How Netflix has sold a star-studded end of the world drama
Based on the novel by Rumaan Alam, Leave the World Behind stars Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke as Amanda and Clay Sandford, a couple who’s taken their family on vacation on Long Island with the expectation everything will be just fine. That expectation comes to an abrupt end when two strangers – Ruth and G.H. Scott, played by Myha’la and Mahershala Ali – unexpectedly arrive with warnings about an apocalyptic event that’s already underway, one that involves rogue technology.
The movie, directed by Sam Esmail, was released in a small amount of award-qualifying theaters at the end of November but is now available for streaming on Netflix, so let’s see how it’s been sold to the public.
announcements and casting
Roberts and Washington were announced as the stars of the film in July 2020, reteaming the pair that previously appeared opposite each other in The Pelican Brief decades ago. That reunion was cut short when Washington dropped out in late 2021, with Ali brought on to replace him.
Hawke and Myha’la joined the cast in January 2022, just a few months before production began.
In April of last year Higher Ground, the production company run by the Obamas, boarded the project. A short while later both Bacon and Mackenzie were cast in supporting roles.
Footage from the movie was included in Netflix’s 2023 sizzle reel of original movies coming out this year.
the marketing campaign
Netflix’s marketing efforts began in August of this year when news came the movie’s world premiere was scheduled as the opening feature of October’s AFI Fest.
It wasn’t until early October that the first teaser trailer (4.7m YouTube plays) was released. It opens with G.H. and his daughter Ruth arriving at the Sandford’s vacation home with ominous warnings about things going very, very wrong. There aren’t many hints shown as to what that might be aside from a few shots of strange red dust clouds, a tanker ship barreling toward a beach and other strange scenes. It ends with G.H. making it clear there is no going back to how things were.
The official trailer (8m YouTube plays) came out later that month and opens with the Sandfords getting ready to leave on their vacation, with only a few minor tech glitches marring what is otherwise a great getaway. After the Scotts arrive things seem to get worse, leading to national warnings about cyberattacks happening across the country. While the situation is deteriorating outside it’s not much better in the now-shared home, as the Sandfords remain suspicious of what G.H. Scott knows and what role he may be playing in society’s breakdown.
At that time the first teaser poster was also released. It combines a number of images seen in the trailers so far, showing a deer standing in the middle of a road with a fleet of electric cars in the distance as the road literally curves up toward the sky.
As AFI Fest was getting underway – an event that took place while the SAG-AFTRA strike was still going on – Alam was interviewed about what it was like to see his book adapted for film, including conversations with Esmail, visiting the set during production, what small changes were made and more. Esmail was also interviewed at AFI Fest about some of the same topics only from his perspective as well as what working with the Obamas through Higher Ground was like.
Things are starting to malfunction all over in the first clip, released in mid-November.
We get a very condensed look at the story in a final trailer that came out in early December, after the movie was in select theaters but before its release on Netflix.
With the actor’s strike over, both Roberts and Ali appeared on “The Tonight Show” to promote the movie in the last few days. Hawke did likewise on “The Today Show” and all the major stars along with Alam and Esmail were in attendance at the New York City premiere.
Four more posters were dropped just as the movie was hitting Netflix, each showing one of the four main characters in one of the story’s many settings.
overall
There’s not a whole lot in how Netflix has presented the movie to the public that’s particularly striking or original, but that’s not surprising. It’s a solid campaign for a movie that gives (rightly or wrongly) more than a few Shyamalan-esque vibes, only because that director has become so synonymous with stories of massive world-ending events.
A shot in the arm of the marketing was provided when the SAG-AFTRA strike ended and the cast was finally able to hit the publicity trail since these are all charming, well-liked actors and their presence is certainly going to help spread the word. But there’s a lot happening at the moment and whether or not they were actually able to make a difference remains to be seen.
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