Which Movies Will Have Ads At The Super Bowl?
TheSuper Bowlhas to be the only television broadcast of the year where the ads are almost as eagerly hyped as the event itself. Even those who don’t know a touchdown from a tackle often tune in for the commercials, and with good reason: companies spend millions just staking out ad space during the game, and millions more to produce some of the slickest, funniest, weirdest, and generally most attention-grabby spots you’ll see all year.
That includes the major movie studios, which annually seize the event to pitch their biggest pictures to millions and millions of viewers. So which movie Super Bowl commercials can we expect to see this Sunday? Find out after the jump.
UPDATE:Since we first published this story, bothCaptain America: Civil WarandEddie the Eaglehave teased Super Bowl spots.THRhas a rundown of which studios will air Super Bowl TV spots this year. Prices for these coveted slots hit a record high of $4.6 million to $5 million for 30 seconds this year. We can also count on seeing pre-game spots and maybe even ads on competing programs (liketheInside Outspot that aired during the Puppy Bowl in 2015). And that’s not even getting into the movie Super Bowl commercials that aren’t officially movie Super Bowl commercials, such asthe running commentary for SquarespacefromKeanustarsJordan PeeleandKeegan-Michael Key.
We’ve compiled the list of movie Super Bowl commercials below based on trade reports, studio announcements, and our own educated guesses, and we’ll continue to update as we get more information.
Super Bowl 50 kicks off this Sunday,February 7at 6:30 PM Eastern time on CBS. The Carolina Panthers will play the Denver Broncos at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Warner Bros. and Sony
NeitherWarner Bros.norSonybought any ad time. However, it’s possible one of Warner Bros.' ad partners (like Doritos, with whom they’re running a “Crash the Super Bowl” campaign) will slip in a plug forBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Universal: Bourne 5
According to THR, Universal has bought one 60-second spot during the big game. While the studio hasn’t said which film will get that slot, it’s all but certain to beBourne 5. Last week,BourneauthorEric van Lustbaderput up a (now-deleted) Facebook post indicating that the firstBourne 5footage, and the officialBourne 5title,would be revealed during the game. The film opensJuly 29.
Paramount: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
The studio reportedly has one 30-second spot lined up, and it’s going to the heroes in a half shell. You can see the last trailer, released in December, above.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the ShadowsarrivesJune 3.
20th Century Fox: Deadpool
Fox has two 30-second spots airing during the Super Bowl. One is likely to go toDeadpool, which has other, off-air promotions planned around the Super Bowl, including an early screening of the movie, a press junket, and a chimichanga food truck. (More details here.) The timing is just about perfect for promoting the irreverent superhero pic — it arrives in theatersFebruary 12, just days after the Super Bowl.
20th Century Fox: X-Men: Apocalypse or Independence Day: Resurgence?
IfDeadpoolis taking one of Fox’s two Super Bowl slots, it’s still unclear which movie will get the other. The studio could go all-in on its Marvel superhero universe by promoting bothDeadpoolandX-Men: Apocalypse(outMay 27). Or it could use that time to pushIndependence Day: Resurgence(June 24). After all, the originalIndependence Dayused the Super Bowl to launch its marketing campaign, and that paid off big time.
In any case, actors from bothX-Men: ApocalypseandIndependence Day: Resurgence(includingJeff GoldblumandLiam Hemsworth) are expected to be present at the game, so look for some potential offscreen promotions there too. It’s also possible (though less likely) that Fox will spend that time on one of its other upcoming releases such asEddie the Eagle(February 26).
(UPDATE:Eddie the Eaglewill have a Super Bowl spot.)
Disney: The Jungle Book
There’s no guessing with this one: Disney has already put out a teaser for itsJungle BookSuper Bowl spot, so we know for sure there’s going to be one.The Jungle BookopensApril 15.
Disney: Alice Through the Looking Glass
Alice Through the Looking Glassalso seems to be gearing up for an appearance during the big game. The TV spot above, which we ran earlier this week, is being described by some outlets as a Super Bowl spot. (Disney hasn’t officially labeled it as such, though.) The fantasy sequel hits theatersMay 27.
Disney: Captain America: Civil War?
THR’s sources say only that Disney will promote “multiple” movies during the game, so we don’t know ifAlice Through the Looking GlassandThe Jungle Bookwill be it, or whether we should expect more. If they have three or more slots,Captain America: Civil Warcould get a push — it’s one of the studio’s most-hyped movies of the year, and theCaptain America: The Winter Soldiertrailer made a splash during the Super Bowl in 2014.
Then again,Avengers: Age of Ultronwas a no-show at the big game last year and did just fine. Instead, the studio used its Super Bowl slotto hypeTomorrowland. So it’s possible they’ll take a similar approach this year, trustingCivil Warto sell itself and using that precious time on a title that actually needs the boost.
(UPDATE:Disney and Coca-Cola are droppingbig hintsthat Civil War will have a presence at the game.)
Disney’s other upcoming releases includeZootopia(March 4),Finding Dory(June 17),The BFG(July 1),Pete’s Dragon(August 12),Doctor Strange(November 4),Moana(November 23), andRogue One: A Star Wars Story(December 16). (We would be surprised if this was how they chose to kick offRogue One’s marketing campaign, but stranger things have happened.)
