From Twin Towers to Trayvon, Spider-Man to Neighborhood Watch: 10 Films With Lousy Timing

Which promotional campaigns underwent a major retooling due to similar real-life events?

By Josh Grossberg Mar 31, 2012 1:00 PMTags
Neighborhood Watch, Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Richard AyoadeMelinda Sue Gordon/Twentieth Century Fox

For a movie to be successful upon release, a good marketing plan is a necessity.

But what happens when a Hollywood studio's ad blitz is suddenly derailed because of events out of its control—say by a natural disaster or major news story that's a little too close for comfort to the plot?

With news that 20th Century Fox is pulling the plug on teaser trailers for its upcoming Ben Stiller-Vince Vaughn comedy, Neighborhood Watch, in the wake of the Trayvon Martin killing, E! News takes a look back at nine other flicks that suffered a similar fate.

From Hereafter to Phone Booth to Spider-Man, which films, unfortunately, made the cut?