2023 may only be halfway through but it has been bursting with blockbuster movies. The box office is showing signs of consistency after some tough years during and after the pandemic with big hits Like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 and The Super Mario Bros. Movie enticing audiences into their local cinemas With the return of blockbusters come their brand partners, whether live action or animated, from sneakers to aeroplanes, there are many ways brands can help bring a story to the big screen for audiences to enjoy.
The return of Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One is sure to be one of the biggest films of the year, with the previous instalment Fallout grossing $800m worldwide and Cruise coming in off the back of the biggest film of 2022; Top Gun: Maverick. Whilst the Honda motorcycle in Cruise’s newest iconic death-defying stunt, previewed in the trailer, has generated a lot of interest, Etihad Airlines have just revealed their partnership with the spy blockbuster – “Etihad Airways is teaming up with Paramount Pictures to celebrate the theatrical release of the highly anticipated feature film Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One…You can catch a glimpse of the iconic sand-dunes of the Liwa desert as well as Midfield Terminal, Abu Dhabi’s upcoming new flagship airport terminal and Etihad’s future home in the latest movie trailer.” (etihad.com)
(Abu Dhabi’s Midfield Terminal featured in the M:I 7 trailer)
The partnership will see the new terminal featured in the movie as well as other Abu Dhabi locations to promote the growing tourism trade in the Middle East. To promote their involvement in the movie, Etihad Airways will be serving themed snacks and cocktails on their flights, as well as launching a dedicated in-flight entertainment channel playing the six previous Mission: Impossible instalments from 1996 to 2018 as an option to entertain you on your flight, should you choose to accept it.
(Tom Cruise by the Etihad jet with M:I livery)
The Transformers series has always given brands a unique experience of making their products action heroes, and the latest instalment Transformers: Rise of the Beasts allows for some classics to shine, being a prequel set in the 1990s. The film’s robot lead, Mirage, voiced by Pete Davidson, disguises itself as the cult classic Porsche 911 Carrera RS, while other characters disguise themselves as a Ducati Motorcycle and a VW campervan.
(The automotive stars of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts)
A vehicle can achieve cult status as the chosen transport of a hero on the big screen, the Aston Martins of James Bond or Vin Diesel’s Dodge Charger in the Fast & Furious series being prime examples. But the Transformers series allows the vehicle to become the hero, a unique opportunity for car brands. Porsche will be hoping to repeat the success of Chevrolet from the 2007 original Transformers movie where the fan favourite Bumblebee became a yellow and black Chevrolet Camaro. The Camaro was a failing model selling 29,009 models and ceasing production in 2002, The 2007 movie was an opportunity to reintroduce the Camaro to a new audience. The model featured as Bumblebee was released two years after its introduction in the movie in 2009 to 81,299 models sold (GM sales numbers 2010),showing how a well thought-out placement can transform a brand.
One of the biggest films of the summer so far has been the animated superhero sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse. In both movies in the Spider-verse series the lead character Miles Morales wears a pair of Nike Air Jordan 1s. The animated pair are made to look exactly like their real world counterparts, and even featured in the marketing for 2018’s Into the Spider-verse.
Character Poster (Source Marvel)
Miles in his Air Jordan’s in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse (Source Spotem.com)
Miles’ shoes were made available to the public as the ‘Origin Story’ Air Jordans in 2018 and again in early 2023 with an updated version, ‘The Next Chapter’, incorporating some of the films’ iconic artistic style released to tie in with the premiere of the new film.
Origin Story Jordan’s (Source Nike) The Next Chapter Jordan’s ( Source Esquire)
In a video released by Nike’s SNKRS app, one of the directors of the film speaks on their decision to feature a real pair of shoes in the film as opposed to generic sneakers: “Authenticity has always been the key. And I think that when kids saw Miles, his outfit, his clothing, particularly his shoes became almost one of his defining characteristics… Yeah. I think Miles without Jordans isn’t Miles.” (Nike SNKRS)
Clothing brands have often been used to define a character in live action, Maverick’s Ray-Ban’s in Top Gun or Indiana Jones’ licensed Belstaff Jacket in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, for example. The Spider-verse films use Miles’ Air Jordans not just to define his upbringing and culture but to ground the animated world in the real world that the audience inhabits. This trend is seeming to stick around as Pizza Hut have been appearing in promotional materials for this summer’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, opening up a whole new world of product placement.
(The Ninja Turtles enjoying Pizza Hut pizza)
2023 has been an exciting year in cinema so far, with many more hits with many more partnerships scheduled to hit our screens this summer – Barbie, Gran Tourismo, Ghostbusters: Hell’s kitchen and many more. It’s sure to be another bumper year for cinema and the brands that appear in them.