How a Movie Trailer can predict its success

Feb 25, 2013

Tonight is the Oscar night. A night when the well made movies triumph. But what happens on the Box Office? Does a movie trailer make it a success? Can it predicts how well it will do? Well, one company does think so.

According to the Innerscope Research study, if a film’s trailer fails to reach a specific emotional engagement threshold (65), it will very likely generate less than $10 million in revenue on opening weekend; a film whose trailer exceeds a certain level (80) will very likely earn more than $20 million the first weekend.

That is an incredible claim!

The company also provides 5 keys to success on the box office.

Grab the audience early. Don’t let the popcorn distract them. (See: The Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man.)
Take them on an emotional journey. The classic hero’s journey storyline works in trailers too. (See: Kung Fu Panda 2, Flight.)
Hold back some pivotal moments. Leave them wanting to see the movie for the full experience. (See: Super 8, The Dark Knight Rises.)
Watch out for attention vampires. Use special effects that support the story, not distract from it. (See: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, The Hunger Games.)
Star power, action sequences, and cool music help, but… great stories with compelling characters are what ultimately drive emotional response. (See: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.)

SOURCE: Carl Marci, Innerscope Research

However, on the Bollywood scene, there are some movies – small budget ones – which have succeeded basically on the basis of an engaging script, which was intelligent and some comedy every moment. Movies like Vicky Donor and Chalo Dilli were like that. Hollywood is of course a different ball game now!