Super Bowl LV: Don’t expect to see many movie trailers during the big game

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

The Super Bowl is not only a massive event for sports fans but it's also a hotspot for promotion as companies spend millions of dollars on ads to run during the big game. A reported 113.4 million viewers tuned in last year to watch the Kansas City Chiefs’ 31-20 come-from-behind victory over the San Francisco 49ers and that also means there were 113,4 million eyes locked in on potential new products to be consumed. Movie studios typically pay bucks to run TV spots of their big upcoming films which was no exception last year when No Time To Die, Mulan, Black Widow, and Fast & Furious 9 were among tentpole releases that secured a 30-second spot. All of those films were scheduled to open theatrically in 2020 but that was before the COVID-19 pandemic swept in and changed everything. Only one of the aforementioned films was released in 2020 (Mulan) but it was given a Disney+ premium release via streaming domestically. The other films have since seen more than one delay that has pushed them into 2021 and some of those new dates aren't necessarily certain as the Super Bowl draws near on February 7, 2021. Because of this, movie fans aren't likely to see many new movie trailers during the game that features the Kansas City Chiefs defending their title against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because studios have pulled back on ads due to the uncertainty of the pandemic.

According to "Deadline", the lack of ads isn't just limited to the big studios. Apple TV, HBO Max, Netflix, and Peacock aren't expected to make much of a splash during the game either. This seems a bit surprising considering streaming would be perfect to push as the narrative about the pandemic still seems to be "safer at home" but it appears that these brands feel like spending an estimated $5.5 million for a 30-second spot is worth it this year. Despite this being a very off year even for sports, the cost for a spot this year is down only slightly from the $5.6 million price-tag to air during last year's game.

Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures typically sit the Super Bowl on ads so their absence would be expected but Disney, Universal Pictures, and Paramount Pictures normally take advantage of the opportunity to sell some of their biggest upcoming films to the masses. According to "Deadline", Disney will reportedly run two to four trailers ruing the game which means we could maybe see a fresh look at their upcoming Disney+ Marvel Series' Loki and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The March 5 Disney+ premium debut of Raya and the Last Dragon could also get a spot but the real outlier here is Black Widow. The film received a Super Bowl spot last year when it was set for a May 2020 release but the pandemic has pushed it all the way to May 7, 2021. A part of me doubts Disney will spend money on a Super Bowl ad promoting the May release if they suspect they'll have to move the film one more time before we gain enough normalcy for more movie theaters to reopen. 

Universal Pictures is planning to air one trailer during the game and that will be for M. Night Shyamalan's latest thriller, Old. Shyamalan began teasing the trailer launch on his Twitter page which seems to indicate it will all be revealed on Sunday. The film is set for release on July 23, 2021, and that seems like a safe enough date to promote a big return to theaters if the vaccine distribution begins to see some improvements. Amazon is also likely to run a trailer for the Paramount Pictures acquisition, Coming 2 America as the Eddie Murphy-led sequel could do big business on streaming when it hits their Prime Video service on March 5, 2021. As for Paramount Pictures, it appears they will also be sitting on the sidelines this year as they have no reported plans to run ads for any of their 2021 released, which includes A Quiet Place Part II and Top Gun: Maverick.

Do YOU think the studios and streaming services were smart to mostly sit this year's Super Bowl out in terms of buying ads during the big game?