Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: THX Trailer History

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Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 04-17-2005, 12:44 AM:

Who's familiar with the various THX trailers (snipes)?

I ask because I just completed another historical research project (well, they're never really "completed"...) which includes some THX references, namely when the various trailers premiered.

I had been under the impression that the first three trailers ("Wings," "Broadway" and "Cimarron") all debuted with the release of a Lucasfilm movie (seems appropriate). These are noted in the article:

"Wings" (Return Of The Jedi, 1983):
http://www.fromscripttodvd.com/70mm_in_los_angeles_1983.htm

"Broadway" (Indiana Jones And The Temnple Of Doom, 1984):
http://www.fromscripttodvd.com/70mm_in_los_angeles_1984.htm

"Cimarron" (Willow, 1988):
http://www.fromscripttodvd.com/70mm_in_los_angeles_1988.htm

Anyway, got some email correspondence, and the '84 and '88 references are being challenged. Claims include "Cimarron" debuting with "Die Hard" (which came out about two months after "Willow), and the "Broadway" clip being first seen in '83 during the "Jedi" release.

Curious if anyone has any thoughts or comments on this topic?

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-17-2005, 01:07 PM:

I don't know when for sure "Broadway" or "Cimarron" were introduced, but I know the familiar "Broadway" trailer did not get released in 1983 when THX debuted.

"Cimarron" is pretty much my favorite THX trailer. It's a shame THX has never released (at least as far as I know) a quad format version of it or repackaged it for use on DVD. They came out with a Dolby Digital version of it, in 1992 (I think) for "Batman Returns." I'm pretty sure it's still only available in 35mm Dolby Digital. 70mm mag used to be available, but now I think "Broadway" is the only one left (if you can even get that). Has THX ever made trailers in 70mm DTS?

"Grand" first appeared in 1993, in time for the release of "Jurassic Park." For a couple years it was available only in DTS. In 1994 it was altered to add "recorded in DTS Digital Sound". In 1995 a short run of Dolby Digital versions were made. Now that one is available in quad format.

I don't know for sure when "Simpsons" THX trailer was introduced. I'm thinking 1994. It was an SR only trailer for a long time before any quad format versions appeared.

"Tex" was in 1996, right around the time "Independence Day" was released. That's the first time I saw it anyway. "Tex 2: Moo Can" debuted with "Toy Story 2".

I can't remember if "Broadway 2000" was debuted in line with a particular film. It's the one I like the least out of the group.

Didn't "Cavalcade" appear with "Episode II"? Or did it come out perhaps a year before that? It's derivative of the "T2" THX trailer on the "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" Ultimate Edition DVD.

I wasn't all that impressed with the 20th anniversary THX trailer. I saw it only a couple times. It just didn't have a very beefy mix (similar to the criticism I have with "Broadway 2000"). It was also kind of odd that some of the movie sound snippets in the trailer were taken from movies well before the debut of THX in 1983. For instance, "Apocalypse Now" and "Alien" were both from 1979.

It's been quite a while since THX released an impressive trailer. I liked the two Tex trailers for their humor and funny surround gags. But "Grand" is pretty much the last in-your-face style trailer THX has released.

Dolby was more aggressive with releasing new sound format trailers. But even their last few got weak.

DTS? Still waiting for that new trailer.

I don't know. I suppose a lot of this stuff makes little difference since so few movie theaters bother playing the sound format trailers. I've even been to a number of THX certified theaters where the THX trailer didn't get played. A lot of theaters don't want to go to the extra bother of adding those snipes and then having to remove them when the print gets moved to another screen.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 04-17-2005, 01:19 PM:

I don't know whether to find it charming or irritating that people are researching the history of these trailers. Likewise to whoever is challenging the claims.

AMC used to promote their SDDS systems in all advertising and we used to play the SDDS trailer religiously. Now that they are using other digital audio systems they don't bother to specify; they just say "all digital" or something vague like that.

Would somebody please research the deal that was struck between SDDS and AMC ? I'm sure that had to be a real cozy arrangement.

Posted by Antonio Marcheselli (Member # 373) on 04-17-2005, 02:47 PM:

Perhaps a bit OT... Why "Broadway 2000" is not anymore on DTS disks?

Bye!
Antonio

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-17-2005, 04:11 PM:

"Broadway 2000" is missing from DTS discs because not many theaters play it. There's also the disc capacity thing too. I think most THX theaters still play the standard "Broadway" trailer. That's followed by "Cavalcade," the two Tex trailers, and maybe "Grand."

