The Barbie doll from the Mattel toy company needs little introduction, though surprisingly basked in a tsunami of publicity for a theatrical film that just wrapped production for Warner Bros. Pictures. That the "Barbie "movie generated a spate of publicity in recent weeks is perplexing because it’s not scheduled for theatrical premiere until July 21, 2023. An article in the … [Read more...] about ‘Barbie’ Film Toys With Long-Lead Publicity
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‘Wonder Woman’ Gets Thrill Ride
The Wonder Woman comic book/movie property is set for its own roller coaster thrill ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain outdoor amusement park in suburban Los Angeles. The licensed merchandise ride is scheduled to open summer of 2022, after being delayed by the pandemic. The theme park’s investment in a new ride indicates confidence in the outdoor, out-of-home entertainment … [Read more...] about ‘Wonder Woman’ Gets Thrill Ride
Film Merchandise Becomes NFTs
Warner Bros. offers digital comic book covers to those sign up for its DC FanDome event in what is a free giveaway of NFTs — the acronym for non-fungible digital tokens. These new type of digital content collectibles are quickly becoming a staple of movie marketing. The Warner digital goodies aim to spur attendance to its in-house fan events, which is in the mold of a … [Read more...] about Film Merchandise Becomes NFTs
Video Game Builds ‘Avatar 2’ Ecosystem
The groundwork for a multimedia “Avatar” universe is coming into focus from Walt Disney Studios. Merchandise licensee Ubisoft Entertainment just unveiled “Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora," a first-person video game that fleshes-out the sci-fi epic’s far-away world. The source sci-fi movie “Avatar” is the all-time box-office champ grossing $760.5 domestically (and $2.85 billion … [Read more...] about Video Game Builds ‘Avatar 2’ Ecosystem
Rolex Melds With Oscars, Hollywood
Luxury Swiss watchmaker Rolex integrates itself with Hollywood talent and Oscar’s glitter with its long-running multimedia sponsorship, which has many facets. The Rolex logo — the four-pronged crown -- is intertwined with the Oscar statuette in a cavalcade of interconnected marketing initiatives with the Academy Awards organizer, including: * Film-critic darling Martin … [Read more...] about Rolex Melds With Oscars, Hollywood
‘Harry Potter’ Mobile Game Casting ‘Spells’
Warner Bros. Interactive licensed a Harry Potter casual game to Zynga, giving the literary and movie property digital merchandise to keep consumers engaged in the wizards and magic world. The basic game is titled “Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells.” Says a press release, “Featuring the soundtrack and voice-over recordings from the original ‘Harry Potter’ films, fans follow … [Read more...] about ‘Harry Potter’ Mobile Game Casting ‘Spells’
Swag Bags Overflowing in Awards Season
Swag bags full of loot for celebrities popped up across the Hollywood awards landscape. The Hollywood Reporter published a photo gallery presenting everything “from Pope slippers to 'The Irishman' wine.” At the Golden Globe Awards, 600 official gift bags for males and a like number for females -- whose contents are called “swag” in the vernacular. Contents include … [Read more...] about Swag Bags Overflowing in Awards Season
New ‘Star Wars’ Prepares 20 Book Tie-ins
Walt Disney Studios arranged for a whopping 20 book tie-ins to the last installment of the “Star Wars” saga. “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” is scheduled to premiere Dec. 20 and is not yet rated, but expect a PG-13/Parental Guidance for ages under 13 as the audience classification. “While these titles will include some hints and Easter eggs for the new film, the majority … [Read more...] about New ‘Star Wars’ Prepares 20 Book Tie-ins
Carmaker Flakes Out on ‘Blade Runner’
The company behind “Blade Runner 2049” is suing French automaker Peugeot alleging it reneged on a big tie-in promotion with the sci-fi movie from 2017. Alcon Entertainment filed the legal action asserting that Peugeot failed to perform on paying a promised $500,000 cash fee and accompanying advertising support of $30 million. The complaint said that another unidentified … [Read more...] about Carmaker Flakes Out on ‘Blade Runner’
Pepsi investment in ‘Uncle Drew’ pays off
Soft drink marketer Pepsi seems to have hit the jackpot producing urban basketball comedy-yarn movie “Uncle Drew,” which cracked the top 10 grossers in two consecutive weekends and rolled up a respectable $30 million in domestic box office June 29-July 8. That’s for a movie, which is distributed by Lionsgate, costing only about $20 million to produce -- cheap by major-studio … [Read more...] about Pepsi investment in ‘Uncle Drew’ pays off