Darren Aronofsky’s MOTHER! will go down as one of the most talked about movies of the year, and not for the best reasons. The movie isn’t faring too well at the box office and it received a fabled “F” Cinemascore as it gets bombarded by audiences. Now in a new piece of post-release marketing, Paramount is trying to take ownership and pride in the movie’s controversial nature by putting out a new poster highlighting the movie’s challenging content and critical praises.
Sporting some of the movie’s best reviews, the poster also features star Jennifer Lawrence with one-half of her face looking normal and the other half looking beaten and bloody. Take a look for yourself below, and use this moment as an example to throw in other people’s faces when they say you don’t study enough art.
The poster for MOTHER! has inspired some controversy, mostly for depicting a beaten Lawrence, all for the sake of capitalizing on the movie's recent press. The aim seems to be to let audiences know this is not a traditional horror movie (as many audience members probably thought it was), and this is their attempt to advertise it as a tough – but potentially rewarding – movie-going experience. This is not the first time a studio has tried a new marketing campaign in the wake of a film’s subpar performance. Though praised by critics, EDGE OF TOMORROW didn’t do so hot at the box office, so Warner Bros. started marketing it with “LIVE. DIE. REPEAT.” added to the title. New posters were put out, which also highlighted the amazing reviews, but who’s to say if the change actually worked.
The poster is certainly bold from a marketing standpoint, as it tries to use the issue of its controversy as a selling point. But I’m not sure it will do the job of luring people who haven’t already seen it into the theater, and if anything I see it as more of disclaimer. When looking at it gives off the message that this is a movie some people are loving and praising, but it may not be for everyone, and only those seeking a movie that could inspire some debate within themselves and amongst those who have seen it, should go to see it. If you want fun scares, stick with IT.
MOTHER! is in theaters now.