So, what are the benefits of using trailers in the movie industry? Well, for one, they can help promote a movie before it even premieres. Secondly, trailers can help to create anticipation for a movie and give audiences a sneak peak at what to expect. Finally, trailers can be used as marketing tools to generate awareness for a film and increase its box office success.
In this article, we take a look at the 10 most iconic movie trailers of all time.
Our team of experts has painstakingly selected the best movie trailers of all time. Here are our top 30 trailers! ..
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Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
There have been a fair few trailers that have adopted Led Zepellin’s Immigrant Song, with Thor being the most noteworthy entry. However, Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is far more imaginative in its use of this track. With no dialogue, sharp cuts and an intriguing glimpse at the film’s narrative, this is one beautifully composed trailer. ..
Avengers: Infinity War
The film begins with the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, which saw the Sokovia Accords expire and Thanos take control of the Infinity Stones. The film then jumps ahead to a year later, as Thanos has gathered all of the Infinity Stones and uses them to create a powerful new body called the Mad Titan. The film then jumps back to present day, as we follow Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and her team as they try to stop Thanos from taking the Tesseract.
The Guardians of the Galaxy came together for the first time in a live action film and it was amazing. The shots that didn’t make the final cut were still amazing and it was great to see Cap come out of the shadows and hear Alan Silvestri’s iconic score. ..
In a close toss-up between Civil War and Infinity War, this film’s scope and hype just about edge it. With over $2 billion in global box office receipts, Civil War is on course to become the biggest movie of all time. However, Infinity War has already proven itself as one of the most anticipated films of all time, with fans eager to see how it will compare to the original Star Wars movies.
Judas and the Black Messiah
This video, created by a team of filmmakers and directed by a young up-and-coming filmmaker, has quickly become one of the most popular on YouTube. The trailer is an amazing piece of art that captures the essence of the film perfectly. It’s not just a good trailer, it’s an amazing piece of art that should be given an Oscar for its excellence.
This 2-minute teaser manages to give just enough away about the plot while simultaneously building up to a bombastic final 30 seconds or so with lots of action. Not only that, but Fred Hampton’s words overlapping, screaming “You can murder a freedom fighter but you can’t murder freedom,” perfectly captures what this film is all about. ..
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Teaser Trailer 2)
The first two movies in the new trilogy were okay, but not great. The third movie was a disaster and it’s hard to believe that Disney would even release another movie in the series after that. The only thing that kept people coming back for more was the hope of a new story, but this movie delivered nothing but mediocrity.
The Force Awakens teaser trailer was a massive phenomenon when it released and although the official trailer gained more acclaim, it essentially used this teaser as a successful springboard to success. Oh and as others have already mentioned, Luke Skywalker gets more lines in the trailer than he does in the whole film. Go figure! ..
The Handmaiden
The Handmaiden is a short, quirky film that’s sure to leave audiences curious. It’s concise and to the point, making it a great addition to any movie collection.
This is going to be an arthouse picture with stunning cinematography, but the story? We don’t know what it is. You’ll just have to watch the film to find out!
Alien
The most iconic and well-known trailer of all time is the one for Alien. It manages to keep the viewer on the edge of their seats with its quick cuts and an iconic wailing score. The tagline, “In space, no one can hear you scream,” is also genius.
Cloverfield (Teaser before Transformers)
Cloverfield elevated the found footage craze beyond simple horrors into the realm of action blockbusters. It’s hard to see now but back then, Cloverfield stunned audiences with its teaser. I personally remember sitting in a theatre with numerous people chatting away through the trailers. They weren’t chatting through this one. ..
The teaser for Transformers: The Last Knight was very well-done and managed to captivate audiences immediately. This speaks volumes about the quality of the film, as people are more likely to talk about something they’re interested in than something they’re not. ..
Goodnight Mommy
The psychological thriller Goodnight Mommy is up there with the giants of the horror genre, wrestling with the questions of what it means to be human. This psychologically charged trailer may show a little too much but it’s absolutely gripping from start to finish.
The trailer for “The Conjuring” manages to walk the line between mystery and horror with aplomb. The suspense is palpable from the first minutes of the film, until the end, when the trailer ends with an eerie orchestral rendition that leaves you desperate to know more.
The Social Network
The Social Network is an extraordinarily good movie. It’s well-made, well-acted and has a great story. The trailer is also very good.
