The Official TIH Marketing Discussion Thread

[SpaghettiHULK]

Psst...I'm gonna let you in on a little secret: The Marketing isn't present because The VFX CREW IS NOT DONE WITH THE FX YET!!! Once the studio gets the FINISHED PRODUCT back, then we will have the posters and trailers/teasers! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THIS? They DO NOT, repeat... DO NOT have the VISUAL FX BACK YET!!! That is whats holding back the TIH marketing. The marketing plan is set and ready to go. I spoke to one of the execs three days ago.

oh, this is lame... they don't need CGI to make a good teaser like the one from 2003, with Banner and no CGI. Is just to awake people about the movie.
And they neither need CGI to release some official stills.

 

[EmeraldBeast]

oh, this is lame... they don't need CGI to make a good teaser like the one from 2003, with Banner and no CGI. Is just to awake people about the movie.
And they neither need CGI to release some official stills.

Maybe they want to release Hulk pics, ever think about that? Maybe they don't want to just show Banner. Maybe they want to give us what we want and that is the Hulk or a shot of Abomination. What's lame is all the negative stuff, mind you I realize it's a free world and forum but cheese and crackers!!!

 

[Nivek]

This is sooo stupid. How many "Where is the marketing" posts have popped up on here? Guys, next summer is bloated enough. We CAN wait for quality.

 

[Sentinel X]

It has nothing to do with quality. The truth is the Hulk has finished production and is now in the post-production stage. The film comes out in June and they haven't given fans anything. At least update on the website, or show a couple more stills instead of 2.
For a film that comes out in June, it is kind of concerning that they have absolutely nothing out to let people know a new Hulk movie is coming. If they don't have anything ready, thats fine...but don't release the movie in June, save it for fall or winter.

 

[Khemik@L]

Sorry about that...whew! almost blew a gasket, lol. I am getting as antsy as everyone else here. They are delaying my manips for this movie. I have work to do and I'm waiting for some stuff. Anyways, nice to be back. ( I won't be using any language to get booted again anyway, lol.) My weapons are my words. Later Hulk.

Tell me EB. What exactly is your role in this movie?

 

[Khemik@L]

oh, this is lame... they don't need CGI to make a good teaser like the one from 2003, with Banner and no CGI. Is just to awake people about the movie.
And they neither need CGI to release some official stills.

I personally would prefer a teaser with some hulk footage. Given the impatience of the fans it would just make people more irritated seeing a teaser without the hulk in it

 

[Silver Knight]

It has nothing to do with quality. The truth is the Hulk has finished production and is now in the post-production stage. The film comes out in June and they haven't given fans anything. At least update on the website, or show a couple more stills instead of 2.
For a film that comes out in June, it is kind of concerning that they have absolutely nothing out to let people know a new Hulk movie is coming. If they don't have anything ready, thats fine...but don't release the movie in June, save it for fall or winter.

I agree 100%. At least give us a cover or something..

 

[EmeraldBeast]

Tell me EB. What exactly is your role in this movie?

Set design and display.

 

[TOUGHINGTON]

Hmmm the arguments here just dont add up. Marvel clearly want to make a GOOD promo as the 2003 hulk had a negative response when they leaked early hulk shots. Whats the point in showing a teaser with banner, On the one hand people seem to be saying that they need a kick ass trailer to change the negativity from th efirst film, then they say that we should have something, anything now. How is a trailer with banner, or a half finished cgi trailer going to be kick ass? June is 5 and a half bloody months away. the general public does not book into its diary that far in advance to go to the cinema. I believ that Feb will be that start of a marketing campaign that will start slowly ( as it has) and hit fever pitch a month before. The movie is already in the public subconcious as it was banded around as a film to catch in 2008 last year in the tabloids. Id love to see something but they have to get it right due to the first films reaction. ( Oh and hulk has to win out on strength in the end but I belive he doesnt. He outsmarts Abom and thats just wrong, hulk is strength, not brains).

