Tag: jason reitman

ghostbusters: frozen empire – marketing recap

How Sony Pictures has sold the supernatural sequel

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire movie poster from Sony Pictures
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire movie poster from Sony Pictures

Three years ago writer/director Jason Reitman brought us Ghostbusters: Afterlife, bringing the franchise up to date and pandering more than a little to the angry individuals who felt that 2016’s Ghostbusters: Answer The Call was a desecration of the only personality trait they’d cultivated over the last three decades. They were wrong, but they were also loud.

Now the story continues in Ghosbusters: Frozen Empire, hitting theaters now. The movie finds Callie, Trevor and Phoebe Spengler (Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace) along with former science teacher Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd) moving from Oklahoma to New York City to fully embrace their ghostbusting responsibilities. Once there they connect with the original team of Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) and Ray Stantz (Dan Ackroyd) along with erstwhile support Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts) as a new supernatural threat emerges to plague the city.

Whereas the campaign for the first movie pretended that the original cast wasn’t participating, this time around they’re a major component of the marketing effort. Not only that but William Atherton returns as the infamous Walter Peck, now mayor of New York City. Patton Oswalt, Celeste O’Conner and Kumail Nanjiani are also along for the ride.

Reitman is still credited as a cowriter on this film along with Gil Kenan, who wrote the first installment and steps into the director’s chair this time around. So with all that setup, let’s look at how it’s been sold.

announcement and casting

Sony announced the movie had been greenlit for production in April 2022 during that year’s CinemaCon.

At a special fan event on Ghostbusters Day in early June of that year, Reitman updated fans that the next movie, codenamed “Firehouse”, was currently being written and would continue the story of the Spengler family. There were also lots of other announcements, including that an animated feature was in development along with a new cartoon series, comic title and more. A December 2023 release was also announced at this time.

Most of the cast from Afterlife confirmed they were returning in late 2022, the same period in which it was revealed Kenan was taking on directorial responsibilities, with Reitman remaining as writer and producers.

The first day of filming was marked in mid-March 2023. A month later more details – including the New York City setting of the story – were shared when some of the cast appeared via video message at CinemaCon.

The return of the original series’ cast was slowly revealed both unofficially and officially in mid-2023. Sony also moved the release date to March 2024 because of the dual strikes impacting not only production but also publicity efforts.

the marketing campaign

Sony kicked off the campaign in earnest in November of last year with the release of the first teaser trailer (2.6mm YouTube plays). It opens with beachgoers being overtaken by a mysterious and deadly cold snap, an event that gets the Ghostbusters both new and old back into action .

Later in November Dark Horse Comics shared more about the tie-in comics series and Sony launched an AR experience for the various social media platforms that cast a ghostly chill over people’s videos.

Toward the end of last year there was a major push involving local Ghostbusters clubs, the people who create their own costumes, proton packs and such. Part of that included toy and food drives around the holidays, part was just about getting them on film doing goofy things involving theater standees for the film. It was a fun effort and nice to see the studio embracing these hardcore fans.

Murray’s involvement was finally double-confirmed for real this time in an Empire interview with Kenan where he talked about what the story was going to be and how much fun it was working with everyone.

The first real teaser poster came out in mid-December and shows the team exiting Ecto-1 onto a New York street that’s completely iced over, with some very intimidating demons and ghouls – and Slimer – coming at them. The design has the new members clearly visible, albeit from behind, while shadowy figures that are of course the old team further away from the camera.

More new images were shared by Empire in January along with comments from Reitman, Hudson, Kenan and others.

The official trailer (3m YouTube plays) came out in late January and opens in the greatest way: With Walter Peck berating the assembled Ghostbusters for once again causing havoc in New York and this time endangering minors while engaging in shenanigans. After that a strange item is delivered to Ray at his occult shop, one that may be part of a major evil that’s about to rise and scare everyone in the world to death.

Fandango shared four new posters in late February, some of which show different groupings of the cast and some of which focus on the monsters that the heroes will be fighting.

