Super Bowl Sunday has come to be known as a holiday for football fans, but it’s also a memorable time for movie buffs. Over the last few decades, it’s no secret that million-dollar ads have nearly eclipsed the game itself, but high-profile film commercials are a relatively new phenomenon that has erupted over the last decade or so. With that in mind, and as we look forward to Sunday’s blockbusters, here are some flicks that unveiled crucial footage at Super Bowls past:
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (2009)
Last year’s biggest ad , a Variety survey showed that 83% of the people polled remembered seeing the trailer during Super Bowl – the most of any of the movie ads, which is unsurprising since it then went on to gross the most of any of the films advertised. Ultimately, the proof of that advertising power was in the pudding as the “Transformers” sequel would go on to make over $400 million in the U.S. despite the fact that… well, it kinda sucked.
“Independence Day” (1996)
The ultimate example of awesome-looking footage getting people to fork over their money for a movie that couldn’t sustain the brilliance over two hours. In 1996, the “Independence Day” marketing mania kicked off with a Super Bowl spot that included the stunning shot of an alien ship destroying the White House. By the time July rolled around, the whole country was dying to know more about those giant spaceships, and spent $300 million at the box-office as the film dominated the year’s receipts. All these years later, the hype is more fondly remembered than the film itself.
“The Matrix Reloaded” (2003)
Think back to a simpler time, when “The Matrix” seemed so fresh and new, and the promise of equally-brilliant sequels had us all eager to head to the theater. That winter’s Super Bowl tapped into our excitement with a big ad that revealed new, eye-popping footage of Neo kicking ass. Ultimately, the sequel would do well in theaters – but was hardly the chosen one.
“Star Trek” (2009)
The odd thing was that even though millions were spent on landing a Super Bowl slot last year, the “Star Trek” commercial (http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/02/01/star-trek-super-bowl-spot-showcases-brawling-kirk-big-explosions/) showed virtually no new footage, only stuff that had been online for weeks. Ultimately, it didn’t matter, as a slew of eyeballs saw Kirk and Sulu skydiving on their big screen TVs and made their minds up right there that they needed to see J.J. Abram’s reboot on the big screen. A few months later, the movie was a hit and everybody was talking sequel. Touchdown!
“Bruce Almighty” (2004)
Just because you’re a comedy, it doesn’t mean you can’t make a splash at the Super Bowl. In 2004, this Jim Carrey film needed to get on people’s radars, and accomplished its mission with a funny spot that got the word out. A few months later, it made back the million-dollar investment on the ad, roughly 242 times.
“Signs” (2002)
If you have a high-budget film with a suspenseful mystery at its core, you’d be crazy to not have a Super Bowl ad. Exhibit A: M. Night Shyamalan’s film that primed the Super Bowl pump by planting its key questions in the heads of football fans. Is it a horror movie? An alien movie? Will it ever show us what the monster is? A few months later, $200 million worth of moviegoers would fork over their money in exchange for answers.
“Cast Away” (2001)
Sometimes, the smart ads advertise a movie without really doing so. This one played off a tie-in between Robert Zemeckis’ “Cast-Away” and FedEx, and made a big impression when it ran. The best part: The commercial was conceived after Zemeckis made a passing joke that one of the unopened packages on the island with Tom Hanks contained a solar-powered satellite phone. Unsurprisingly, they didn’t get Hanks to reprise his role as the character of Chuck for the commercial – but anyone who’d seen the film got the joke right away.
“Iron Man” (2008)
Arguably the most famous of all the movie-teasing Super Bowl ads, this one had geeks drooling all over their hi-def TVs when it premiered. What’s also notable, however, is that there was a fair amount of outrage over the first peek at a fake-looking shot of Iron Man battling a tank; director Jon Favreau and star Robert Downey Jr. acted quickly to assure fans that the scene still had some f/x work to be done, and sure enough the finished product was much more realistic-looking. $300 million later, the only things fans can be sad about nowadays is that there apparently won’t be a follow-up “Iron Man 2” spot in this year’s game.
“Men in Black II” (2002)
When you have an event movie with big stars in it, the Super Bowl is an ideal fit. Show a few key jokes, all the viewers (most of whom have been drinking) will laugh alongside their friends, and a few months later you reap the benefits. Sure enough, in 2002 few ads made as much of an impact as one teasing “Men in Black II.” As everybody from Doritos to Budweiser to Pepsi will prove once again Sunday: It’s all about awareness, folks.
In your opinion, what is the greatest Super Bowl movie spot of all time? Does a good commercial convince you to go see a flick, even if it's still many months away?
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