Sony Pictures has managed to infuriate hard-core Spider-Man fans with the release of its second trailer for Spider-Man: Homecoming. Although the reboot won’t hit the big screen for another three months, the trailer’s three minutes detail some (if not all) of the movie’s main tension points—giving away much about Iron Man’s relationship with Spider-Man, the possible fate of a certain villain, and several other plot details.
Watch at your own risk:
The film marks the third big-screen version of the Marvel Spider-Man franchise, and stars Tim Holland as Spider-Man, with director Jon Watts at its helm.
In his review of the trailer, the Verge’s Chris Plante recommended “sitting this one out, especially if you’re spoiler-intolerant.” And fans have taken to social media to complain that the trailer reveals too much of the story arc.
Trailers have always worked to tease the story and build up audience excitement for an upcoming film, but the tactics have evolved over the past century as competition for audiences’ attention has increased exponentially. Old Hollywood’s artful trailers featured hyperbolic title cards promising viewers a “great motion picture” filled with celebrities and state-of-the-art technology. Today’s mini film-like trailers aim to provide a synopsis that’s punchy and filled with money shots.
Even if directors don’t like it, there’s plenty of evidence that the more audiences know, the more likely they are to actually go watch the movie. “If someone’s going to pay $20 to go on opening weekend to see this movie, they want to know that they are making a pretty good investment,” Matt Brubaker, the president of theatrical at Trailer Park, a company that produces trailers, told Entertainment Weekly. “As much as people complain that trailers give away too much, nine times out of 10, the more of the plot you give away, the more interest you garner from the audiences.”
If you’re spoiler-averse but curious to get a taste of the upcoming Spider-Man movie, you might instead watch its first two-minute teaser trailer, released in December—which sets up Peter Parker’s less-than-normal life as an awkward teenager, and was more positively received.
Sticking with the first teaser for a major franchise movie, and avoiding subsequent trailers, is generally a good rule of thumb, Plante advises. And for those who are especially spoiler-sensitive, you can also now mute or block spoilers on your Twitter feed.