TV spots also began running at this time, presumably also being used on other platforms. Most don’t show much that’s new, just recutting some of the bigger fan service moments from the trailer.

Another group of new posters came from Collider, including solo one-sheets for one of the mini Marshmallow guys and Slimer.

An exclusive featurette came from Fandango that focused on the connections between the old and the new generations as well as what’s brand new here.

At the beginning of March the final trailer (446k YouTube plays) was released. This one is slightly less interested in nostalgia and is more focused on the threat the heroes have to assemble to fight back against.

Wolfhard had already appeared on “First We Feast” at this point, as more publicity efforts began emerging. That included some collaborations with Adam Savage as he examined, built and tested various props and effects from the movie on his Tested YouTube channel. Later on Rudd appeared on both “Late Night” and “The Late Show” while Murray and Hudson showed up together on “The Tonight Show”. Coon also appeared on “Tonight” while nearly the whole cast came together on “CBS Mornings”.

The first clip came out in early March showing the new Ghostbusters chasing a specter down the streets of New York.

A TV spot with Peyton and Eli Manning donning quarter-zip outfits to fight ghosts was meant to appeal to…I’m honestly not even sure.

Everyone involved hit the red carpet for the New York City premiere a little over a week before release, talking about why they returned, what a good time audiences could expect and how much fun it was to play Ghostbuster again. Some of them also traveled to London for the premiere event there.

Coon was interviewed about the role her character plays in the story while an interview with Kenan had him talking about the pressure of stepping into the shoes of the late Ivan Reitman.

overall

Reviews have been fairly good so far, which is a positive sign given the main criticism of Afterlife is that it was a comedy sequel that showed little to no interest in being funny. And interest seems relatively high, with an opening weekend box-office take of about $45mm projected.

It does feel a bit refreshing that this time around everyone has dropped the pretense of the original cast not being part of the movie. Not only does that allow them to be more actively involved in promoting this one but it also creates a major selling point to communicate to the audience, one that is hammered home repeatedly.

While there is a lot more fun on display here than was seen in the marketing of Afterlife, it also still feels oddly serious. At least it feels like the movie is taking itself very seriously. But I guess that what the groups who were the most vocal about girls being let into the clubhouse wanted and continue to look for, so it’s what is being sold here.

Personally I want more of William Atherton scolding everyone for acting childish. More to the point, I want everyone acting kind of childish, thumbing their nose at the authorities and going out on limbs just because it seems like a cool thing to do.

ghostbusters: afterlife – marketing recap

How Sony has sold its latest attempt to revive an iconic franchise

Ghostbusters Afterlife poster
Ghostbusters Afterlife poster

Whenever I’m talking about the nostalgia industrial complex that’s built up over the last couple decades, Ghostbusters is usually the example I pull out. Sony/Columbia and its various partners have worked hard to sell 1/8th reproductions of Ecto-1, proton pack-shaped USB chargers and other consumer products and high-end collectibles to a largely male audience who still hold the 1984 comedy as the single most important cultural moment of their lives.

As such it wasn’t wholly surprising when that same crowd came out in force to push back on Paul Fieg’s 2016 reboot of the franchise considering he was letting girls in what was *clearly* a boys-only clubhouse.

And it’s not wholly surprising that, five years later, Sony Pictures has taken a 180-degree turn from that previous effort.

That new take, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, comes out this week. The movie stars Carrie Coon as Callie Spengler, daughter of Egon, played in the originals by the late Harold Ramis. Carrie has moved herself and her two kids – Phoebe (McKenna Grace) and Trevor (Fill Wolfhard) – to Oklahoma and a house her father left her years ago. When strange, supernatural things start happening in town it’s up to the remaining members of the Spengler family, along with their new friends and science teacher Chad Grooberson (Paul Rudd) to save the town and the world.

While the 2016 movie had most of the original cast appearing in small cameos as other characters, this time around they are reprising those original roles. So we get Bill Murray as Peter Venkman, Sigourney Weaver as Dana Barret, Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddemore, Annie Potts as Janine Melnitz and Dan Ackroyd as Raymond Stantz.

