Case Study: Warner Bros. optimizes trailers and boosts box-office success with Canvs Movies

How to Optimize Trailers and Marketing Campaigns with Canvs Movies

Warner Bros. faced the perennial studio challenge of predicting which films and trailers would translate into box office success. Using Canvs and its Canvs Movies platform, the studio sought early reads on audience sentiment across social channels to measure campaign effectiveness and predict outcomes. The case contrasts hits like Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad (combined $1.6B worldwide, despite low critic scores) with the flop King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (budget $175M, $15M opening weekend, projected $150M loss) that nonetheless had a 75% audience score—highlighting a marketing and perception problem rather than a product-quality issue.

Canvs analyzed Emotional Reactions in social and trailer conversations (1,193 reaction instances and ~8M video views) to identify what audiences loved (epic soundtrack, Aidan Gillen, Jude Law) and hated (poor CGI, dislike of Guy Ritchie). Canvs’ insights showed concrete fixes—feature Aidan Gillen more, show improved/realistic shots to counter CGI complaints, and de‑emphasize the director’s polarizing name—that would have allowed Warner Bros. to optimize trailers and campaigns. By revealing the emotional drivers behind audience behavior, Canvs enabled actionable marketing changes that explain why some films overcame bad reviews to earn huge revenue and why King Arthur failed to convert awareness into ticket sales.

Warner Bros.