Music tracks, social media trends, partnerships and behind-the-scenes footage are some ways movie marketing campaigns increase viewership. Social media platforms, such as Tiktok, Instagram and X, are key for marketing to consumers, according to St.Thomas University. Three recent films demonstrate the impact of marketing on revenue and viewership.
F1
Apple TV’s most successful film and a box office hit, “F1,” released on June 27. According to a case study by IvyPanda, on average after 100 days of release, a movie brings in $66 million, “F1” brought in $631 million in box office. Starring Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes, the movie’s marketing features action and an aesthetic catering to the Formula One community.
“‘F1’ pushes through the medium catering to a specific audience,” Nelson said. “With blockbusters, they are meant to be box office hits, and the movies themselves cater to an audience that solely is relying on the emotion and vibes instead of the intellectual aspect. The marketing that goes into these blockbusters, like ‘F1,’ creates that aesthetic that people must go see the movie.”
According to a study by Sagepub, with a mesh of sponsorships and mainstream film culture appealing to aesthetics, “F1”’s marketing strategies featured collaborating with singer and songwriters to compose the “F1” album, that included pop singer Tate McRae, trap artist Don Toliver and pop artist Ed Sheeran, just to name a few. Alongside partnerships with real F1 world champions like Lewis Hamilton, who helped produce the film, the movie was able to include details to make the film more accurate to the sport, bringing in F1 fans as promoted on F1’s official website.
“I watched the ‘F1’ movie over the summer,” junior Beri M-Raoof said. “I heard its soundtrack with Tate McRae and also saw many edits of the movie on TikTok, so I thought it would be a good movie to watch.”
Marty Supreme
A24’s “Marty Supreme,” released on Dec. 25, brought in $109 million at the box office. The movie’s storyline captures a 23-year-old Marty Mauser in hopes to make it big in table tennis. ‘Marty Supreme’ used many marketing tactics to promote the movie, which film study teacher Bobby Nelson recognizes can influence the movie’s popularity.
“‘Marty Supreme’ is this attempt to be niche and hippie with viral street culture marketing,” Nelson said. “Through using clickbait, potentially ragebait and cultural fault lines, I think people, with TikTok and Instagram, will see this marketing as a need to be a part of the trend in response to wanting to be included in the community.”
Timothée Chalamet, who played the lead character Marty Mauser, posted promotional content on Instagram; part of the marketing was built around the actor himself to draw in fans. Specifically, Chalamet also dropped a surprise-release of the remix of “4 Raws,” with British rapper EsDeeKid, on Dec. 19, through Instagram.
According to PlanitAgency, athletes, such as American football athlete Tom Brady and ballet dancer Misty Copeland, collaborated with the film, wearing merchandise from the movie. As a result of the marketing strategies, “Marty Supreme” in 52 days of its release surpassed the average of film revenue in box office.
Wicked: For Good
Universal Pictures’ “Wicked: For Good,” was released on Nov. 21, bringing in $526 million in box office. The two-part film adaptation of Broadway brought in musical fans, brand deals and social media content.
“‘Wicked’ carries with it a unique pull, because ‘Wicked’ is based on a play and there are people, like theatergoers, that would want to compare and contrast,” Nelson said. Then, there are also people who are nostalgic due to the ‘Wizard of Oz.’ We saw more brand deals with ‘Wicked,’ like Target, and the movie in general was more accessible to a larger crowd, since it was rated PG.”
Marketing through brand partnerships such as Target, r.e.m beauty and Dunkin, generated engagement from the audience familiar with the previous “Wicked” movie. Target partnered with “Wicked” and “Wicked: For Good,” selling Target exclusives like “Wicked: For Good” x Katie Kime Collection, home décor collection and “Wicked”: The Official Visual Companion, an exclusive collector’s book. Ariana Grande’s makeup line r.e.m beauty also came out with an exclusive collaboration with the movie. Dunkin also had an exclusive menu featuring green matcha, pink refresher and pink-and-green munchkins. Additionally, Ariana Grande, playing Glinda, shared behind-the-scenes footage and interactions with fans, a reel that reached 14.6 million views on Instagram.
“Usually when I’m interested in watching an upcoming film, it’s because I saw something about it on my TikTok For You Page, or my favorite actors are featured in the movie,” freshman Srinika Kode said. “Regardless, I think movie marketing definitely plays a role in viewership of the movie because it tends to create an overhype around the film.”
The three films’ marketing strategies ranged from social media campaigns to music releases. Although approaches varied, each campaign shared the usage of digital platforms. Currently, “Marty Supreme” can be seen in theaters, while “F1” can be viewed on Apple TV and “Wicked: For Good” is set to be exclusively streaming on Peacock on March 20.