The Radiohead music video for “You Don’t Get to 500 Million Friends Without Making a Few Enemies” is an excellent example of sound and editing working together to create a powerful message. The film’s tagline, “You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies,” is an apt description of the video’s content. ..
Logan
Logan is an incredible movie that should have won a Best Picture Oscar. The trailer really does the flick justice.
Logan is the perfect ending to Wolverine in many ways. The song choice is clever and deliberate, as it reflects on Wolverine’s struggles and how he has faced them up until this point in the X-Men timeline.
This trailer is a goosebump-inducing teaser for one of Marvel’s best pictures to date. ..
Cloud Atlas Extended Trailer 1
The 5-minute trailer for the new film seems to give away too much of the plot. Is this really how best trailers are supposed to be? ..
The movie is set in a world where time has been rewritten, and the events of our own lives are constantly being rewritten as well. The characters are all struggling to keep up with the ever-changing landscape, and the themes of love, loss, and hope are all explored in great depth.
M83’s “Outro” is a catchy tune that has been used by chefs to start their meals.
The Shining (Teaser Trailer)
The teaser trailer for The Shining is a minimalist gem that gives you just enough to entice you in. Fans of King’s book would be taken aback by the creative differences!
After reading through a long list of text, the sound of discordant bells and the rush of blood through the hallway is enough to immediately pique one’s interest. ..
Whiplash
Whiplash is a movie that is both stunning and gripping. The acting is excellent, with J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller shining in their roles. The tension in the film is intense, leading to one of the best endings to a movie in a long time.
The new trailer for “The Great Wall” has people talking. The intense pursuit of greatness is on full display, with a drum crescendo at the end that quickens the pace. This movie looks like it will be worth watching. ..
Suicide Squad (2016)
The Suicide Squad trailer is next level. It’s exciting, suspenseful, and features some of the best acting in the movie. It’s a great way to introduce the film to new audiences and give them a taste of what to expect.
The film manages to introduce all of its “heroes” with a balance of comedy and action.
The Joker is a welcome addition to “Suicide Squad,” but his inclusion is only a tease. The use of Queen alongside the well-timed cuts between the action and expository text makes for one heck of a watch. ..
Warner Bros. was so impressed with this trailer, they actually brought the editor along to edit the whole movie. ..
Only God Forgives
This 90 second teaser for Only God Forgives is a great preview of what the finished product will be like. The style of the trailer is very different from the movie, but it’s still a great experience.
Man of Steel Trailer 3
The main point of this article is that there are a lot of trailers released for Man Of Steel and the three main trailers, number 3 is arguably the best. The song choice is so fitting, while the visuals work in tandem with that to sell Superman’s origin story.
In a film that is already full of action and excitement, Man Of Steel provides just the right amount of teaser for Supe’s upcoming film. It also features Hans Zimmer doing perfect justice to the Superman theme.
Inception
Inception is a mind-bending sci-fi thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire way through. From the brilliant mind of Christopher Nolan, Inception is a show that will leave you wondering what will happen next. “Dreams feel real while we’re in them, but when we wake up we realize something was actually strange.” This is an example of how Inception manages to keep you engaged throughout its runtime.
Inception’s trailer has been a mainstay in movie trailers for years, and its ability to tease a film’s epic potential while explaining enough to get you invested in the story is definitely up there. The trailer has helped to define the movie for many, and it will be interesting to see how it fares when it comes out in theaters on July 20th.
The Lion King (Teaser Trailer)
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The Lion King teaser is a beautiful rendition of Circle Of Life that showcases the first 4 minutes of the movie. It works.
The Lion King is a beautiful film that introduces all the main characters and establishes the film’s main theme around the family, life and tradition. The song is goosebump-inducing and testament to the quality of The Lion King that the film still stands up to this day.
Mission Impossible: Fallout
The idea of combining the Mission Impossible theme with Friction by Imagine Dragons is a genius idea. Fallout itself is one of the best MI movies, and the trailer definitely does the movie justice.
The editing is sharp, perfectly in-sync with the beat and manages to tease all the big action set-pieces with just enough jaw-dropping, wide sweeping camera movements.
American Sniper
The film’s opening sequence is a powerful and stirring tale of revenge, set against the backdrop of the Iraq War. It’s a stirring opener that sets the tone for the rest of the movie. The flashback sequences in particular are well-done and add to the film’s overall feeling of suspense.
