Tag: tom cruise

mission: impossible / dead reckoning part one – marketing recap

How Paramount Pictures has sold the latest in the death-defying franchise

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning movie poster
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning movie poster

Tom Cruise is back for his seventh outing as special agent Ethan Hunt in this week’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. The movie reunites Cruise with director Christopher McQuarrie who’s helmed the two most recent installments and who cowrote this one with Erik Jendresen.

This time around Hunt and his team are chasing after yet another dangerous object, a key that could help bring a rogue AI tool named The Entity back under control or destroy it before it can do more harm to systems around the world.

It’s a relatively simple premise that allows for the kind of high-stakes action spectacles the Mission: Impossible series has become famous for. That means lots of running, jumping, chasing and other stuntwork for Cruise, who’s joined once again by Simon Pegg as support expert Benji Dunn and Ving Rhames as tech expert Luther Stickell. Rebecca Ferguson is also back as Ilsa Faust, another IMF agent who’s been the best part of some of the recent movies.

Joining the cast this time are Haley Atwell, as Grace, a burglar who’s also chasing after the Key for her own reasons; Esai Morales as Gabriel, a terrorist after the Key to wreak havoc on the world; and Pom Klementieff as Paris, an assassin and enforcer working for Gabriel.

Importantly, the movie also sees the return of Henry Czerny as Eugene Kittridge, the head of IMF who we last saw in the first movie in 1996.

With all that established, let’s look at the campaign Paramount Pictures has put together.

announcement and casting

The announcement that another movie came out of nowhere in January, 2019 with the news McQuarrie would be returning for not just one but two new films to be released back-to-back in 2021 and 2022.

McQuarrie announced Czerny’s return to the series in January of 2020.

Filming plans were thrown into question in early 2020 as locations were closed off or eliminated from the schedule because of the Covid-19 outbreak. Production was reported to be scheduled to resume in September, hopefully after things were more under control.

In August of that year, the director was interviewed about the difficulties inherent in trying to film an action movie and all its required sequences in the middle of a pandemic and the necessary safety precautions.

Vanessa Kirby revealed she was returning as arms dealer Alanna Mitsopolis in late 2020, just before the news of Morales’ casting.

The Paramount+ news in February 2021 included the announcement this movie and others would come to the streaming service just 45 days after theatrical release.

CinemaCon attendees got a first look from Paramount at footage and other material from this and other films in August 2021.

As literally anyone could have expected, one of Cruise’s first interviews about the movie had him talking about the stunt work and how unbelievably dangerous it was.

Continued Covid concerns and other scheduling issues caused Paramount, in September of last year, to push it from May to September 2022.

Further delays came in January 2022, when Paramount announced both this and the eighth installment were being pushed back a full year each. There were also reports that Cruise and the studio were at odds regarding plans to make the movie available on Paramount+ 45 days after theatrical release, a window the star felt was too small.

Davis shared how working with Cruise and McQuarrie on Top Gun: Maverick led to him getting an offer to be part of this film as well.

More casting came in the second half of 2022, including news that Offerman and Waddingham had signed on along with another from the first movie, Rolf Saxon, who played the hapless CIA computer specialist Hunt and his team essentially steal the computer files from.

the marketing campaign: phase one

At CinemaCon 2022 in April of that year Paramount finally revealed the official title of the film, or more specifically the official subtitle since the series was no longer being numbered.

The first trailer (16.7m YouTube plays) was released a month later. Amidst a series of high-energy action sequences of car chases and more we hear voiceover from Kittridge as he tells Hunt the ideals he continues to fight for no longer exist and he needs to choose which side of the new world order he’ll be on. That’s about all the story information contained here but we do get looks at Hunt’s team of allies, the ridiculous stunts that will be seen and some of the threats the good guys will face along the way.

In September Paramount shared the full video that was shared at CinemaCon several months earlier, a version of the trailer that includes an introduction from Cruise filmed atop a biplane as he and the crew were filming one of the stunts for the movie.

As expected, the focus on the stunts started early as exemplified in a featurette from December showing the scale of the base-jumping sequence seen at the end of the trailer. That was reinforced in a short video from Cruise where he promised audiences a huge adventure filled with amazing stunts when the movie finally hit theaters.