Having all of them return is indicative of a campaign that is steeped in nostalgia, not for what it can tell us about our present or future but for the comforting blanket of familiarity it offers.

announcement and casting

The news that Reitman would be creating his own Ghostbusters film came out of more or less nowhere in mid-January 2019. At that time a brief teaser was released that didn’t offer any footage from the film but set the tone and made sure everyone knew it was in the works.

The early 2019 announcement included the clarification this film would follow the original movie’s timeline, not that of the 2016 Paul Feig movie, a fact the cast of that film wasn’t thrilled with and many questioned, seeing a missed opportunity to expand that story.

Further complicating matters, Reitman commented in February 2019 that he was planning on “giving the movie back to the fans,” talking about the lengths he was going to in order to cater to those who still hold the original to be a sacred pop culture text. Those comments were interpreted as him validating the criticisms of the 2016 film and telling the men who complained about women being allowed near their beloved franchise that he shared their perspective. He clarified things a short while later, expressing his love of Feig’s film and the actors in it, but the message still hung out there.

An interview with Ackroyd allowed him to talk about how the main reason this film was greenlit over a sequel to the 2016 movie was cost, with this one reportedly sporting a much lower budget than that would have necessitated. Around the same time Murray was in Cannes for another film but said during his press appearances there that he’d be open to another Ghostbusters film if the offer came in.

The focus continued to be on the status of the original cast, as mid-2019 kept bringing various comments and updates from Reitman and others that various members had read the script and were interested or had already committed. Paul Rudd revealed in late June that he had taken on a supporting role in the film, with Ackroyd and Hudson confirming they’d be appearing a couple months later. He spoke briefly about it while promoting other things last year.

Rudd’s casting was announced in June, 2019 via a video of him filming outside the New York firehouse that was the team’s original headquarters.

Wolfhard spoke about the audition process during CinemaCon 2019.

marketing phase one

Vanity Fair got things officially started in December 2019, sharing a batch of first look photos along with comments from Reitman and others.

A supernatural storm brews in the distant sky on the first poster, released shortly after those stills came out. Showing the Ecto-1 speeding through a wheat field toward that storm establishes the connections to the past as well as the setting of the current story.

The first trailer (21.1m YouTube views), released at the same time, starts by establishing the setting of the film. Trevor and his family are relocating to a farmhouse in a small town because they’re broke and it’s the only thing still in their name, left to them by their unnamed grandfather. As strange and spooky things begin happening around them, Phoebe uncovers a secret stash of ghostbusting equipment no one but her teacher Mr. Gooberson recognizes it for what it is. It isn’t long before the kids are using that old equipment as more and more supernatural creatures begin appearing.

Wolfhard commented on the movie while he was promoting other things earlier this year.

While speculation had surrounded his involvement, Murray finally revealed he would return as Dr. Peter Venkman in January. That was part of an extended profile that had him talking about the legacy of the franchise and much more.

Several of the movie’s stars joined the original cast and filmmakers in one of Josh Gad’s conference Zoom calls in mid-June.

An interview with Ackroyd allowed him to make it clear that while Ramis wasn’t in the film his spirit would be well-represented.

Coon appeared on “Kimmel” to promote other projects in January but spoke briefly about this film as well.

Later on Murray spoke about his initial reluctance to come on board for the film and how Reitman won him over.

At the end of March last year, Sony announced it was shifting the movie’s release date by several months as theaters remained closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It got pushed a few more months in October, and then again in January to November.

marketing phase two

With that new November 2021 release date set, the campaign started up once again a few months ago.

A mysterious teaser was released in early April, showing Mr. Gooberson doing some shopping only to come across mini versions of an old foe.

Things really started off in early June on #GhostbustersDay, so-called because 6/8 was the day the original movie was released all the way back in 1984.

