From Locked Down to One Night in Miami, See This Week's New Trailers and Posters

No matter what your New Year’s resolutions are this year, the world of entertainment marketing is here to support you.

If you’ve decided this is the year to finally get around to concocting an elaborate diamond heist or just simply conquer a raging robotic war, you’ve come to the right place. Or perhaps 2021 will be the year to focus on your political ambitions, and whether those lean more toward becoming an African king or a Los Angeles mayor, we’ve got some mentors to help you meet your goals. If you’re concentrating on fitness, let the moves of sports icons Cassius Clay and Jim Brown inspire you. Or if your resolution is career oriented, let two hard-working Los Angeles cops lead the way. 

Just please don’t ask us to help with your goal of watching less TV and screen time consumption, because I’m sorry to say we won’t be much help there. I think you’ll understand when you take a look at some of the latest trailers and posters. 

Locked Down

HBO Max
Trailer Agency: Aspect

Just as “quarantine babies” are beginning to be born, so are the pandemic-set films. Locked Down, from HBO Max, finds Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor as a recently separated couple now stuck together in quarantine. The trailer cleverly uses the film’s video conferencing footage interspersed with split-screen effects to add some dimension to the couple facing the all-too-familiar impacts of the pandemic (including toilet-paper hoarding). But a shift in music indicates this isn’t just a funny pandemic rom-com, as we watch the couple take on a diamond heist at Harrods set to a trailerized version of “Feeling Good.” Locked Down comes to HBO Max on Jan. 14. 

Coming 2 America

Amazon Prime
Trailer Agency: Big Picture
Poster Agency: BLT

The long-awaited sequel to the beloved 1988 comedy Coming to America is finally here, and as this trailer takes excellent effort to remind us, so are the comedy chops of its stars Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall. The piece succeeds as we get a high-energy look at both new and old characters and a tongue-in-cheek look at how the film’s irreverent humor will hold up in this new decade. The captivating key art sees our newly found African king arriving in New York. Coming 2 America arrives on Amazon Prime on March 5. 

The Little Things

Warner Bros. Pictures
Trailer Agency: Open Road
Poster Agency: Leroy and Rose

With a stirring string score and quick cuts, the editorial choices in this trailer for the new psychological thriller The Little Things help to induce a racing mind as we begin to try to figure who might be the latest serial killer terrorizing Los Angeles. The moody inverted poster brings us to dusk in the City of Angels. The Little Things comes to theaters and HBO Max on Jan. 29. 

Outside the Wire

Netflix
Trailer Agency: Wild Card
Poster Agency: N/A

Slick sound design coupled with hip-hop beats from Amir Obe’s “Shadow” prepare us for the explosive action to come in Netflix’s new sci-fi thriller Outside the Wire. This rhythmic piece highlights the film’s action while introducing the unique partnership between a drone pilot and an android officer tasked with helping to stop a robotic war. The poster puts the two men on display as the war rages behind them. Outside the Wire comes to Netflix on Jan. 15. 

Mr. Mayor

NBC
Trailer Agency: Open Road

New from the ever-dynamic duo of Tina Fey and Robert Carlock comes Mr. Mayor, starring Ted Danson as the newly elected mayor of Los Angeles. This trailer introduces us to our new mayor and uses some great moments to provide that special blend of humor we’ve come to expect from Fey and Carlock. EMI’s ’80s track “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” adds some unique flair to the piece as we meet the fantastic cast. Mr. Mayor premieres on NBC on Jan. 7. 

One Night in Miami

Amazon Prime Video
Trailer Agency: MOCEAN

The full trailer for Regina King’s directorial debut, One Night in Miami, starts with a pulsating beat as it highlights each of the film’s four icons—Cassius Clay, Malcolm X, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke. It then uses Leslie Odom Jr.’s (who plays Sam Cooke) “Speak Now” to build into a powerful montage of what happens when these four come together for a night, while also highlighting the film’s excellent critical reception from the festival circuit. Carefully selected clips and dialogue result in great storytelling that hints at the poignant tale to come when the film premieres Jan. 15.