Well, this Eternal trailer starts off with two "important" information, namely that the movie takes place after Avengers: Endgame (which I guess we might regard as the status quo going forward) and that our immortal alien hero pitches in. Because of the patent "we can't interfere!" Forgiveness. Apparently, they can't help but thank Eason the Searcher, a giant robot-like creature that looks a lot like Galactus.
I get that it's comic book logic and the real reason that the Eternals didn't "exist" in the MCU yet, but I was ever more impressed by how the Minions our evil heroes were frozen for centuries as they The big reasons were 'not included in the great horrors of the 20th and 21st centuries. For all the misery the Man of Steel receives for Superman saving the day like a drunk cashew, at least he doesn't watch the Holocaust play out and say "Okay, that's unfortunate, but I can't interfere." "
Despite comic book continuity applying snark and real-world logic, the sheer size and scope of the horrors conveyed by "The Snape" or "The Blip" is such that it now casts a dire shadow on everything else in the MCU. I have long argued that Tony's "protect my child at all costs" solution, essentially breaking up the world for the second time in five years, would have such surprising consequences as making other world-threatening threats relatively insignificant.
We have a handful of mega-powered creatures whose entire second trailer is mostly about why they didn't appear in Avengers: Infinity War. It's one thing to work with new solo superheroes who are good at martial arts or the constant adventures of a street-level web-slinger. However, the failure of the Avengers in Wakanda in 2018 and their "fix things but not really" solution in New York in 2023 puts a moment on any new super powered creatures that might show up (like the Time Variance Authority) and no one else. Also the new "The world is in danger... this time for real" plotting.
Anyway, now we have our second and "final" trailer for Marvel's Eternals. While this second pitch is still heavy on the "tone rhyme", while actually serving as the 150-second alibi of whether or not the chips were down, it does a better job of establishing who it is. are new, or at least showing some inter-character chemistry. Yes, CGI "deviations" will likely feature most of the action of our heroes shooting CGI powers, but that's par for the course.
The question is whether the MCU brand will help sell a movie that clearly looks like any of the doomed YA fantasy franchises that popped up in the wake of Harry Potter. As noted last May, this is the kind of movie the MCU version of the movie no longer has a chance with Marvel/DC comic book movies. It looks cute, but you take away the MCU logo and it's essentially a teaser trailer for "general audiences have no idea what this fantasy world is", with "giant" engaging in typical fantasy franchise behavior. The stars are not known.
Take away the MCU logo, and it essentially looks like a teaser for Dune or Netflix's television show Jupiter Legacy. This is not unlike many YA fantasy franchises that perished in the wake of first Harry Potter, then Twilight and finally The Hunger Games, selling extensive fantasy adventure world-building without marquee characters like Katniss, Bella or Hermione. I loved Spiderwick Chronicles, The Golden Compass, Beautiful Creatures, Mortal Engine, and even Chaos Walking. But have you seen them?
Chloe Zhao gets billing in the trailer, which allays concerns that Disney will reduce its involvement over alleged displeasure of the Chinese government, which she did before becoming an Oscar-winning director. Avengers: Endgame grossed a record $620 million in China, but the film would have made $2.3 billion (enough to surpass Titanic) without a penny from the world's largest overseas market. Captain Marvel (154 million in China) would have grossed $974 million with or without it.
Spider-Man: Far From Home would have made "just" $932 million without the $199 million Chinese box office. As noted several times over the years, the boom in China for Hollywood has been mostly about artificially increasing (since studios only get back about 25% of ticket sales) of already successful films. global earnings. China rejected Star Wars after The Force Awakens prevented five Disney Star Wars flicks from grossing a combined $5.923 billion.
The Mulan bombing in China last year only mattered because much of the rest of the world was shut down. Before the pandemic, Niki Caro's $200 million action was tracking for a $70-$80 million domestic debut. That said, with the source material (at best) C-levels in terms of mainstream popularity among actual comic book readers, we're getting more "big" stars this time around. The trailer does a better job of highlighting the stacked cast.
We got a solid defeat from Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Koeghan, Don Lee, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie. To the extent that the likes of Hayek, Nanjiani, and Jolie are butt in seat stars, or even "Gee, it would be neat to see them in an MCU movie" stars, well, that decides the commercial fate of the movie. May when it opens (in theaters only or via the Cinemas/Premier Access hybrid option) on November 5, 2021.
I'm not predicting Doom-n-Gloom just yet, especially considering Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings was much better than its trailers. In a normal world, a brand like Marvel or Pixar could get away with short selling their product, secure in the knowledge that people will show up anyway and go "Wow, that's a lot better than I expected!" Discussion after opening weekend. Spoiler-free marketing creates a sense of ownership and discovery among the audience.
It also promotes the legs after debut. We saw late 2013 with Gravity and Frozen, as well as Free Guy last weekend. Here's hoping Eternals is better than it looks, because Lineage certainly is. To the extent it looks like "Marvel Does an Indie Flick" may be to its advantage, it's more impressive for those who otherwise consume straight-up franchise/IP content. When you don't see Taxi Driver or Nightcrawler, Joker and Cruella are like nothing you've ever seen.