Horror Marketing Fails: Why Revealing Twists Kills Box Office Success

In the bustling world of film marketing, where a single trailer can make or break a movie's success, two recent horror films, "Companion" and "Abigail," serve as cautionary tales. NYT bestselling author Jason Pargin analyzes their marketing strategies, highlighting how revealing key plot twists in trailers and ads negatively impacted their box office performance. "These films suffered because they gave away the core mystery in their marketing," Pargin explains. "The audience had no reason to see the movie because they already knew the twist." Pargin contrasts this with the successful marketing of "The Matrix," which famously withheld crucial information, creating intrigue and driving audiences to theaters. He also notes the shift in modern film marketing, where audiences are incredibly selective about what content they consume. "Movies are not allowed to surprise us in the same way they could before," he observes. The analysis offers valuable insights into the evolving landscape of film marketing and the challenges faced by filmmakers in capturing audience attention in the digital age.