When it comes to marketing, the multi-bajillion dollar budgets of nearly every tentpole theatrical release of the past decade or so have left little room for experimentation, or often any fun. There are still great, thrilling trailers made for Hollywood movies, but there’s also a sameyness that creeps in, with coming attractions often feeling as though they’ve been made from the same safe, time-tested, but uninspired template.
As fan culture has overtaken the box office, actual fans on the ground are the ones who’ve been doing the lord’s work in reimagining popular franchises in new and interesting ways. We’ll probably never see a real big-budget Muppet movie directed by Rob Zombie, a twee indie Mario Bros. movie, or a ‘70s/’80s-era superhero team-up, but we’re invited to imagine those concepts via some very clever fans and filmmakers with maybe a bit too much time on their hands (bless ‘em).
Many of the following fan-made trailers are better (and far more labor intensive) than actual trailers you might see on the big screen. Just as often I’d also rather see the fake movie being imagined than much of what actually makes it onto the big screen.