Related events included:

  • The cast and crew of the movie taking fan questions via Twitter Spaces
  • Merchandise promotions from both Reitmans and others
  • Lots of new consumer products announcements
  • The elder Reitman and Murray discussing whether or not Ghostbusters Day is an official holiday

Reitman Jr. and Sr. were both part of a featurette released in early June that had the two talking about their life long experiences with the franchise as well as how the idea of passing things down from generation to generation is reflected in the story.

The next trailer (2.7m YouTube views) didn’t come out until July 2021. It hits many of the same beats as the first one, showing how Trevor is kind of a loner in a small town where his family has moved into the house his grandfather left them. From there on it’s all building mythology, with Jeanine helping them get settled and hinting that Egon wanted them to come here for a reason. That reason may have something to do with the mysterious happenings in town, which just escalate over time. It ends with Ray picking up the phone in his occult books shop, hinting at his involvement in the story as well.

Videos came out shortly after that showing Grace, O’Connor and others from the cast reacting to that trailer.

Adam Savage of “Mythbusters” fame announced in August that he had been on the set of the film and would be offering behind-the-scenes looks at production.

Sony screened the movie in full at CinemaCon in August, giving attendees much more than the usual selection of trailers and clips. Both Reitmans were in attendance to praise the studio and get people excited for the film.

Reitman and the visual effects crew were interviewed about bringing the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man back.

Those Mini-Pufts continued to be at the center of the campaign with a video showing how to make s’mores out of them. A bit later a similar video was released for National Marshmallow Day.

Short teasers like this started coming out at the end of August offering little snippets from the movie.

A second poster was finally released in September that shows Trevor, Phoebe and their friends exiting the Ecto-1 to get a look at a mysterious beam either coming from or reaching up to the gathering clouds.

Wolfhard appeared on “The Tonight Show” around that time as well. He and Grace also talked about the movie on “Today.”

Both Reitmans and others from the cast appeared at New York Comic-Con in October for a panel about the movie. That panel wound up also including a surprise screening of the movie for those in attendance.

While the sizzle reel released after that panel had fans praising the film (the word “amazing” is frequently invoked), overall reviews were far less positive, with many critics panning it as the worst example of empty nostalgia, with objects from previous films shown for no real reason other than to evoke a SQUEE reaction from people who remember it from the original.

VFX producer Kerry Joseph was interviewed about the process of bringing miniature versions of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man to life.

Cinemark released an exclusive poster that simply shows the Ecto-1 speeding down the streets of Summerville.

Reitman was slightly more complimentary toward Feig’s 2016 movie in another interview, saying it opened the doors to additional stories set in the universe of the first films.

The cast and Reitman appeared in a video supporting LGBTQ+ youth on Spirit Day in October. Lots of ghosts and movie branding were part of the Halloween episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show” with Grace and Hudson stopping by as well.

MovieClips got an exclusive clip at the beginning of November showing Mr. Gooberson helping the kids revive one of the old ghost traps Egon left behind.

Reitman was interviewed by the PlayStation Blog team about taking on the franchise and what he hoped audiences would get out of it. PlayStation also debuted a new clip of Mr. Gooberson encountering a Terror Dog – the big supernatural bear that chased Louis Tully out of his apartment – and more.

An exclusive IMAX poster shows someone sitting in the gunner chair of the Ecto-1 as they blast a spook or specter in the sky.

Regal Cinemas offered a free bag of popcorn to people buying IMAX tickets. Regal also had an exclusive video interview with the cast of the film.

The final trailer (3.2m YouTube views), released just last week, only runs a minute but includes a lot of elements from throughout the campaign, including Phoebe trying to revive her grandfather’s legacy, plenty of antics from the Mini-Pufts and, at the end, the biggest tease to date that the original Ghostbusters are back in action.

Rudd made the talk show rounds to not only promote the movie but also accept his status as the newest Sexiest Man Alive according to People Magazine.

A poster for ScreenX shows the Ecto-1 making crop circles in someone’s field. D-Box put out a commercial promoting the more visceral experience audiences will have seeing it in that format. The Dolby Cinemas poster shows the Ecto-1 racing toward trouble.