Some DTS discs come with no THX trailers or movie trailer audio on them at all.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 04-17-2005, 05:34 PM:

Remember also that Cimarron was released with two completely different audio scores, even though they both used the same visual. (Not speculation or rumor, I have personally handled both versions in 35mm and 70mm.)

I know what a stickler Mike is for details, so it may also be interesting to note that the original Broadway is a Dolby A track. The digital reissues of that were SDDS/A, DTS/A and SRD/SR...of which all three of those had slightly different mixes! The SRD/SR version sounded closest to the original Dolby A analog release from the early 80s. And if you want to get REALLY picky about it, the SDDS and original Dolby A analog version's "blue box" was framed a little bit too high from center! [Razz]

Posted by Paul Linfesty (Member # 214) on 04-17-2005, 08:07 PM:

All I remember was seeing the first snipe in 1983 (AVCO I, Westwood, CA). It had the following (paraphrased) text:

For the last 35 years, motion picture loudspeaker systems have remained exactly the same.

Now Lucasfilm LTD. and this theatre bring you a new sound system...

Then the THX logo (sans blue box) fades in as sound builds up.

Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 04-17-2005, 08:50 PM:

quote: Bobby Henderson
I can't remember if "Broadway 2000" was debuted in line with a particular film. It's the one I like the least out of the group.

Broadway 2000 was produced so that THX would have a Dolby Digital EX trailer for Ep 1 - The Phantom Menace.

I'm not a terribly big fan of that one either. My favorite is also "Cimarron".

Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 04-17-2005, 09:38 PM:

quote: Brad Miller
the original Broadway is a Dolby A track

Makes sense since the first SR movie wasn't released until 1987.

Posted by Paul Linfesty (Member # 214) on 04-18-2005, 12:55 AM:

Actually, the first Dolby SR film (70mm 6-track mag) was Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, which played, at least in L.A., at the Village Westwood (where I saw it) and the Cinerama Dome, Hollywood). Although then it was called "Dolby Spectralsound" (or maybe "Dolby Spectrasound?")

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 04-18-2005, 08:52 AM:

quote: Paul Linfesty
Actually, the first Dolby SR film (70mm 6-track mag) was Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, which played, at least in L.A., at the Village Westwood (where I saw it) and the Cinerama Dome, Hollywood). Although then it was called "Dolby Spectralsound" (or maybe "Dolby Spectrasound?")

which was in November 1986 not far from 1987.
Robocop was the first 35mm film to feature SR playback on the optical track.

Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 04-18-2005, 09:21 AM:

Well... that was released on November 26th, 1986 according to IMDB. So if you're right, that's almost 1987! [Razz]

A little over a year ago, I spoke to Jon Davidson, executive producer of RoboCop, and he claimed that RoboCop was the first, and that Innerspace was right behind it as the second. However according to IMDB, Innerspace was released on July 1, 1987, and RoboCop was on July 17th, 1987. So, I don't know.

Either way, not to hijack the THX trailer thread, but my point was that SR didn't hit theaters until well after THX Broadway.

Thanks, gents!

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 04-18-2005, 12:19 PM:

At the Village Theatre in Westwood, Ca., Cimarron debuted with "Willow".

Michael remember the "Wayne's World 2" THX trailer.

And Broadway was available in 70MM CDS format.

[ 04-18-2005, 03:15 PM: Message edited by: Bill Gabel ]

Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 04-18-2005, 03:08 PM:

quote: Bill Gabel
Michael remember the Wayne's World THX trailer.

Yes, I remember this. I believe it was a trailer for "Wayne's World 2," which began as if it was a THX clip ("Broadway") until the camera pulls back to reveal Wayne and Garth holding a
card made up to look like the THX image with the characters making the obnoxious sound effects. Pretty funny. This was available while I was still working at a theatre, and I recall purposely programming this first in the sequence of trailers to fool the audience into thinking they were seeing the THX clip (and this was in a non-THX-certified house).

Anyone else remember this trailer?

quote: Bill Gabel
At the Village Theatre in Westwood, Ca., Cimarron debuted with "Willow".

Aha! So I may have been correct.

http://www.fromscripttodvd.com/70mm_in_los_angeles_1988.htm

quote:
[THX Sound System "Cimarron" trailer introduced with the release of "Willow"]

*****

quote: Mark J. Marshall
A little over a year ago, I spoke to Jon Davidson, executive producer of RoboCop, and he claimed that RoboCop was the first, and that Innerspace was right behind it as the second. However according to IMDB, Innerspace was released on July 1, 1987, and RoboCop was on July 17th, 1987. So, I don't know.

