It was the song choice that did it. Remember? Back in 2017, when the first Murder on the Orient Express trailer dropped, everyone lost their minds because Kenneth Branagh decided to pair a 1930s period mystery with "Believer" by Imagine Dragons. It felt weird. It felt bold. Honestly, it was a bit of a risk that shouldn't have worked, yet it effectively signaled that this wasn't your grandmother’s Agatha Christie.
People were used to the 1974 Sidney Lumet version. That one was all prestige, slow-burn elegance, and Albert Finney shouting in a thick accent. But the trailer for the 2017 reboot promised something slicker. Faster. It looked like a high-fashion editorial set on a train track. If you go back and watch that teaser today, you can see exactly how 20th Century Fox (now under Disney) was trying to sell a classic "whodunit" to a generation raised on superhero movies. They weren't just selling a movie; they were selling an event.
Breaking Down the Murder on the Orient Express Trailer Hype
The first thing you notice in the Murder on the Orient Express trailer is the cast reveal. It’s relentless. Branagh—who directed the film and played Hercule Poirot—basically used the trailer to flex. You’ve got Daisy Ridley right at the height of her Star Wars fame. You’ve got Leslie Odom Jr. fresh off Hamilton. Then there’s Judi Dench, Willem Dafoe, Michelle Pfeiffer, and of course, Johnny Depp as the victim, Ratchett.
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The editing is what really makes it. The camera glides through the train cars in a single, sweeping motion. It’s meant to make you feel trapped, just like the passengers. This isn't just a gimmick. Branagh used 65mm film cameras, which is why the colors look so deep and the textures of the velvet seats and wood paneling look like you could reach out and touch them. The trailer designers knew exactly what they were doing by highlighting that luxury. They wanted the audience to feel the contrast between the opulence of the Orient Express and the grizzly nature of the crime.
That Controversial Song Choice
Let’s talk about Imagine Dragons again. Using "Believer" was a polarizing move. Purists hated it. They thought it stripped away the dignity of Christie’s work. But from a marketing standpoint? Genius. It gave the film a pulse. It made a story written in 1934 feel like it belonged in 2017.
Music in trailers usually serves one of two purposes: it either sets the mood or it creates a rhythm for the cuts. Here, it did both. The heavy percussion synced up with the steam engine’s pistons. Every time the beat dropped, we saw a new suspect’s face. It created a "suspect line-up" feel without actually having them stand against a wall with height markers.
What the Trailer Got Right (And What It Hid)
The job of a good teaser is to lie to you just enough. The Murder on the Orient Express trailer focuses heavily on the action. There are shots of Poirot walking on top of the train in a blizzard. There are shots of a pistol being fired. If you hadn't read the book, you might have thought you were walking into an action-thriller.
In reality, the movie is a lot more contemplative. It’s about the burden of being "the greatest detective in the world" and the moral gray area of justice. The trailer hides the soul of the film to sell the spectacle. That's a common tactic, but it worked—the movie went on to gross over $350 million worldwide against a $55 million budget.
The Mustache Controversy
We have to address the facial hair. When the first images and the trailer debuted, the internet had a meltdown over Poirot’s mustache. In the books, Christie describes it as "stiff and military" but also "the most magnificent mustache in all of England." Branagh went for a double-decker, silver-fox architectural marvel.
It was a character in itself. In the trailer, the mustache is often the first thing you see in close-ups. It was a visual shorthand for: "This is a new Poirot. He’s more intense. He’s more theatrical." It set the tone for Branagh’s entire trilogy, leading into Death on the Nile and A Haunting in Venice.
Comparing the Teaser to the Final Film
If you watch the trailer and then immediately watch the movie, you’ll notice some interesting discrepancies. Trailer editors often have access to early cuts or "dailies" that don't make it into the final theatrical version.
- Color Grading: The trailer has a very high-contrast, almost "teal and orange" look that was popular in the late 2010s. The actual film is a bit more naturalistic, though still very stylized.
- Dialogue Snippets: There are lines in the trailer that sound like they are being spoken to one person, but in the movie, they happen in a completely different context. For instance, Poirot’s line about "the crack in the wall" is used to build tension in the trailer, but it’s a much more quiet, observant moment in the film.
- Pacing: The trailer makes the interrogation scenes look like a rapid-fire montage. In the movie, these are long, drawn-out scenes where the actors really get to chew the scenery.
Why This Specific Marketing Matters for the Genre
Before this movie, the "ensemble mystery" was kind of dead at the box office. Studios didn't think people wanted to see a bunch of famous people in a room talking about a murder. The success of this trailer and the subsequent film paved the way for the Knives Out franchise.
Rian Johnson has even mentioned how the revival of the genre helped prove there was an appetite for these stories. The Murder on the Orient Express trailer proved that if you make a mystery look expensive, modern, and star-studded, people will show up. It turned a "stuffy" literary classic into a blockbuster.
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Visual Clues You Missed
If you go back and pause the trailer at the 1:12 mark, you can actually see subtle hints about the ending. The way the characters are positioned in the dining car mirrors "The Last Supper." This was a deliberate choice by the cinematographers. It’s a nod to the fact that everyone is a participant in the narrative.
The trailer also lingers on the red kimono. For those who know the book, that’s a massive "Easter egg." For everyone else, it’s just a splash of color in a snowy landscape. It’s these little details that reward repeat viewings and keep the "whodunit" community engaged on Reddit and YouTube.
How to Watch It Now
If you’re looking to revisit the hype, the original Murder on the Orient Express trailer is still all over YouTube. It’s worth watching alongside the trailers for the sequels. You can see how the marketing evolved. By the time they got to A Haunting in Venice, the music became creepier, the cuts became more jagged, and they leaned into the horror elements.
But the first one? The 2017 trailer? That remains the gold standard for how to reboot a franchise that everyone thinks they already know the ending to. It didn't matter that the book came out decades ago. The trailer made the mystery feel fresh again.
Practical Steps for Aspiring Editors and Cinephiles
If you're interested in the art of the "modern classic" trailer, there's a lot to learn from this specific example. You don't just slap a song on footage and call it a day.
- Analyze the "Sound Sizzle": Watch the trailer again but close your eyes. Listen to how many non-musical sounds are used to build tension. The clinking of a spoon, the whistle of the train, the crunch of snow. These "foley" sounds are often louder in the trailer than in the movie.
- Study the "Rule of Three": Notice how the trailer introduces the setting, then the characters, then the conflict. It’s a classic three-act structure condensed into two minutes.
- Check the Visual Symmetry: Branagh loves symmetry. Look at how many shots in the trailer are perfectly centered. This creates a sense of order that is literally being "derailed" by the murder.
- Compare with the 1974 Trailer: Go to a site like IMDb or YouTube and find the trailer for the Albert Finney version. It’s a fascinating look at how movie marketing has changed. The old trailer relies on a narrator with a "movie trailer voice" explaining the plot. The 2017 version lets the visuals and the music do all the talking.
Watching the Murder on the Orient Express trailer today is a lesson in how to sell "intellectual" entertainment to a mass audience. It’s about more than just a murder; it’s about the style, the cast, and the sheer scale of the production. Whether you liked the movie or not, you have to admit—the trailer was an absolute masterclass in hype.
To get the most out of your next rewatch, try to spot the specific moment where Poirot’s world-view shifts from "there is right and there is wrong" to "there is the truth, and then there is justice." It’s hidden right there in the final few frames of the teaser if you look closely enough at Branagh's eyes.