The movie is set to release soon and has already generated a lot of hype. The trailer ends with an intense moment that leaves the viewer on the edge of their seat. ..
Battle: Los Angeles
Battle: Los Angeles is one of the worst films on this list. It has a lot of shaky cam and extreme close-ups, which doesn’t live up to its trailer’s premise of an insane global conflict. ..
The editor for this trailer deserves a lot of praise for their choice of music and the action-packed, eerie feel of the trailer. ..
Terminator Salvation
In Terminator Salvation, the Terminator is finally brought back to life after being dormant for many years. He is now a powerful and deadly weapon, ready to take on any threat. This epic action movie promises to be one of the most exciting and thrilling ever made.
The most recent Terminator film completely destroys the credibility of this one. However, the trailer is so epic and promises such an incredible movie, that the finished product was never going to match this. ..
Little Children
The trailer for Little Children is a great example of how to take a very simple concept, and build up layers of sound to tease the film’s main premise. The first layer is the sound of children playing. The next layer is the sound of children crying. The final layer is the sound of children laughing.
The film starts with the sound of a train, builds up to the “chuga chuga” (the technical term of course) noise and ends with the toy trains crashing together (signifying the climax of the film). Little Children leaves one desperate to find out more about this picture.
Us
The trend in trailers seems to be taking a pop song and adding a minor key to distort the feel. Us is one of the better examples, taking the upbeat “I got Five On It” and distorting that, slowly but surely, across the run-time.
The trailer for “Slender Man” is one of the better horror efforts, with a perfect song choice and an in-sync scene with a baseball bat. ..
Citizen Kane
Orson Welles was 25 when he made Citizen Kane. This film is regarded by many as one of the best of all time. The trailer is both self-aware and delightfully odd.
This trailer is definitely one of a kind. The camera tricks are really clever, and the narration adds to the unusualness of it. So is this the best trailer of all time? We’ll leave that up to you to decide! ..
Prometheus
So after the third and fourth Alien movies, anticipation for a prequel movie exploring the inception of the xenomorphs and the world before Ripley’s exploits aboard the Nostromo certainly whet the appetite. The question is, can we trust that director Ridley Scott will deliver on this promise?
The new trailer for the movie “The Witch” is clever in that it uses the same wailing sound from the original trailer to create a sense of familiarity and anticipation. However, the actual movie itself is lackluster and does not live up to the hype created by the trailer. ..
Jaws
The film that caused an entire generation to wrongly vilify sharks is Jaws. This incredible movie still holds up to this day, and is probably one of the better “movie guy” trailers, featuring just the right balance of narration and teasing glimpses of the killer shark out at sea. ..
The trailer not only introduces the main characters, it also introduces the iconic score that’s become synonymous with this one, along with the main characters and a healthy dose of tension. ..
Watchmen
The Watchmen trailer is an amazing piece of cinema that captures the essence of the comic book and it does so with the right balance of dark drama and bombastic action. Given this film came out back in 2009, it’s actually telling that it’s still one of the better comic book flicks.
The narration from Rorschach is spot on while the iconic scene with the blood spatter on the badge sells the tone and mood of this grim and moody picture.
X-Men: Days Of Future Past
The film is set in the future, and follows the team of mutants as they fight against a group of evil scientists who have created a time machine that will cause the world to end. The film is full of action, adventure, and heartbreak, and is sure to leave audiences on the edge of their seats.
Days of Future Past successfully blends the new and old casts to create an epic story with grandiose promise. ..
The way this trailer builds up to both versions of Professor X face to face, with Patrick Stewart pleading with his younger self, “Please… we need you to hope again.” sends a chill down the spine. ..
Spectre (Teaser Trailer)
James Bond is one of the most iconic and well-known action movie characters of all time. His latest film, Spectre, was released in 2015 and received mixed reviews from critics. However, the teaser released in advance was dark and atmospheric, setting the tone for what is sure to be an exciting movie experience. ..
While the official trailer that follows is pretty good, I wish they would have just stuck with this teaser which builds up enough hype on its own. ..
Thanks for reading!
Here are the best movie trailers of all time, as chosen by us. There were casualties along the way and trailers that just missed the final cut, but there’s something for everyone in this collection. ..
Our favourite movie trailer of all time is the one that features a little girl named Meryl Streep in a white dress and green shoes. She’s looking out the window at a beautiful day and her voiceover says, “I wish I could just stay here forever.”
