MatthewVaughn's Kick-Ass is one of the most striking examples of this tendency.
After the first glimpse of Chloe Grace-Moretz's Hit-Girl, the subversive jet-black comedy crimefighter's red-brand trailer was greeted with gasps of relief and many pearls being clasped.
There was a lot of disagreement about such unsavory content being included in an R-rated fantasy that leaned into the tropes of the comic book adaptation while simultaneously tearing them apart, so a lot of the detractors completely missed the point. Nevertheless, Hit-Girl managed to escape virtually scot-free, because bad words are apparently significantly worse than beating.
Kick-Ass's cult favorite status was not harmed by the storm in a teacup, as Vaughn's ode to excessive spandex-clad vigilante justice recovered its budget almost three and a half times at the box office, while receiving praise from many stakeholders.
The less discussed about the sequel the better, but it's the opener that's been stoking the Starz most-watched charts for over a decade after leaving jaws on the floor and stuffed cynics aghast at what was on the way.