Superbowl Trailers Aren't What They Used to Be

Posted Jan 30th 2007 10:32AM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Disney, Lionsgate Films, Fandom, Newsstand, Home Entertainment, Movie Marketing

This Sunday, most of us will be watching the Superbowl. Out of those folks, at least half (myself included) will be watching solely for the commercials ... and maybe for a tiny bit of actual football. Let's face it, the Superbowl commercials have grown in popularity over the years, to a point where they're more appealing than the actual game. Crazy. While the Coke and Pepsi commercials are great and all, when I was growing up it was all about the movie trailers -- or, more specifically, which summer blockbusters would unleash their first TV spots during the big game.

At $2.6 million for a 30-second spot, this year the major studios have decided to steer clear from promoting the big summer monsters, in exchange for those films that desperately need eyes from a mass audience. Those of you looking forward to catching a Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End trailer will have to wait till a later date -- all Disney is giving us is a trailer for Wild Hogs and (most likely) Meet the Robinsons. Shrek the Third and Spider-Man 3 will also be absent from the big game, all you comic book geeks are getting is a TV spot for Ghost Rider ... and during the pre-game, no less. Other than that, Lionsgate will debut a trailer for the film Pride during the first quarter ... and that's it.

While we're only a few months away from one of the biggest summers ever, you'd think we'd get a little bit more than Wild Hogs, right? Back in the day, the studios always debuted the trailers for their big films during the Superbowl -- and that's why I watched -- but now with internet marketing so cheap and effective, it looks like those days are long gone. Sad, ain't it?

In case you're interested, here's a list of spots we'll be getting during this year's Superbowl.