The first poster didn’t come out until March and unsurprisingly shows Hunt leaping from the motorcycle he just drove off a cliff, the same stunt that from that featurette above.

New images came out in April of this year along with comments from McQuarrie about pandemic delays, the new cast members and lots more. More images and commentary came in an Empire Magazine story a short while later.

For the third year in a row Paramount made this movie one of its CinemaCon centerpieces, sharing 20 minutes of footage with exhibitors and others.

Kirby received a profile on her role in this movie along with everything she’s been doing to date.

the marketing campaign: phase two

The next trailer (21.7m YouTube plays) was released in mid-May and opens with Kittridge warning Hunt of the price of his mission while we see scenes of various action sequences. We hear more about the stakes of the mission Hunt and his team are on with lots of chasing and punching and so on, all of it presented to be as slick and emotionally gripping as possible for the audience.

At the same time the theatrical poster came out showing Hunt flanked by the supporting characters, with two of the set piece sequences – the motorcycle base jump and the train-top fight – also represented here.

Paramount didn’t bring Cruise or the movie to the Cannes Film Festival at the end of May but it did do a lot of large-scale advertising at the event in an attempt to not only promote the movie to the press in attendance but also let other studio and exhibition executives know the film was getting a massive roll-out.

The first TV spot aired at the beginning of June during the NBA Finals. It’s essentially an edited version of the previous trailer, but that’s alright since it’s still intense and engaging. Another commercial released a week later amps up the fact that basically everyone is on the trail of Ethan Hunt for a variety of reasons.

A series of posters for Hunt, Kittridge and the characters plays by Cary Elwes and Shea Whigham came out next. Shortly after that there were exhibitor-exclusive one-sheets from IMAX, Dolby, 4DX, ScreenX (my favorite of the batch), Cinemark and D-Box.

Another featurette followed focusing on how the car chase through the streets of Rome was filmed.

The timing of that was likely not an accident as just a few days later Rome was the first stop on the global press tour, with Cruise not only praising his collaborators but also extolling the virtues of the theater there. The next stop on that tour was London, Abu Dhabi, Seoul, Sydney,

Cruise and McQuarrie then kicked off what became kind of a meme among talent this summer, posting pictures of themselves holding advance tickets for Indiana Jones, Oppenheimer and Barbie, part of the overall message of it being so important for these and other movies to be seen on the big screen as opposed to at home.

The next stunt-focused featurette focused on the “speedflying” Cruise does for a particular sequence and all the dangers it entails as they film it practically. Etihad Airways in the UAE also released a video about the filming that took place there. There was also one about filming the train fight sequence and later on one on the Venice chase.

Paramount’s corporate sibling CBS aired a behind-the-scenes special about the making of the movie in early July.

An interview with Cruise from part of the press tour echoed something McQuarrie had said earlier, that the two of them intend to keep making M:I movies for decades, until the audience stops watching or until they’re too old to keep going.

Los Angeles got a massive outdoor ad for the movie that featured life-size recreations of the train fight, complete with smoke coming out of the model.

A number of athletes from various sports appeared in a commercial for the movie about how it’s hard work and training that leads to excellence, part of the message of Cruise’s dedication to creating something unique for the audience.

The press tour landed in New York City for a red carpet premiere there, just one stop Cruise and McQuarrie made on the East Coast at a number of theaters to surprise advance audiences and get their excitement levels even higher.

As all that was happening Pegg, Atwell, Ferguson and Klementieff did a number of talk show and other media interviews, though Cruise’s comments were generally confined to the red carpet on the press tour or in various official videos and such, part of the ongoing attempt to control the message by the actor.

overall

The campaign is best summed up by the short final trailer released just a few days ago.

In it you’ll find a number of messages that have been hit repeatedly throughout the marketing, which has spanned a couple years now:

  • “Audiences and critics can’t believe what they’re seeing.” = This movie has a number of unique features that set it apart from anything that’s come before, be it in this series or anywhere else.
  • “This is why we go to the movies” = You have to experience it on the big screen, a message that’s pervaded the campaign since the beginning, including direct appeals to see it on the biggest screen available to fully experience the mind-blowing visuals.
  • “Tom Cruise has outdone himself.” = This is the result of nearly a singular vision and force of will, as Cruise has essentially manifested the movie out of nothing, albeit with the help of McQuarrie, who has been alongside Cruise throughout the publicity and marketing and who is often credited by the actor for keeping things going.

