Warner Bros. Discovery faced significant backlash over the weekend after releasing an AI-animated promotional video for its upcoming sci-fi thriller "The End of Oak Street." The advertisement, created in partnership with dog-owner social media app DogPack, stages a conversation between AI-generated dog podcast hosts and a canine character from the film.
The video was posted Friday to Warner Bros. Discovery's and DogPack's Facebook channels and DogPack's Instagram account. Responses on Instagram were predominantly negative, with top comments calling the ad a "huge f**k up" and saying it "actually damaged the odds I will be seeing" the film. Critics also reuploaded the video to X, Threads, and TikTok.
Warner Bros. Malaysia separately shared an AI-generated video of dinosaurs attacking civilians to promote the same film.
An unusual marketing strategy
While AI adoption has grown across filmmaking, studios rarely use AI-generated visuals so openly in marketing materials. The decision is especially striking given that "The End of Oak Street" carries an reported $85 million production budget and stars Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor.
DogPack produces "The Dogbone Podcast," a scripted show that uses AI-generated animation and vocals to stage conversations between dogs. Company co-founder Dov Punski told Business Insider last year that storytelling transparency matters to its audience. "People don't like to feel like they're being tricked … This is obviously not real. We're not trying to trick anyone," Punski said. "We're just trying to give people entertainment."
The ad simulates a conversation between Dogbone podcast hosts and Starbuck, a dog in the film's story owned by Hathaway and McGregor's characters.
AI use remains a flashpoint in Hollywood
Many creatives see the technology as an existential threat to their jobs, and studios continue forming partnerships centered on AI. Representatives for Warner Bros. and director David Robert Mitchell did not respond to requests for comment. The Facebook post of the video, however, received some supportive feedback, with one user saying "this is the best use of AI."
"The End of Oak Street" open Friday. The film's distribution includes IMAX and standard digital theatrical releases.
For AI for Creatives working in marketing, film, or animation, this backlash shows that even major studios can misjudge how audiences view AI generated content. Many viewers made explicit the trade-off: the cost of a perceived cheap promotional tactic outweighs their interest in an $85 million film. Creatives facing pressure to adopt AI internally for efficiency may want to address audience expectations about amateur-quality output before launching public campaigns.
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