Re Dolby SR... "Star Trek IV" was (1) essentially a test, and (2) applied only to a limited number of 70mm prints. As for 35mm-SR, going purely by release date, "Innerspace" was first. However, it's possible "RoboCop" was mixed first or contracted to use SR first, hence the oft-made "we were the first SR" claims (it's even noted as the first in Dolby's company chronology). I think Orion, who released "RoboCop," pretty much adopted SR for all (or nearly all) of their films soon thereafter.

BTW, my research shows that "RoboCop" was released on July 10, then expanded on the 17th. Gotta love the IMDb. [Roll Eyes]

quote: Paul Linfesty
the first Dolby SR film (70mm 6-track mag) was Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, which played, at least in L.A., at the Village Westwood (where I saw it) and the Cinerama Dome, Hollywood). Although then it was called "Dolby Spectralsound" (or maybe "Dolby Spectrasound?")

"Dolby Spectral Sound"

http://www.fromscripttodvd.com/70mm_in_los_angeles_1986.htm

quote:
November 26:
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Anamorphic Blow-Up
Paramount

*Six-Track Dolby Stereo
**Six-Track Dolby Stereo SR ("Dolby Spectral Sound")

Carlsbad: [SoCal] Plaza Camino Real* (Showscan Stereo Acoustics)
Costa Mesa: [Edwards] Town Center*
Glendale: [Pacific] Roxy*
Hollywood: [Pacific] Cinerama Dome**
Lakewood: [Pacific] Lakewood Center*
Long Beach: [UA] Movies*
Montclair: [Pacific] Montclair*
Newport Beach: [Edwards] Newport*
North Hollywood: [UA] Movies*
Northridge: [Pacific] Northridge*
Orange: [Syufy] Cinedome*
Tarzana: [Mann] Valley West*
Temple City: [Edwards] Temple*
Torrance: [Mann] Old Towne*
Ventura: [Mann] Buenaventura*
Westwood Village: [Mann] Village** (THX)
Woodland Hills: [Pacific] Topanga*

Also includes Invitational Advance screening on Nov. 20 and Benefit screening (hosted by William Shatner) on Dec. 4 -- both screenings held at the Academy's Goldwyn Theatre in Beverly Hills

[70mm Trailers: "The Golden Child," "Little Shop Of Horrors"]

Posted by Jarryd Beard (Member # 2543) on 04-18-2005, 03:51 PM:

Here's a link to the official THX trailer page on their site. A little bit of history can be found there.

http://www.thx.com/trailers/index.html

Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 04-18-2005, 05:08 PM:

And the THX site is one of the sources of the 1983-debut claims for the "Broadway" clip I refered to in my initial post.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-18-2005, 06:00 PM:

quote: Michael Coate
Anyone else remember this trailer?

I saw the "Wayne's World 2" THX trailer at GCC Northpark #1 in Dallas. I think that one was on the front of "A Nightmare Before Christmas." I'm not absolutely sure. A decade has passed since then and I saw a good number of movies there.

Anyone with access to L.A. Times microfilms can pull up the stack ads for "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" to see the 70mm Dolby Spectral Sound notation applied to two L.A. area theaters. Our library here doesn't have them. I saw the the microfilms of the ads back when I lived in Georgia. I should have made a print out of it. I did that with a number of other historical ads from NY and LA Times ads.

Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 04-18-2005, 09:37 PM:

I've got both a flat and scope Wayne's World THX trailer somewhere, they're both in MONO though! The theater that got them didn't have any THX auditoriums, they were packaged just like a regular trailer. The guy who put them on said he didn't even notice it had the THX fanfare.
Not like THX means much anyways....

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 04-18-2005, 09:44 PM:

The mono versions were sent as regular trailers to promote the movie Wayne's World. To get a stereo version (Dolby A) you had to be a THX licensed auditorium, although it does seem that there was a movie at the time that had the stereo version attached.

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 04-19-2005, 03:27 PM:

The scope version of the trailer that I have is Dolby SR. It's new and still has the head & tail info intacted.

Posted by System Notices (Member # 2357) on 04-24-2006, 03:00 AM:

It has been 369 days since the last post.

