The First Official Movie Trailer Ever Distributed Online

There is no single, universal venue for the release of the first trailer for any given movie. Trailers may be attached to a specific feature film previewed at promotional events like CinemaCon or ComicCon or shown as a preview on related TV shows. However, for online distribution, the story is quite different.

Well, way back in the day, 2010 was a time before widespread internet distribution. The only real place to see a trailer was in the theater. There was no need to qualify it as 'official' because it was understood that the trailer was the official one for the film. It was as reliable as saying 'MAIL' signified a letter delivered by the post office. Then, we had to add 'overnight mail,' 'e-mail text,' and so on. Now, people create trailers from random footage, so the studios had to clarify that the trailer they released was 'official,' not a casual remix.

I would assume that the first trailer was traditionally released to the press first because publicity is paramount in the film industry. Especially for press junkets, where reporters interview the stars of an upcoming movie in one-on-one sessions. Reporters presumably get access to the trailers months in advance to plan their schedules for these events.

It doesn't matter if a trailer is seen online or in a theater; the first trailer is still the first trailer. I have known people who attend a film just to watch the trailer of another upcoming film. Not all industry insiders name every preview for the specific circumstances of its release. Back then, we used to call them the first preview of a coming attraction and would be shown at the end of a main feature film in movie theaters. They were called 'trailers' because they essentially 'trailed' the movie. Typically, the movie theater's program would start with a cartoon, a newsreel for the week's top stories, sometimes a Public Service Announcement, and then the main feature. Finally, the previews would come on.

Now, trailers are shown before the main feature or online, and the term 'preview' could be more accurate. But 'trailers' are still used. Go figure!

Thanks for the A2A. P.S. Whoever thought of adding commercials to movies and trailers should be horsewhipped. IMHO.

Keywords

Movie trailer First online trailer Official trailer