Even thoughBatman Beginswas released nearly two decades ago, I can’t stop thinking about one specific trailer that the studio actually used as promotional content. The DC movie has remained iconic for so long because it marked the start of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, and Christian Bale’s memorablelive-action portrayal of Batman. Nolan’s Batman story was portrayed as more mature and gritty, which was something of a departure from the previous live-action iterations of the story. However, you would never be able to guess the tone of the film from one specificBatman Beginsteaser.
The2000s and early 2010s were the years of broody television dramas marketed towards teenagers. Shows likeOne Tree HillandGossip Girlwere filled with ridiculous drama that the teenage market loved, and channels like The CW were at the height of their popularity. These shows loved incorporating popular songs into the promotional content and episodes, and the first chapter ofNolan’s Batman trilogytried using this strategy in one of their TV spots. The result may seem questionable now, but there’s no doubt that the goofy song choice makes for one of the most iconic pieces of DC promotional content.
Yes, Batman Begins Really Did Use Nickelback In 1 Trailer
One TV spot forBatman Beginsfeatures the song “Someday” by rock band Nickelback. For a film that wanted to portray itself as a darker and more mature take on Batman,this specific song choice makesBatman Beginscome off as a lighter drama you’d watch on The CW. Nickelback has become somewhat of a meme over the years, butBatman Beginspremiered at the height of the band’s popularity. Even if using a Nickelback song makes sense for their fame at the time, it doesn’t help the fact that the song feels out of place with the film’s tone.
Perhaps the studio chose Nickelback’s song to play in theBatman BeginsTV spot because they wanted to appeal to a certain demographic. With all of the iterations of a live-action Batman, there wasn’t the biggest hype surrounding yet another remake. The NickelbackBatman BeginsTV spot plays out like a commercial for a romance drama, which might’ve been the studio’s way of trying to rope in a wider audience. Especially with Katie Holmes ofDawson’s Creekstarring in the film, the teaser might’ve helped make the film seem more appealing to a younger crowd.
Over 10 years after the release ofBatman Begins, the DCEU’sSuicide Squadused a similar marketing technique.The villain-centric film dedicated a big portion of its production budget to marketing, and the eccentric and bold posters worked to draw hype. This success was capped off with a well-edited trailer set to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Similar toBatman Begins, the film drew on a popular song to engage audiences. In the end,Suicide Squadreceived mixed reviews and a lot of fans felt tricked by the trailer. However,Batman Begins’ marketing choice is still arguably worse.
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AlthoughSuicide Squad’s marketing made a bad movie seem better than it was, at least it felt true to the film’s content.Batman Begins’ Nickelback TV spot didn’t match the tone of Nolan’s final product at all. His movie ended up looking like a broody drama from The CW instead of the darker, more mature film that the release actually is. Despite Warner Bros’ questionable marketing strategy with the song choice, at leastBatman Beginsended up being a well-received film with a memorable trailer, even if the latter was memorable for the wrong reasons.
