Five Keys to Understanding Online Film Trailer Performance

The majority of online audiences visit major video-sharing destinations to consume video content of all shapes and sizes, including film trailers and related content. In fact, movie trailers are consistently among the most popular clips on the Web (and make up more than 15% of Visible Measures’ 100 Million Views Club).

As with all social video, clicking the “play” button is just the beginning of a viewer's interaction with a trailer, and, potentially, a film. Viewers can then rate the trailer, comment on it, share the link via e-mail or instant messaging, embed the clip in their social networking profile(s) or blog, and even pull the stream down to remix or recreate it, and then re-upload the final product to any number of video-sharing sites.

For the most comprehensive view of a film’s online reception, you should look at every interaction with every video related to the film, whether the video was created and uploaded by the movie studio or by an enthusiastic member of the viewing audience.

This approach is based on True Reach™, a measurement that encompasses views generated by studio-syndicated clips (the trailers and cast interviews uploaded by the studios or their agencies) as well as audience-generated content (video reviews, user tributes, and reposts). Accurate assessments of online interest in a film can only occur with such an expansive approach.

When analyzing the films on the chart, consider that an analysis of 25 recent online video film campaigns revealed that the average film experiences a dramatic increase in views during the week prior to launch, generating daily view counts approximately 300% higher than those just a month before release. 

To understand how a film is performing online, and to assess what these results might mean for box office potential, compare this film against others in the same genre as well as those that open at the same time. This analysis will be more fruitful and illuminating than judging success based on the performance of a single film.

While it's still too early to equate online video views with box office dollars, the reception of an online film campaign can serve as a key indicator of the film’s eventual box office performance.

For instance, online video content for Summit’s Twilight amassed more than 100 million views by the time the film launched last November. Twilight had 1,800% more views than the “average” film in the week prior to launch, and subsequently delivered a robust $70 million opening weekend.