 

[topdog1]

I personally would prefer a teaser with some hulk footage. Given the impatience of the fans it would just make people more irritated seeing a teaser without the hulk in it

Yes, I can wait. Learn from the first film and make the first images simply epic. You have a lot to live down with Ang Lee's mess. You need the first images to simply floor people and shut up any potential critics. A lot of people want Hulk to fail. (Anti-Marvel folks and fans of other summer films)Don't give the enemy any ammunition and do it right. You only get one first impression.

 

[Bannerless Hulk]

Okay... I never post. I read the posts here on the site just about every day, but for the most part I really dont see a reason to post anything so I dont.

But I just cannot set back on this one.

I actually enjoyed the last Hulk, and was dissapointed that the majority of people that saw it didnt really care for it (my wife included), but I grew up a Hulk fan, and they could have had a guy running around in a green rubber suit, and I would have enjoyed it just because it was the Hulk on the big screen.

Now to the point of this lack of marketing... I just dont get it. In my opinion they are making a huge mistake by not showing anything. Everyone that didnt like the previous Hulk... In their mind they already plan on not giving this one a chance... So how would you get them into the theatres to see this "new" Hulk movie? By showing what a great cast they have put together for this one, and by atleast showing hints of what this new Hulk is going to look like. And I dont mean on websites like superherohype... I mean on TV, and in posters at theatres, and some kind of promotions in stores.

They have got to know that in order to change the minds of the people that didnt care for Ang's Hulk that they are going to have to show something, and with enough time for everyone to get it through their head that this isnt a sequal, but a "supposedly" different take on the Hulk story.

That would be like making Batman Begins only a couple of years after Batman Forever, and not doing any marketing for it. How many people would have really gave it a chance?

The super bowl trailer is a smart move.... but at this point... It really wasnt even a choice if they wanted to give this movie a chance.

Thats just my opinion

Thanks for posting. About the bolded part, I wonder if it isn't Marvel's strategy to simply leave it up to the movie itself - above and beyond the trailers - to re-establish a confidence with viewers. You mention Batman Begins. Well, I don't remember a heavy ad campaign leading up to that movie. Maybe there was one, but for me, the movie pretty much went under the radar all the way up until I was seated in the theater. Only AFTER the movie did I think that Batman had made a comeback.

I can keep waiting. Per the interview with Norton, this is only the beginning. Marvel & Co. is in it for the marathon, not the sprint. They want quality, confidence with the public, etc., and these things just don't come with hastily released trailers, stills and whatnot after the bombshell that was Ang's Hulk.

 

[topdog1]

You mention Batman Begins. Well, I don't remember a heavy ad campaign leading up to that movie.

FYI- Batman Begins spent a record (at the time) $100 million on advertising alone. Maybe it wasn't money well spent but they threw a boatload of cash around.

 

[Bannerless Hulk]

And that's fine if there was one (a heavy ad campaign). The essence of my post was that I still went into the theater un-enamored by all of the buzz. In my mind, Batman still sucked on account of the previous movies and that Batman Begins had a lot of ground to recover... but I still went nonetheless, in spite of the trailers, because of my general interest in comic book movies. I suspect it may be this way with a lot of people and, truly, I wouldn't be surprised if the trailers for TIH have little or no impact on actual attendance.

I mean, I'm just theorizing things if you will... trying to guess what maybe Marvel sees that we impatient fans do not. My feeling is they sense just what a precipice that Ang's Hulk dug for the Hulk and that, if anything is going to restore the big green fella's reputation, it's going to be the big green guy himself. It's going to be the positive word-of-mouth that directly stems from the movie itself and not the pre-movie buzz, imo. Do you see what I'm getting at? They're in it for the long-term and if the movie delivers at all, then they've made significant inroads for an even more successful second installment. My two cents...