All of that adds up to a much stronger appeal to the audience to head to theaters than has been seen in quite a while, even during the campaigns for Avengers and other super hero movies. That’s in no small part because the promise here is not just spectacle but spectacle that was filmed practically, with Cruise dangling from parachutes and jumping motorcycles off of cliffs, not someone standing on a greenscreen stage in Atlanta before digital aliens are inserted around them. And it’s compelling, which is why early reviews have been almost uniformly positive and why tracking estimates a $60 million take over the weekend and a $90 million total including early screenings.

picking up the spare

Costar Pom Kementieff talked about the inspiration she drew from for her performance. Kirby and Atwell also spoke about one of the key action sequences from the film. How the footage was paired down to a reasonable running time was covered in an interview with the film’s editor.

top gun: maverick – marketing recap

How Paramount has sold an unexpected but long-awaited sequel

Top Gun: Maverick movie poster from Paramount Pictures
Top Gun: Maverick movie poster from Paramount Pictures

The original Top Gun was released 36 years ago, launching Tom Cruise into the realm of super-stardom and inspiring a generation to fantasize about taking F-14s as high as they can go, debate Meg Ryan versus Kelly McGillis (there’s no wrong answer) and seek out the best pair of aviator sunglasses around.

A sequel should have been an instant no-brainer, but we had to wait nearly four decades before the stars aligned, with Top Gun: Maverick hitting theaters this weekend.

Cruise returns as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, still a hotshot who’s spent years avoiding promotions so he can keep flying as a test pilot. When former rival Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Val Kilmer), now an admiral, needs someone to train a group of pilots for a specialized mission he calls on Maverick to give them the edge they’ll need. One of those pilots happens to be Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of Maverick’s former radar officer and best friend Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, who died in the first film.

Additional pilots are played by Glen Powell, Monica Barbaro, Danny Ramirez and others, with Jon Hamm playing Vice Admiral Beau “Cyclone” Simpson, who’s skeptical of Maverick’s abilities and presence on the base. Jennifer Connelly also joins the cast as Penny Benjamin, a character only referenced in the first film as the admiral’s daughter Maverick had a fling with.

With Joseph Kosinski directing, let’s take a look at how it’s been sold.

announcement and casting

Rumors and reports had circulated for a while but a Tweet from Cruise in May 2018 seemed to confirm that the movie was actually happening and might even be in production. That was followed shortly by news that Kilmer would return in his role.

Late 2018 saw Cruise post a video from the movie’s set featuring him talking about motion-smoothing on modern TVs and how it distorts the viewing experience. It wasn’t specifically about the movie, then, but because he was wearing a flight suit in the video it certainly helped remind people it was in production.

In a surprise move, Paramount included about two minutes of footage in its CineEurope presentation to exhibitors in 2018.

Part of the story was confirmed by the much-hyped search for an actor to play Goose’s son, a role eventually nabbed by Teller. Cruise also spoke about the movie early on while promoting other projects, including a stop on “Kimmel” during the Mission: Impossible – Fallout publicity cycle, also in 2018.

Teller spoke about the challenges of working with Cruise – namely keeping up with the older actor – while promoting “ Too Old To Die Young” in 2019.

the marketing campaign phase one: I’m going to need a beer to put these flames out.

The first poster (by marketing agency Concept Arts) debuted in July 2019. Surprisingly, it doesn’t feature Cruise’s face but instead shows the back of Maverick’s jacket, decorated in service patches, as he looks out of a hanger while a jet cuts through the sky in the background.

Familiar music plays as the first trailer (37.6m YouTube views), released in July at San Diego Comic-Con, begins. In addition to lots of footage of fighter jets performing incredible maneuvers, the focus is on how Maverick is still undeniably Maverick, unable to conform to the system to the extent he’s been passed over for promotion many times in the last 30 years. This despite the medals and accomplishments he’s racked up in that time. There are shots that invoke scenes from the original, including Maverick racing a jet on his bike and a scene of sweaty, shirtless men playing football, all meant to amp up the nostalgia factor in the audience.

