The first trailer for Avengers: Endgame has set a new record with a staggering 289 million views in its first 24 hours online. It breaks a record previously set by Marvel themselves back in November 2017, when the first trailer for Avengers: Infinity War was watched 230 million times in a single day.

Marketing campaigns for blockbusters usually begin around 7 to 8 months before a film's theatrical release, but Marvel has defied expectations with the much-anticipated first trailer for Avengers: Endgame. The first trailer released yesterday, less than five months before the movie will hit theaters. This kind of late marketing approach is the same as the one adopted for Avengers: Infinity War, which proved tremendously successful. In the case of Avengers: Endgame, though, Marvel added to the hype by refusing to even confirm the film's title until the trailer drop.

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It's clearly worked out perfectly for Marvel Studios, who have taken to Twitter to thank fans for making this the most viewed trailer in history - with a stunning 289 million views in its first 24 hours online. That figure will include all digital channels, such as YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. It's just the latest success for Marvel; of the top 20 trailers viewed in the first 24 hours, seven are Marvel properties released in the last few years.

Iron Man helmet Tony Stark hand Avengers Endgame

This partly reflects the fact that the way audiences consume trailers has changed. Back in 1998, Lucasfilm partnered with Apple to release the second trailer for Star Wars: The Phantom Menace as a download. It was viewed as a tremendous coup for Apple, with Quicktime downloaded more than 600,000 times that day and 6.4 million times over the next three weeks. Lucasfilm - perhaps unwittingly - set a pattern; over the last 20 years, a trailer release has become an online event. That's especially the case for franchise films like Avengers: Endgame.

Marvel played a smart game with the trailer for Avengers: Endgame, though, and it definitely seems to have paid off. They refused to offer any real clues as to when the trailer would drop - the most Kevin Feige would do was confirm that it would be in 2018. They then basically sat back and watched the fandom get itself increasingly excited. The last few weeks have seen a spate of rumors as to when the trailer would drop, and fans have even launched online petitions begging Marvel to release it. Marvel essentially increased the buzz about next year's Avengers film by doing absolutely nothing - which is basically every advertiser's dream. When the trailer did finally come out, though, it's clear that everybody was primed to watch it as quickly as possible - and probably multiple times, too. Thus for Marvel Studios, Avengers: Endgame has become yet another record-breaker, reminding the world that they're now one of the most important cinematic brands of all.

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Source: Marvel Studios

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