Warner Bros. Sparks Backlash With AI Promo for $85 Million 'The End of Oak Street'
Updated
Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 10
Warner Bros. Sparks Backlash With AI Promo for $85 Million 'The End of Oak Street'
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 10
Summary
Warner Bros.' AI marketing for "The End of Oak Street" drew near-universal online criticism days before the film's August 14 release, with many users saying the campaign made them less likely to watch it.
The backlash centers on a 90-second dog-podcast promo made with social app DogPack, where AI-generated talking dogs discuss the movie and its canine character in a tone critics say clashes with the film's sci-fi survival-horror positioning.
A second AI dinosaur-attack clip aimed at Malaysian users added to complaints about the visuals and the ethics of generative AI, turning what was meant to build buzz into a reputational problem for the release.
The studio has already removed one AI dog promo after backlash, and the episode risks becoming a broader Hollywood warning about using cheap AI marketing on an $85 million film.