Captain America Civil War

Behold! Tis the second (and hopefully final) theatrical trailer for Captain America: Civil War! While I thought Walt Disney DIS -1.29% and Marvel might wait until the run up to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, in this day and age it’s better to get out a little early (or in Ghostbusters‘s case, a little late) and have the floor to yourself. But come what may, this trailer will still play in front of around 94% of all Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice theatrical prints, starting with that film’s international release the week of the 20th. And yeah, this is a pretty great sell for what appears to be a very compelling Marvel movie.

If (heaven forbid) Dawn of Justice isn’t very good, we’ll have something of a repeat of that awkward situation back in August 2012 where the god-awful Bourne Legacy was preceded in theaters by the spectacular second trailer for Skyfall. At the time, I joked that Sony should have played the trailer at the end of The Bourne Legacy as a kind of Simpsons-esque “Ha Ha!” insult. Think Lucasfilm putting out a teaser poster for Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace which resembled the Godzilla poster and read “Plot Does Matter.”

Yes, it’s not a little ironic that said Star Wars prequel counts “way too much plot” as one of its chief flaws even among those like myself that like it.

But like that superb Skyfall trailer, this Civil War trailer is basically a textbook case for unnecessary second pitches. I get how the world works in terms of getting new viral-friendly content out there for a major movie and all, but is there anyone who wasn’t convinced about spending the $10-$15 to see Captain America 3 by the first trailer? Is there anyone out there who watched that first teaser back in December and said “Hmm, it looks good and all, but I need more evidence”?

Of course, I say that a lot for any number of big movie marketing campaigns. And to be fair, that first Civil War trailer has run during nearly every paid theatrical film I’ve attended since December 18 to the point where it’s my pre-show bathroom break. Moreover, sometimes a truly great trailer can boost even a surefire smash. And this is a strong trailer that I hope is not as spoiler-y that it might seem.