Presumably, they didn't spend on ads because they knew it was going to flop though right? Movies effectively get "free advertising" from reviews, actor intervi

Presumably, they didn't spend on ads because they knew it was going to flop though right? Movies effectively get "free advertising" from reviews, actor interviews, and things like your example of Conan making fun of it. I'd assume vastly more people heard of the film than saw it, they just heard it was terrible.