It would be an understatement to say that A24 has implemented an interesting marketing plan for “The Whale,” but they have. After an ecstatic debut at the Venice Film Festival, when critics were falling all over themselves to give the Oscar to Brendan Fraser right then and there, there were months that passed before any new marketing materials for the film were released. And finally, about a month before the film was released, there was one trailer, which didn’t even really talk about the narrative of the picture or offer a true glance at this wonderful performance that everyone were raving about.
Nevertheless, the film was a success, and people went crazy over it. Now, after the film has already been released in certain cinemas and is moving to theaters across the country, we finally get our first true look at Darren Aronofsky’s picture that is up for Oscars.
The most recent trailer for “The Whale” depicts the film as telling the narrative of a guy who, after being estranged from his daughter for a number of years, makes an effort to get back in touch with her. On the other hand, the fact that the father, who is portrayed by Fraser, weighs close to 600 pounds is one of the reasons he has been away from his daughter’s life. The snippets that are shown in the trailer make it very evident that Fraser is giving his all in the performance, and it would have been preferable for us to have seen these previews several months earlier, in the run-up to the film’s release date.
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But may there have been a rationale behind such an unusual approach to marketing? After making its debut in Venice, “The Whale” has now gone on to have its doors opened to both the general public and the press, which has resulted in a significant amount of negative feedback. People are pointing out that it might be problematic for Fraser to wear a fat suit in order to play the role of a 600-pound man who also happens to be gay, despite the fact that the actor is straight. Not only that, but other reviews of the film have been far harsher on both the film itself and the visuals that Aronofsky has created for it. Some of these reviewers have stated that the picture is transmitting the opposite message than what it seems to be intending to convey.
The picture is garnering good numbers in its recent launch, indicating that it is doing just fine at the box office, despite the marketing and the recent outrage that has been directed toward it. Not only that, but Fraser keeps getting more acclaim for his work, including a nomination for the Golden Globes just recently. Therefore, it’s possible that A24 is far more astute than we give the studio credit for being.
“The Whale” is currently playing in select cinemas and will begin rolling out to more locations on December 21.
