urge to have the people around us like what we like, so we have a tendency to constantly present these things as the “best thing ever,” when it most likely isn’t. I’ve personally done this as well, so I can’t say I’m not guilty.

When it comes to movies, people can get pretty vocal about what they think, especially with new releases or movies set to release. Newly released movies can suffer from the “new movie hype”. Social media contributes to this hype by bombarding audiences with countdowns, extremely biased opinions based on actors, and other promotional gimmicks as a way of bringing people in. This can misconstrue an individual’s perspective of the film they’re about to see. They get their hopes up or aren’t expecting much, depending on what they heard before walking in the theater. It can be detrimental to the movie’s success and the audience’s enjoyment.

Trailers

Trailers, easily, are the biggest thing that can either turn you on or off to a movie set to release. They’re supposed to act as a spoiler-free synopsis for the film, but in more modern movies, trailers add more information than is needed or not enough. Either way, this can hype up a movie. People go into the film expecting to get a deeper explanation of the 2-minute advertisement, but often they get the complete opposite of what was presented in the clip. Suicide Squad is a perfect example of this phen

omenon. Jared Leto's Joker reincarnation was highly anticipated. Trailers emphasized his role, and there was a ton of talk about Leto's method acting for this character. In reality, though, his screen time was incredibly limited in relation to the rest of the story. So, when it came time to watch the full-length feature, fan theories were crushed, expected plot lines destroyed, and the audience left disappointed.

Can Hype Ever Go Away?

In today’s social climate, films either get traction or they don’t. Either way, it can easily snowball into something fans don’t want. We either end up with movies with too much hype that will tarnish them for people who have never seen them, or movies with not enough hype that are really diamonds in the rough. Take La La Land and Moonlight for example. Both films are critically acclaimed, but despite their accomplishments, there are plenty of people who see these films and aren’t impressed. The disproving audience may be on that end of the spectrum because the movies didn’t reach their expectations or because they found the films to be put on too high of a pedestal.

Depending on how much hype you are exposed to going into a film and how swayed your judgement is (based on social media, friends, trailers, etc.), it’s possible for hype to diminish due to your personal opinions and expectations. Bottom line, we think it’s better to go into a film blind -- maybe under the influence of one trailer, just so you know what you’re going to see -- because no one is there to tell you what to think, except yourself.