Posted by Jarrod Factor (Member # 3757) on 04-24-2006, 03:00 AM:

Just thought I should probably take the opportunity that this post provides to plug my website:

http://www.cinema.factorfiles.com

The Sound Format Trailers section features reviews of all the sound format trailers, including all of the THX ones - and they can all be watched online too :-)

Posted by Alexander Smith (Member # 1769) on 04-24-2006, 08:22 AM:

Not a bad web site, but I find myself thinking about if
Jarrod has permission from Dolby, SDDS, DTS, THX et al.
to be publishing their stuff on his site.

Alex.

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 04-24-2006, 09:33 AM:

Here is one part of the history lesson, that I did not see or hear yet.
The original Trailers were named after Academy Award winning Best Pictures
Wings 1927-28
Broadway Melody 1928-29
Cimarron 1930-31
Grand Hotel 1931-32
Cavalcade 1932-33

Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 04-24-2006, 01:27 PM:

My first viewing of a THX snipe was the same as the other Paul's: Jedi with Broadway at the Avco in Westwood in May 1983.

Posted by Jarrod Factor (Member # 3757) on 04-26-2006, 08:25 AM:

Haven't had any complaints yet Alex, and the site's been up since 2000. Those guys (Dolby et al) are usually pretty quick in shutting something down that they don't like - haven't had any correspondance. I'd hope they don't mind what I'm doing, as exhibitors and projectionists don't necessarily get the opportunity to have all the trailers laid out so clearly. The fact the site is completely non-profit probably helps.

The streamable THX trailers are actually from the THX website.

Oh and Bill, I too realised that thing about the naming of THX trailers. I realised it when my brother had learnt all of the oscar winning movies of the last 80 years as prep for a trivia competition, and I saw them all written out in order. Wings, Grand.......

Have any of you seen the Dolby Perspectives trailer in the US? I don't know of it having shown here in Australia. Also, who else was disapointed by DTS' latest effort SPRITE?

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-26-2006, 09:21 AM:

The streaming trailers on the THX web site are just Windows Media Player 9 files. Other web sites have carried THX, Dolby and DTS trailers in DVD-quality .VOB formats and often with 5.1 audio. Most of those sites were shut down completely or told to stop carrying the trailers. However, I'm sure if one looks hard enough they can find sites somewhere carrying these files.

Keep in mind, THX can still get nasty toward other websites carrying any of their trailers, logos or any other intellectual property regardless of playback format, audio layout or image resolution. Copyright and trademark issues are still valid.

Basically, I just wouldn't carry the trailers at all on any website, personal or commercial, I operated. Aside from the licensing problems, you have the issue of bandwidth. At most, I might provide a link to the trailers at THX' website.

Posted by Jarrod Factor (Member # 3757) on 04-26-2006, 10:40 PM:

Yeah I agree in principle. I just haven't had any problems so far, and I'm not too concerned. The worst thing they can do is ask me to remove them, and then yeah, i'll just link to their pages. Well that's not the worst thing they could do. But it is highly unlikely that they would try and sue a non-profit website for no good reason.

Ultimately, its a lot less problematic than those VOB trailer sites which were really distributing in a delivery format, as apposed to crappy streamed versions.
http://www.thx.com/trailers/wmv/

Anyway, this is ulitimately not such an interesting discussion! Anyone else taken any interest in the "Create your own THX Trailer competition"? http://www.thx.com/trailerContest/index.html

Posted by Jarrod Factor (Member # 3757) on 04-27-2006, 06:20 PM:

Hey Bobby, just wondering. I had a feeling you were going to, and it seems as though you have. After your self-riotuous post about my site's "infringement of copyright", did you by any chance report me to THX?

I only ask because I have just recieved a letter from THX's legal department asking me to remove all trademarked material.

So did you get into contact with them? I'm just wondering out of curiosity - why would someone do something like that?

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-27-2006, 07:00 PM:

Nope. That's not my doing.

Chances are likely someone from THX has seen this thread and responded on their own. Folks from THX, Dolby, DTS and most movie theater circuits visit this forum on a regular basis -even if they don't make any posts. I even suspect a decent number of movie stars, directors and other significant film industry folk probably "lurk" here on a regular basis.

However, being a professional graphic artist, if you were competing against me for work in my specific marketplace and I knew for sure you were using warez to undercut me on price then I would have some incentive to turn you into folks like Adobe. I've never had to rat out someone for that (at least not to this point). But I do know for certain companies like Adobe, Autodesk and several others agressively pursue cases of software piracy.

Posted by Jarrod Factor (Member # 3757) on 04-27-2006, 07:38 PM:

Fair enough, and I apologise for the accusation.

Yeah thats an interesting point. That as a graphic designer you would report someone who was in competition with you for using pirated software.

