Two movies headed to cinemas are connecting to restaurants in unconventional ways.
“Toy Story 5” is planting some pop-up restaurants, which are purpose-built publicity vehicles, with Papa Johns Pizza (image of restaurant above). Also, the “Fast and Furious” franchise is being adapted to the themed restaurant at Universal Studio Hollywood Tour.
Walt Disney Studios will premiere “Toy Story 5” on June 19 domestically and the animated movie is classified PG-parental guidance. Universal Pictures slated “Fast Forever,” which is the 12th film of the hot-cars action franchise, for March 17, 2028, domestic launch (about two years away).
Most restaurant promotions are joint marketing affairs in which the movie piggybacks on restaurant advertising, in-restaurant signage, giveaways items and perhaps some limited-time meal-menu items. For instance, Jack In The Box promoted “Deadpool and Wolverine” at its 2,200 restaurant locations, though restaurant promotions declined amid pandemic disruptions.
For “Toy Story 5,” Papa Johns is launching special pop-up restaurants in the Los Angeles, London, Seoul and Madrid (so spanning three continents!). Those showcase locations are augmented by marketing across the its 6,000 permanent regular restaurants in 50 territories. “Across key markets, fans can score free limited‑edition pizzas, explore themed menus, and get their hands on exclusive Papa Johns Pizza Planet prizes, merchandise and collectible items,” a press release says.
There’s also a cell phone app game that unlocks free pizza, connecting across the Papa Johns store network. The four “Toy Story” movies have grossed $1.3 billion domestically in cinemas and $3.3 billion worldwide.
Meanwhile, Universal Studios Hollywood revamped its existing Hollywood & Dine restaurant (a play on words for the famed intersection of Hollywood and Vine streets) that is becoming the “Fast & Furious” Drift & Dine restaurant. Among gear-heads, the word “drift” means refers to a controlled high-speed skid in a turn; the 2006 installment of the franchise used the word in the film title.
The “Toy Story 5” pop-ups and Drift & Dine restaurant won’t directly touch a lot of consumers, but they’ll be amplified by press coverage and social media buzz.
There’s a lot of corporate synergy within Universal Pictures-parent Comcast for the franchise. A “Fast and Furious”-themed roller coaster coming this summer to Universal Studios, which is also a Comcast company. The prior 11 “Fast and Furious” films have cumulatively grossed $2.3 billion domestically.
In recent conventional restaurant tie-ins, Burger King teamed with “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants”; Dunkin’ with “Wicked: For Good”; Little Caesars pizza with “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”; McDonald’s with “Elio” and “A Minecraft Movie”; and KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) for “F1.”
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