 

[Obi-Ron]

I tend to agree, Marvel is clearly trying to avoid the problems created last time by the workprint. For those who don't recall, an early verson of Ang Lee's Hulk was leaked with unfinished effects work, leading to poor word of mouth about the movie, and almost certainly hurt the box office. I don't blame them for playing close to the vest this time.

That said, they could throw us a freaking bone here, people.

 

[webhead731]

Can I see this "leaked cartoony footage" somewhere?

All the CGI I remember seeing (TV and theater trailers etc) looked good to me. I wasn't posting on the boards back then.

 

[topdog1]

I still went nonetheless, in spite of the trailers, because of my general interest in comic book movies. I suspect it may be this way with a lot of people and, truly, I wouldn't be surprised if the trailers for TIH have little or no impact on actual attendance.

I mean, I'm just theorizing things if you will... trying to guess what maybe Marvel sees that we impatient fans do not. My feeling is they sense just what a precipice that Ang's Hulk dug for the Hulk and that, if anything is going to restore the big green fella's reputation, it's going to be the big green guy himself. It's going to be the positive word-of-mouth that directly stems from the movie itself and not the pre-movie buzz, imo. Do you see what I'm getting at? They're in it for the long-term and if the movie delivers at all, then they've made significant inroads for an even more successful second installment. My two cents...

Positive word-of-mouth will give it good legs like BB but Marvel has to be concerned with the opening weekend. ALL movies now focus on the opening weekend for a reason. Frontloaded paydays rule the summer box office. Sadly, there will be no "long-term" if the movie doesn't do well enough right off the bat, I don't care how good the reaction. Everyone accepts this even though it is goofy. That's why I think the trend of revealing all or most of the "money shots" in the trailers happens. Long-term success rarely happens in a crowded summer.

You have to put butts in the seats that opening weekend. Believe me, that's what Marvel/Universal and the marketing gurus are worried about at this point. Comic book fans are a given and such a small percentage that Marvel can't even be concerned with us, nor should they be. We're paying to see this movie no matter what. With Hancock and Dark Knight following the Hulk, the window is small to make the serious cash. That's why first reaction to any trailer or images is more crucial then with any other movie this year. If they don't stun people right out of the box, they're screwed. That's the burden Ang Lee's movie handed to this film. That's also why I'm glad they're waiting to do it 100% right. Don't tease or half-ass anything. Do it complete and do it right or else Incredible Hulk won't be taken seriously even though it'll probably be a great film.

 

[Jasper]

A bunch of you are saying that the release of the infamous crappy
CGI last time around hurt the movie. I don't so. Sure people complained, but Hulk opened with 24.3 Million and ended up with 62.1 Million for the weekend. That was the 16th top grossing weekend for a movie all time. People really wanted to see this movie. No it wasn't the early release of crappy CGI that hurt the movie, it was the movie that hurt the movie.

 

[topdog1]

A bunch of you are saying that the release of the infamous crappy
CGI last time around hurt the movie. I don't so. Sure people complained, but Hulk opened with 24.3 Million and ended up with 62.1 Million for the weekend. That was the 16th top grossing weekend for a movie all time. People really wanted to see this movie. No it wasn't the early release of crappy CGI that hurt the movie, it was the movie that hurt the movie.

Good point but that means they have to really work at overcoming the "fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me" factor. The general public's initial reaction to the Incredible Hulk has to be a positive one.

Also, 2003 Hulk's opening was damn good but it was still $25 million less then X2's opening weeks before. Marvel was on a serious roll and Hulk certainly benefited from the carry over. The novelty has worn off a bit. One thing's for certain, the unfavorable Super Bowl spot certainly didn't help anything.