One notable change from the first movie is the footage shot via cockpit cam showing Cruise behind the stick of the fighter. That’s a continuation of the approach taken for other movies with the star – especially recent Mission: Impossible entries – where the focus has been on how Cruise really does many of his own stunts and learns new skills so he can do more of what his character would. We’re meant to believe, then, that the actor was really flying the jet, part of the brand he’s built up, one that sells the audience on a more visceral experience instead of a collection of special effects that can overload the senses.

That SDCC presence included the first ever appearance there by Cruise, who showed up on a panel with some of his castmates to talk about the film. While he was in San Diego, Cruise stopped by “Conan” to talk more about returning to the movie after 30+ years.

A few months later, in December of that year, the next poster was released showing Maverick leaning against his car and looking on as two F-18s fly by overhead.

The first full trailer (21.2m YouTube views) came out at the same time, immediately establishing Maverick as being back at the Top Gun training base, now as an instructor to younger pilots. While there’s plenty of focus on the next generation – including two pilots that may have a connection to characters from the first movie – we also see Maverick still has the same cocky attitude as well as a few tricks left to show the kids. Fast planes, beach football and more are all on display here, helping to establish familiarity with the audience while still selling a sequel.

December’s full trailer was accompanied by the release of Snapchat’s first-ever reaction filter, allowing users to see a split screen with the trailer on top and their own face inserted into the cockpit on the bottom. Giphy stickers also came out around then with key moments from the trailer available to add to your own messages/posts.

A featurette released just after the full trailer hit exactly the expected notes, focusing not only on the real flying done for the film but how much Cruise himself did. Additionally, it’s mentioned how he inspired and pushed the younger members of the cast to do their own flying in order to keep up, all of which was captured through state of the art cameras and other equipment.

The commercial that aired during the 2020 Super Bowl emphasizes both the incredible visuals of high-speed flying and the drama that will come from Maverick having to face the actions of his past and deal with the legacy he’s leaving behind.

A handful of photos came out in late January along with more details on the relationships between the characters.

When everyone went into quarantine in March, video meetings became popular among those working from home. Paramount released backgrounds that could be uploaded to Zoom profiles to add some Top Gun flair to those meetings.

the marketing campaign phase two: where’d *who* go?

It was among the last of the major summer releases to do so, but eventually the movie’s original June 2020 release date was pushed to December because of the pandemic-related theater closings. In July Paramount pushed it even further out to July, 2021 and then to November, the latter a move reportedly driven by Cruise’s desire to engage in a worldwide press and publicity tour, betting that Covid-related lockdowns would be lifted later in the year and allow for that.

The early 2020 release of an autobiography from Val Kilmer allowed him a number of opportunities to reminisce on the making of the original Top Gun as well as how he lobbied hard for a role in this film.

Barbaro was profiled in a piece that seemed to be half about the movie and half about the high-end watches she was now partial to. A bit later Kosinski was interviewed about working with Cruise again and bringing the new actors into the world of Top Gun.

Hasbro previewed a crossover with their Transformers toy series in July, 2020.

An interview with Hamm had him talking about working with Cruise, his first experiences with the original Top Gun and more. Similar ground, including how he was spending pandemic quarantine and the frustration of the movie’s repeated delays, was covered in an interview with Teller.

the marketing campaign phase three: he was inverted

Things then got very quiet for over a year, with only sporadic activity on the social media front – mostly amplifying people’s posts for Halloween, Top Gun Day and other events – until late 2021.

An interview with producer Jerry Bruckheimer from September of that year had him talking about Cruise’ insistence on having Kilmer be part of the sequel. There was also a group profile of many of the young actors, including Powell, Barbaro, Jay Ellis, Lewis Pullman and Danny Ramirez, who are jumping in the pilot’s seat for the sequel.

Before things could get on track for the November 2021 release date, Paramount pushed it even further back to May 2022.

In August 2021 Paramount gave CinemaCon attendees a first look at 13 minutes of footage from this and other upcoming movies. This marked three years since footage was shown to CineEurope.

Out of relatively nowhere a couple cross-promotional items popped up beginning in late 2021.

Hasbro was back again, this time revealing a look at a new Barbie figure inspired by Barbaro’s “Trace”.

The year ended with Ellis appearing on “Kimmel” to talk about the movie, including the repeated delays in release.

