Why Movie Trailers Hit Different in a Theater Compared to Online Viewing: ‘Discovery Is Like Falling in Love’

Five top executives chop it up at Variety's Entertainment Marketing Summit over Gen Alpha's embrace of theatrical, the rise of video game IP, nostalgia's lure for younger audiences and more

By Cynthia Littleton

Cynthia Littleton

Business Editor

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Gen Z moviegoing habits, the magic of discovering trailers and the lure of nostalgia for simpler times were among the subjects raised in a lively roundtable of top film and streaming marketing leaders held Wednesday as part of Variety’s annual Entertainment Marketing Summit.

The five executives also chopped it up about the “evolutionary process” that explains why video games have emerged as such vital source material for movies. And they debated Tom Rothman’s call issued last week at CinemaCon in Las Vegas when the Sony Pictures chief urged exhibitors (and studios) to trim the number of ads and trailers that precede movie screenings.

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