Super Bowl – to spend or not to spend.
For some motion picture marketing heads, it’s a no brainer in the bang for buck before a near 128 million-plus viewers; this year’s Super Bowl LX single ad rate hitting a record $10 million up from last year’s estimated $7.5M-$8M for a 30-second spot. As such the usual suspects of Disney, Paramount and Universal are back; and historically, they can draw a straight line between their exposure of a movie during the Big Game and its box office score.
However, there’s a new player in the mix, and we hear that’s Lionsgate with a spot for their April 24 Michael Jackson biopic, Michael. Now, Lionsgate has been to the Super Bowl before, if memory serves us correctly: 2012 with The Hunger Games and 2016 with Gods of Egypt. There’s a lot riding on the line for the pre-summer global launch of Michael to work, and by heading to the Super Bowl, Lionsgate is in it to win it.
Before the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots face off next Sunday, Feb. 8, in Santa Clara, CA and on NBC/Telemundro/Peacock, Paramount is buzzed to drop a spot for their Dimension/Spyglass Media Scream 7 which opens on Feb. 27. The studio has always fared well with being first in the early Sunday zone; last year they had Mission: Impossible — Final Reckoning which fueled a record Memorial Day weekend ($330M) along with Disney’s Lilo & Stitch; the Tom Cruise movie opening to $79M over 4 days and finaling at $197.4M domestic.
Disney never sits out and it’s just a matter of how much they’ll have. It would come as no surprise to see spots for Pixar’s Hoppers (March 6) and Lucasfilm’s The Mandalorian and Grogu (Memorial Day weekend May 22; note the last Star Wars movie to get a Big Game spot was 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story). Pixar’s Toy Story 5 could also make a show (June 19). Word is Marvel Studios, which has Avengers: Doomsday (Dec 18) and Spider-Man: Brand New Day with Sony (July 31) is sitting out in what’s arguably a Super Bowl anomaly. In years past, they’ve had movies like Deadpool & Wolverine, Thunderbolts* and more. Dwayne Johnson, who typically is no stranger to the spotlight during Super Bowl (remember Skyscraper?), is not expected to do any stunts for his live-action take of Moana (July 10). But who knows, Johnson likes to surprise.
Illumination will be quite loud with not one, but two tentpoles next Sunday: Nintendo’s Super Mario Galaxy Movie (Easter weekend April 1) and Minions 3 (July 1) via Universal. Also, look for Steven Spielberg’s new alien movie, Disclosure Day, to invade the broadcast, that pic touching down on June 12.
Sitting out as they typically do are Netflix’s feature side, Apple Original Films, Sony and Warner Bros. In recent years, the studios have been dropping these spots in the week leading up to Super Bowl similar to other brands.
The month has been named ‘Legendary February’ by NBCUniversal, which will also be broadcasting the Winter Olympics from Milan-Cortina, Italy, and the NBA All-Star game from the Intuit Dome, home of the L.A. Clippers.