Just in the spirit of discourse, your 'display name' on this site is "Ummmmmm, no I'm not pirating this movie."

Now I'm a filmmaker. Should I report you on suspicion of piracy that rips billions of dollars from my industry?

:-D

I wouldn't do it of course, because I don't feel I need to be the corporate watch dog of huge multi-national monopolies. But I imagine you can see my point. It's very easy for us to become adament in our selective ethical constructions.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-27-2006, 10:05 PM:

Jarrod, you don't even know me.

The tagline over my photo is not something I made up. One of the moderators put it in there. And it doesn't make much sense in the context of my current photo. The previous photo was of me holding up a MiniDV camera in Brad Miller's kick ass FT screening room. The tagline hasn't been replaced because no one (including myself) has bothered to come up something any better.

Concerning the actual act of videotaping movies off the screen, it's absolutely ridiculous. I wouldn't waste a couple tapes and battery charges off of something that results in such crappy, unwatchable quality. Anyone actually paying a few bucks to buy such a video and then waste 2 hours of their life watching it is a complete dumbass.

As to my "selective ethical constructions", you need to go back and read exactly what I typed. I've never turned in anyone for pirating computer graphics software. I only said I would have some incentive in doing that if some jerk working in my town was taking business away from me while using professional software he didn't purchase legally. That doesn't actually say I would definitely follow through with it. But the thought of doing that would be there.

If someone wants to screw around with Adobe Photoshop or Autodesk Studio3D Max for their own personal, hobbyist kind of thing, I don't have much problem with them using ill-gotten warez for that purpose. But if they are taking money for the work, they need to be using those applications legally. I'm far from rich and managed to buy my software legally. I see no excuse for others doing paid work to avoid doing the same.

And that's it on that off topic subject. I'm not discussing it any further. Back to the THX trailers history thing.

Posted by System Notices (Member # 2357) on 01-26-2011, 07:53 PM:

It has been 1734 days since the last post.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 01-26-2011, 07:53 PM:

Which THX trailers are available for D-Cinema?

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 01-26-2011, 10:02 PM:

Amazing Life is the one I see most often in THX-certified D-cinema theaters (that's the one with all the weird flowers and stuff). When Carmike was still paying for the THX certification for 2 screens at our local Carmike location they had Shrek and Horton Hears A Who custom THX trailers playing.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 01-26-2011, 11:40 PM:

My THX trailers arrived today.

"Amazing Life" (35mm and D-Cinema)
"Cavalcade" (D-Cinema)
"Tex 2" (D-Cinema)
"Broadway 3D" (D-Cinema)

Did anybody get the others for Digital Cinema?

Posted by Connor Wilson (Member # 6088) on 01-28-2011, 08:07 PM:

Are we getting off-topic here? This is about THX trailer HISTORY, am I right? Well, here are the trailers in chronological order with the film it debuted with according to my knowledge:

1983 - Wings - Return of the Jedi
1984?* - Broadway - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
1988 - Cimarron - Willow
1993 - Grand - Jurassic Park
1996 - Tex - Independence Day
1997 - Tex 2: Moo Can - Alien Resurrection
1999 - Broadway 2000 - The Phantom Menace?**
2002?† - Cavalcade - Attack of the Clones
2006 - Tex 3: Action - Cars
2007 - Amazing Life - Enchanted?***
2010 - Broadway 3D - Either Tangled or Tron: Legacy

I left out the Wayne's, Shrek, and Horton trailers because they promoted the corresponding film's release in a THX auditorium. As for the Simpsons one, I'm unsure so I left it out.

Also, can someone tell me if "The Science of Sensation" was released theatrically or was it exclusive to the Revenge of the Sith DVD?

*According to THX the trailer debuted in 1983, but according to some sources the trailer officially debuted with Temple of Doom, which was released one year later. My guess is that some THX auditoriums got the Broadway trailer in '83, but didn't want to convert it to the "main trailer" because THX was brand-new and they maybe felt audiences should be introduced to it with Wings and be familiar with it in Broadway for Temple of Doom

**This is a doozy. Dolby and THX worked close together for the seven-channel mix of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The result was Dolby Digital EX, and we all know what it is today. The Phantom Menace was the first film to utilize EX and debuted along with Dolby's EX-encoded "Aurora" trailer. Now THX played a huge role in the Star Wars series since "Jedi." They oversaw the mix of the first Star Wars film in years and the new millenium was coming. I also remember reading an article on some guy re-mixing the "Deep Note" for Broadway 2000 and he said it will be in front of Phantom Menace and I also think he made it for Dolby EX as well. Contrary to that, THX says the trailer debuted in the fall of 1999. Phantom Menace debuted in the May of 1999, and you don't think May when you think of fall.