 

[Bannerless Hulk]

Positive word-of-mouth will give it good legs like BB but Marvel has to be concerned with the opening weekend. ALL movies now focus on the opening weekend for a reason. Frontloaded paydays rule the summer box office. Sadly, there will be no "long-term" if the movie doesn't do well enough right off the bat, I don't care how good the reaction. Everyone accepts this even though it is goofy. That's why I think the trend of revealing all or most of the "money shots" in the trailers happens. Long-term success rarely happens in a crowded summer.

You have to put butts in the seats that opening weekend. Believe me, that's what Marvel/Universal and the marketing gurus are worried about at this point. Comic book fans are a given and such a small percentage that Marvel can't even be concerned with us, nor should they be. We're paying to see this movie no matter what. With Hancock and Dark Knight following the Hulk, the window is small to make the serious cash. That's why first reaction to any trailer or images is more crucial then with any other movie this year. If they don't stun people right out of the box, they're screwed. That's the burden Ang Lee's movie handed to this film. That's also why I'm glad they're waiting to do it 100% right. Don't tease or half-ass anything. Do it complete and do it right or else Incredible Hulk won't be taken seriously even though it'll probably be a great film.

Well, you may be on to something and maybe you're right. The only thing I want to clarify is, by "long-term," I meant beyond this summer. I understand it's a crowded one (when is it not?), but I'm thinking more along the lines of Hulk 2, 3, etc. In my mind, regardless of that opening weekend, if the movie registers as "good" with the people who do actually see it, then that's a plus for Marvel. But I understand the bottom line ($$) tends to dictate everything and, hence, cede that maybe it's more important than I realize.

A bunch of you are saying that the release of the infamous crappy
CGI last time around hurt the movie. I don't so. Sure people complained, but Hulk opened with 24.3 Million and ended up with 62.1 Million for the weekend. That was the 16th top grossing weekend for a movie all time. People really wanted to see this movie. No it wasn't the early release of crappy CGI that hurt the movie, it was the movie that hurt the movie.

You know, I normally don't say much about the 2003 Hulk's CGI, but since we're getting closer to a trailer - Super Bowl or bust - the comments to the effect that the CGI killed the movie seem to be popping up more & more and I really don't understand them. I wasn't posting around here at the time, but I can tell you this Hulk fan went to the movie without the CGI being even a remote concern. And the fact is you're right - the box office numbers don't support the claim that the CGI killed the movie, either before or after, anyway. It was the movie itself. Just had to rant about that, since all of these CGI worrywarts have become more prevalent of late. It's a non-issue in my mind. Welcome to SHH, btw.

 

[TOUGHINGTON]

MOST the general public wont even be bothered about the Ang film it was 5 years ago. Theyll want to watch a good movie, and in the end thats what this film needs to be to be a success. Pumping out promo now or later will be pointless if whats being put out is not going to grab the GENERAL audience. There is soooooooooo much competition in the summer seasons, but like I said people onthe whole do not plan in Jan what theyll see in June, unless theyre geeks like us. You could market it 1 month before hand and still be sure to put bums on sats if whats shown is top drawer.

 

[TOUGHINGTON]

Remember everyone knows already that has any film knowledge at all that there is a hulk film approaching, its been plastered everywhere.

 

[WalterKovacs]

so, this movie really is gonna bomb, isnt it?

 

[Excel]

Universals bought one super bowl spot; my guess its Hulk and then they play trailer with Leatherheads.

 

[WalterKovacs]

look at it this way; x-men the last stand didnt have any advertising until december, the movie opened in may, and then did beautifully. granted, it was crap, but it earned a whole lot.

 

[Spade]

What worries me the most is that the live-action footage with a few SFX shots should be able to impress people. I've noticed that the technique most often taken with movies that are poor in every category sans action is that they hold out until they can make a trailer that tries to impress with action the entire way through.

That, if anything, is what's bugging me. I've seen a scant amount (at most) of the story this movie wants to tell being discussed; heck, the Hurt interview basically gave away the ending like it wasn't important at all. It's hard to say if they're being cautious after the first one or if this is just a hollow summer movie.