Like many folks on my movie-oriented Twitterfeed, I watched and tweeted the entertainment side of the Super Social Bowl and tuned out the game. And I was disappointed as hell by the super-expensive ($3.5 million per 30 seconds) TV spots created by the Hollywood studios’ best and brightest.
The biggest disaster was the spot for Disney tentpole “John Carter,” which is already shaping up as a behemoth disaster and did not need a spot that would actively turn people off the $250 million Martian adventure, which features performance capture aliens and bears some resemblance to blockbuster “Avatar,” which also did not promo well in advance. Universal/Hasbro’s “Battleship,” directed by Peter Berg and starring Liam Neeson, who also turned up in a “Star Wars: Episode One 3D” spot, looked like a “Transformers” sequel. This is not good. In a field of lackluster movie spots, Disney (and Marvel) did the best, selling their magnificent line-up in “The Avengers,” which made you want to see the movie, at least.
Advertiser Coca Cola was too tired to get out of bed for the job, and reused polar bears in at least $10.5 million worth of space. Others tried harder (Budweiser) but lacked that certain something. Chrysler delivered movie star Clint Eastwood in the night’s most effective (and least delusional) ad promoting Detroit, directed by David Gordon Green. Many folks decided it was political–and pro-Obama. “That settles it,” tweeted Damon Lindeloff (“Lost”). “I’m voting for Eastwood in November.” UPDATE: Not so fast, reports New York Vulture, who got Eastwood’ manager on the phone.
Who sold you during Super Bowl XLVI?
Here’s more from TOH! on the trailers.
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