†Another trailer that needs to be authenticated as well. THX does not state which film the trailer debuted with, but only states it was released in 2001. A year before, a trailer very similar to this was made for the T2 Ultimate Edition DVD. Despite being generalized for other films shortly after, the custom T2 trailer is still used in reissues of the film on home video. I chose Attack of the Clones because I've noticed a pattern that a THX trailer debuts with a film produced by Lucasfilm. This was not practiced in the nineties until Phantom Menace, and the prequel trilogy was the priority at the time for Lucasfilm. THX, being a subsidiary of Lucasfilm at the time, would treat each episode in the trilogy as an event so they would coincide it with a new trailer. Contrary, Cavalcade was shown on the 2001 DVD of Phantom Menace and during the same year Attack of the Clones was released (I don't know exactly when) THX spun off of Lucasfilm.

***Also unsure. THX announced the Amazing Life trailer in late 2007 but once again, did not specify the film. I assume like Tex 2, it was released on Thanksgiving weekend. I chose Enchanted just because it was released on Thanksgiving weekend 2007. 10 year difference, but the other films released on that weekend didn't succeed as much as Enchanted did.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 01-28-2011, 10:09 PM:

quote: Connor Wilson
Are we getting off-topic here? This is about THX trailer HISTORY, am I right?

Already a jerk... [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 01-28-2011, 10:15 PM:

Yeah, a simple use of the search function would reveal many of us long time Film-Tech forum participants are well versed in THX trailer history.

For the most part THX hasn't really released its trailers in conjunction with a specific movie release unless the trailer itself had something to do with being a companion to the movie (THX trailers for Shrek the Third, Horton Hears a Who) or promoting the movie (Wayne's World II). Most THX trailers have been released simply when they were ready and the first big hit movie to use them has been identified with it.

Jurassic Park arguably has some ownership of the THX "Grand" trailer since it was released just in time for the ground-breaking CGI dinosaur epic and the DTS CD-ROM discs had the THX "Grand" trailer 5.1 audio. THX worked to make this happen because the "Cimarron" trailer was available in only in Dolby Digital/SR optical on 35mm or 70mm. "Cimarron" never had a DTS version.

I never thought much of the "Cavalcade" trailer; it just seemed like a ripoff of the home theater only THX T2 trailer on the Terminator 2: Judgment Day Ultimate Edition 2-disc DVD set.

I'm not certain, but I think "Broadway" was the only THX trailer available in all 3 lossy digital audio formats for 35mm as well as 70mm Dolby magnetic.

"Broadway 2000" -the see it in THX thing, kind of sucked.

The "Tex" trailers were a big hit. The first one was definitely released just before ID4 hit movie theaters. I can't remember for sure when Tex 2: Moo Can arrived in movie theaters. I thought it arrived during the summer of 1997 when movies like The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Con Air were playing and Titanic was getting delayed. Alien Resurrection sucked. Really, Alien³ was merely bad from being poorly paced and having too many cooks/producers in the kitchen. Alien Resurrection was just embarrassingly awful.

On Dolby•EX trailers, I thought "Rain" was the first one, with "Aurora" following shortly afterward.

Regarding the newer, D-cinema oriented THX trailers, talking about them is not going off topic. They're still part of THX trailer history even if they are recent history.

Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 01-28-2011, 11:00 PM:

Always loved the mix used for the THX LaserDisc 5.1 (AC3 or DTS) version of Broadway: a very nice, full sound.

AJG

Posted by Scott Jentsch (Member # 1681) on 01-31-2011, 09:28 AM:

Moo Can would make an odd pairing with an Alien movie, no matter how bad the movie might have been.

Now that DCinema makes it so easy to "build" a print, is there any excuse not to put THX and sound trailers before a show? (are there any sound trailers for DCinema? I haven't seen a "Dolby Surround 7.1" show yet)

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 01-31-2011, 10:54 AM:

Dolby has a pretty decent d-cinema trailer for Dolby Surround 7.1. I'm pretty sure it was in 3D as well. I saw it on the front of a Toy Story 3 screening in Moore, OK. The theater didn't play the Dolby 3D trailer though.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 01-31-2011, 12:22 PM:

The only copy of it I have seen is a 3D version.