How Marvel Deals With a Trailer Leak Versus How Warner Bros. Deals With a Trailer Leak

When we look back at this weekend's San Diego Comic-Con next July, there's a good chance that we're going to view it as the moment the tide turned against the idea that just 6,000 fans in Hall H are more deserving of special footage and exclusive trailers than the tens of millions of fans around the world who didn't make it to Comic-Con.

After bootleg versions of the trailers for Suicide Squad, Deadpool and X-Men: Apocalypse leaked online, many online voices are now saying it's time for studios to be prepared to release their Comic-Con goods online after giving those in attendance the first look. Sure, there are a few guys who run movie websites still throwing tantrums over the idea that the commoners who don't make it to Comic-Con should dare dream of seeing these trailers, but by the time next year's Comic-Con rolls around, the message is going to be clear:

Come ready to share with everyone or a bunch of guys with smartphone cameras are going to share for you.

A few studios already got this message this year. Fans who attended the Star Wars: The Force Awakens Comic-Con panel got to see the cast, including Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford, in person AND got to go to an exclusive Star Wars concert. The amazing behind-the-scenes reel that debuted at Comic-Con? That got posted online almost immediately, allowed Star Wars fans around the world to experience the footage.

Warner Bros. kind of got the idea, posting the new trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice online after their panel. The studio tried to keep the Suicide Squad trailer an exclusive for the Comic-Con crowd. That move backfired. The trailer leaked, allowing all of us get our first blurry look at Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Jared Leto as the Joker. By the time Monday afternoon rolled around, Warner Bros. released the Suicide Squad trailer in full high-defintion.

Let's quickly jump back to last October when the new trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron leaked. Like Warner Bros., Marvel Studios chose to release an official version of the trailer shortly after. Did Marvel rage against fans? Did they scold would-be moviegoers for watching a bootleg version of the trailer? Nope.

Dammit, Hydra.

— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) October 22, 2014

Marvel had a sense of humor. Sure, behind the scenes the studio was furious and litigious, but when it came to dealing with Avengers fans, Marvel celebrated the trailer.

Warner Bros. choose to go in the opposite direction when it officially released the Suicide Squad trailer on Monday.

"Warner Bros. Pictures and our anti-piracy team have worked tirelessly over the last 48 hours to contain the Suicide...
Posted by Suicide Squad on Monday, July 13, 2015

Yikes. "We regret this decision?" You regret sharing promotional material with millions of fans who are excited to see Suicide Squad, Warner Bros.? That's absurd. And insulting. If I were an executive at Warner Bros., I would be looking into making some major changes on my marketing team. Thanks for the trailer, guys, but did we really need the anti-fan sentiment with it?

Every fan deserves to see new movie trailers and cool footage, not just the fans who can afford to travel to Comic-Con or are lucky enough to cover the convention for their job. The time has come to change the practice of shunning the average fan who doesn't attend Comic-Con. If the studios are unwilling to change themselves, social media is going to change it for them.