Inglewood, CA residents could stop by Randy’s Donuts recently to get movie-themed donuts from the Ecto-1. Also on the food front, Hi-C revived its Ecto Cooler drink as a tie-in promotion.

A premiere red carpet event was held just days ago in New York City with the cast and crew all in attendance.

Murray, Hudson and Ackroyd appeared together on “The Tonight Show” to talk about reuniting for the sequel after so many years.

Costar Logan Kimchi hosted a featurette introducing audiences to the rest of the movie’s cast.

An interview with Coon had her talking about the way the movie depicts science, the family-centric nature of the story and more.

overall

With a Rotten Tomatoes score of just 66% and projections estimating an opening weekend take of $30 million or less (the 2016 movie – considered to have flopped hard – brought in $46 million) it seems that demand for a direct sequel isn’t as high as those who hold the rights might be hoping.

If that comes to pass it could indicate that pure, single-malt nostalgia is powerful enough to sell high end replicas of 30 year old toys but not enough to actually generate interest in *anything* new for that property.

Such a statement would be a powerful rebuke to those who jumped on the narrative, even free from any misogyny, that the 2016 movie failed because it deviated too far from the norm.

Sony GIF by Ghostbusters - Find & Share on GIPHY

About the marketing campaign for this movie specifically there are a few themes that are apparent:

Mini-Pufts as Minions: Let’s remember that the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in the first movie isn’t a comedic element in and of itself. It’s a harbinger of death, with the Ghostbusters reacting comedically to its appearance. But here, they are treated like any sort of recent cute, animated creation. As such they form one of the centerpieces of the campaign.

Paul Rudd GIF by Ghostbusters - Find & Share on GIPHY

The Ecto-1 as Ark of the Covenant: The central element on all the posters is the converted ambulance that has been pulled out of the garage and fixed up for a new generation. That makes sense, but it also betrays a lack of faith in the new characters, whose faces aren’t even seen on those posters because so much real estate is devoted to a car.

Paul Rudd GIF by Ghostbusters - Find & Share on GIPHY

Recreating the Past: More than anything, the campaign is about including as many easter eggs referencing the original as possible. Just scan the movie’s Twitter feed and you’ll see multiple retweets of others who have pointed out similarities – sometimes shot for shot – between the first movie and what’s seen in the new one’s trailers.

All of that isn’t to say that the campaign isn’t good. It is. But it also relies almost exclusively on creating a sense of nostalgia in an audience that may only be interested in watching the original instead of exploring any new territory lest it tarnish their long-held opinions.

Front Runner – Marketing Recap

front runner poster2Believe it or not there was a time when politicians were held accountable by the electorate for the actions in their personal lives. I know that may seem far-fetched to younger audiences, but it’s true. Political careers were ruined by weird howls, misspellings of common words and other incidents that were, admittedly, inconsequential and often unrelated to their actual jobs or positions.

The Front Runner, directed by Jason Reitman, tells just such a story. Hugh Jackman stars as Gary Hart, a U.S. Senator running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988. Hailed as a man with widespread appeal and a knack for common sense talk, Hart’s trajectory is derailed when it’s revealed he’s had an affair. The story follows his fall, examines the role of the press in prying into a candidate’s personal life and more.

The Posters

Hart’s campaign bus is seen careening off a cliff on the first poster, an apt metaphor for how things played out. Seen still on the cliff are members of the press, though it’s unclear whether they were simply following it or if they chased it to that predicament. The copy at the bottom lays out the premise of the story by stating “Gary Hart was going to be President. Instead he changed politics forever.”

The second poster takes a more star-centric approach, using Jackman’s face as the central component as he looks a bit overwhelmed and bewildered while surrounded by a gaggle of microphones and cameras. The final poster uses a variation on that, just shifting the setting to the inside of a car that Hart is using to escape the throng.

The Trailers

As the first trailer starts Gary Hart is the affable, plain-spoken front runner in the 1988 Presidential campaign, uncomfortable with the trappings of campaigning and just wanting to talk about the issues. All of that comes crumbling down when someone discovers a young woman leaving his home, leading to the downfall of his candidacy and the end of his time in politics as well as causing problems in his marriage.

