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# Unhitched
- URL: https://www.andrewliptak.com/apple-movie-trailers-website/
- Published: 2023-09-13T13:10:58.000Z
- Updated: 2023-09-13T13:10:58.000Z
- Description: Looking back on Apple's defunct movie trailer site and the early days of trailer culture
- Author: Andrew Liptak
- Tags: Film, Trailers

Apple made a quite switch recently that had me awash in nostalgia: it's migrated its movie trailers site over to the [Apple TV app and site](https://tv.apple.com/us/room/movie--tv-trailers/edt.item.64248313-7414-4d63-a6fc-7c29f9916c79?ref=andrewliptak.com) (I spotted this via [*Ars Technica*](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/09/rest-in-peace-neglected-itunes-movie-trailer-app-and-website/?ref=andrewliptak.com), although it appears that this happened sometime back in August), rather than keeping it as a standalone site. I'm a little sad at the change, even though I haven't visited the site in ages. 

The trailer site was one of those sites that was a daily visit for me while I was in high school and in college. [*Ars*](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/09/rest-in-peace-neglected-itunes-movie-trailer-app-and-website/?ref=andrewliptak.com) points out that it was a good way for Apple to showcase its Quicktime software, but I always found it to be an excellent place to learn about what was coming up in theaters (something a little more up-to-date than the pamphlet listing new/upcoming releases that the local movie theater handed out when you walked in.) 

It was a neat site, especially before the existence of YouTube. I'm pretty sure that I can trace my interest in entertainment news almost directly to this page, and I know I found a lot of interesting-looking films by clicking on the tiny image of each film' poster – films like *Underworld, Sin City, Garden State*, and tons of others. Scrolling through [Wayback Machine to look at the site is a real trip](https://web.archive.org/web/20050221010813/http://trailers.apple.com:80/trailers/) – there are lots of films that I've forgotten about that I remember getting excited to watch. 

There's something special about a movie trailer: a first glimpse of a story, something that held a certain amount of promise for what you'd sit down to watch in theaters. It's marketing, but there's an art to a well-crafted trailer. The best ones stick in your mind with a blend of music and clips, sometimes to the point where they're better than the actual film themselves. One that's stuck with me that I know I came across from Apple's site is 2003's *[Underworld](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VCi7aaIfuM&ref=andrewliptak.com),* which is so deliciously 2000s filmmaking (and trailer style – I spent so much time trying to track down the music from it– it's Agent Provocateur's "[Red Tape](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bOcpGWldmk&ref=andrewliptak.com)"), and I'm pretty sure I got my [first glimpse of Peter Jackson's ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V75dMMIW2B4&ref=andrewliptak.com)[Lord of the Rings](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V75dMMIW2B4&ref=andrewliptak.com)via the site. 

Trailer culture online has been at a fever pitch for years now: we've long since gotten to the point where there's nearly as much attention placed on the trailers themselves (indeed, *[Aquaman 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fbb4e%5FQ6wR8&ref=andrewliptak.com)* got its own 30 second trailer for the trailer), and you'll see [frame-by-frame dissections](https://www.theverge.com/2016/10/13/13268130/star-wars-rogue-one-new-trailer-every-frame-predictions-spoilers-analysis?ref=andrewliptak.com) of the biggest releases for clues about what to expect when the film comes out. (A *great* use of my time, looking back, let me tell you.) There were fantastic Twitter personalities that were great about covering trailers (RIP [@TrailerTrack](https://twitter.com/trailertrack?ref=andrewliptak.com)), and all too many people who lost their minds when fandom churned up a date for a highly-anticipated release, only for it not to materialize at the promised time. (Richard Newby's [piece at ](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/marvel-fans-sad-henry-cavill-jodie-comer-1235218078/?ref=andrewliptak.com)[*The Hollywood*](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/marvel-fans-sad-henry-cavill-jodie-comer-1235218078/?ref=andrewliptak.com) *Reporter* is essential reading on this tangent.)

What I like about trailers is what I like about the experience of moviegoing in general: the sense of anticipation and promise that a series of trailers and posters dredges up. I'm not a huge fan of the general state of online entertainment reporting that hits every single casting rumor or leaked image, but watching a trailer for an upcoming project remains a delight, and I'm always eager to click on something to see what it'll show me. Maybe it'll be my next obsession, disappointment, or entry on the never-ending to-watch list. Any way you cut it, it's something to look forward to down the line. 

I've missed Apple's Trailers site, even though I never really stopped by that often. Youtube and social media has long since overtaken that particular piece of online real estate, but it's like driving through a town you grew up in to see that a Dollar General has taken over a nostalgic house or shop that you remember fondly. And in some ways, I miss those older days of pre-social media movie anticipation: a promise of a new story, without the frills and rampant speculation.