Movie previews are called “trailers” because they were originally shown after the movie.

In the early days of moviegoing, you didn’t just buy a ticket for one feature-length film and leave once the credits started rolling. You were instead treated to a mix of shorts, newsreels, cartoons, and, eventually, trailers — which, per their name, played after the movie rather than before — with people coming and going … Continue reading Movie previews are called “trailers” because they were originally shown after the movie.