What’s most interesting here is not just the picture of Hart that’s being painted but the conversations happening among members of the press, who are uncertain whether such rumors and gossip are worth passing on. That, along with the rest of what’s shown here, present a story about men being held accountable for their actions, actions they thought they could get away with free from repercussions.

It’s the same basic story in the second trailer, though there’s a bit more overt examination of what role the press can – and should – play in reporting on the tawdry details of someone’s life.

Online and Social

Not much beyond the usual information on Sony’s official website. As usual, I wish there was a bit more historical context for the story the movie is telling to help inform audiences.

Advertising and Cross-Promotions

Online ads used some of the key art and social ads used the trailers and other videos. There’s nothing I could find that’s explicitly labeled a TV spot, but videos like this that were shared on social look and feel like commercials.

Of course Ryan Reynolds, who’s long had a friendly rivalry with Jackman, couldn’t resist running a negative political ad of his own.

Media and Publicity

The publicity for the movie kicked off with the release of a still of Jackman in character, showing just what he’d look like in the role of the real-life politician. Sony later picked up distribution rights to the movie.

Right after the first trailer was released in late August the announcement came the movie would screen at the Telluride Film Festival as well as at Toronto. It was later slated as the closing night film for the Vancouver International Film Festival.

During the Toronto screening Jackman shot down speculation the movie had awakened any political aspirations of his own as well as what it took to get into character, including what his least favorite part of that process was. Sony released a sizzle reel that recapped some of the happenings at TIFF.

It was then announced among the titles appearing at the Austin Film Festival and the Chicago Film Festival.

The production crew was put in the spotlight for their efforts in recreating the world of 1988.

Jackman was interviewed about taking on the role of a real life person and more. Meanwhile Reitman spoke about the movie but also about the changing way technology has enabled a new generation of filmmakers to learn the ropes.

Overall

This is a really solid campaign. It’s not flashy or splashy but positions itself as a middle-of-the-road drama about an era in American politics that seems to have passed us by. Jackman looks very good as does the rest of the cast.

If there’s a problem, it’s in the lack of information about the larger issues the movie tackles that accompanies the campaign. As I stated above, I would have liked to have seen more historical context, or some attempt to educate people about the media issues raised by the story. That kind of additional effort would have helped generate a lot of interest in specialty audiences that could have spilled out into the general audience and helped raise its profile. As it is it’s coming out amidst a sea of holiday spectacle movies aimed at families and doesn’t have a super-strong point of differentiation.

Picking Up The Spare

Sony has released a couple featurettes, one that looked at the history of the real Gary Hart and one with Reitman and Jackman talking more about the story. Jackman and Reitman were interviewed about bringing the true-life tale to the screen and how Hart really changed the tenor of political campaigns.

Costar Mamoudou Athie showed up on “Late Night” to talk about the movie and working with Jackman, while Jackman himself appeared on “The Late Show.”

Jackman was interviewed here about the reservations he had in taking on the role of Hart.

One of the real life journalists portrayed in the movie has taken serious issue with that portrayal.

Tully – Marketing Recap

tully posterMovies haven’t always been super-kind to the child support profession. If nannies, au pairs and babysitters aren’t murderous, husband-stealing sociopaths they’re comedically reluctant, only in that position because of some other circumstance. The message to women almost seems to be that needing a bit of help not only is a character flaw in and of itself but one that could put your children, marriage and home in danger.

The new movie Tully seems to take a slightly different tack, presenting a more realistic portrait of motherhood. The movie reunites director Jason Reitman, writer Diablo Cody and star Charlize Theron, who plays Marlo, a mother of three whose brother hires her some help to deal with the overwhelming reality of life. That help comes in the form of Tully (Mackenzie Davis), who offers more than just relief from constantly being the only one on call with the kids. The two women bond and have lessons and insights to share with each other about life.

Continue reading “Tully – Marketing Recap”