After the Ohio State University Marching Band performed a tribute to the first movie in November, Cruise seized the opportunity and invited all its members to a special screening of the sequel.

the marketing campaign phase four: talk to me, goose

Football was also the theme of 2022’s first marketing efforts, with Cruise appearing in a spot that mixed promotions for the AFC championship game with footage from this movie.

The actor then appeared on “Today” to promote the film in a more straightforward manner.

A co-branded Porsche commercial was released in February that contained footage from the movie

In an interview about his new album, Johnny Marr revealed he had recorded a new version of Hans Zimmer’s iconic theme for the sequel.

Ellis hosted the inaugural Anthem Awards at the end of February.

Reports emerged in mid-March that Paramount planned to screen the movie at the Cannes Film Festival, with those reports later confirmed with the addition that it would include a retrospective/celebration of Cruise’s entire career.

The next trailer (24.6m YouTube views) came out later that month. Some young hot shot pilots are assembling as we see Maverick has been called back to action by Iceman, now an admiral, over the objections of those in charge. What starts as teaching quickly turns into combat as we also see Rooster confront Maverick over the death of his father, some beach football and lots more in an exciting spot that focuses on the in-cockpit POV the audience will get for many of the flight sequences.

The poster that accompanied the trailer shows Maverick walking away from his fighter.

That was followed by a 30-second commercial version of the trailer that boiled the footage down to the essential thrill-inducing elements.

Elaborate theater standees in the shape of a fighter pilot helmet but with a massive screen playing the trailer were placed around the country at the beginning of April to help audiences arriving for other movies get a taste of this one.

Kosinski shared how about 800 hours of footage was shot in total, a massive amount resulting from so much time being needed to teach the actors how to use their equipment and other technical details.

The Dolby Cinemas-exclusive poster released in mid-April shows Maverick racing his motorcycle alongside an F-18, a scene from the new movie that recreates one from the first film. The ScreenX poster uses the cockpit cameras that were a focus of the campaign to show a phalanx of jets trailing Maverick’s fighter. D-Box’s one-sheet has Maverick looking pensive on an aircraft carrier while a pair of fighters fly by. Maverick is inverted on the 4DX poster and is looking out as he flies by the carrier on the IMAX one-sheet.

That process of teaching the actors about in-flight cinematography, the makeshift flight school Cruise put everyone through and more were covered in a featurette released in mid-April. A piece detailing the military training process the actors took part in came around the same time and added to the idea that this wasn’t just a role for anyone but a fully immersive experience.

At CinemaCon in late April 2022 exhibitors were offered an extended look at the film, with critics in attendance immediately giving it massive praise as an emotional visceral old-school blockbuster. A panel with Kosinski, Bruckheimer and others featured them all talking about the multiple release delays, why this was the right time for a sequel and more.

As that was going on Lady Gaga also teased an original song she wrote for the movie.

While he was technically promoting his Paramount+ series “The Offer,” Teller also talked about this movie when he appeared on “Kimmel ” around that time.

In an interview, McQuarrie shared how he approached writing the story, including a conscious effort to not simply ape or recreate iconic moments from the original but instead create something that would stand on its own.

Cruise joined the rest of the cast and crew at the red carpet premiere in early March. Held on an aircraft carrier in San Diego, it included Cruise arriving via helicopter, comments from him and others about how it came about and how they worked in Kilmer’s return.

After that San Diego event the cast and crew engaged on a publicity tour hitting stops in Mexico, Japan and the U.K. in addition to Cannes.

The full video for “Hold My Hand” from Gaga came out a few days later, mixing shots of her performing the song with footage – some of which is new here – from the movie. With the windswept nature of the video, the shifting back and forth from black-and-white to color and more it gives off major 80s vibes, making it a perfect fit here.

Another short featurette was devoted to explaining the rationale behind aviator callsigns.

Powell talked about the process of shooting the movie when he appeared on “Kimmel.”

Select AMC Theaters and Cineplex locations held screenings of the first Top Gun that included an extended preview of the sequel in early May.

XBox offered an exclusive movie-themed version of the popular Flight Simulator video game.

Kosinski explained the controversial decision to not invite either Meg Ryan or Kelly McGillis back for the sequel, saying he wasn’t interested in looking backward. Not sure that is satisfactory, but it’s a choice.

AMC Theaters shared a few exclusive cast and crew interviews.

What it was like to join the sequel and what she had to learn for the role was covered in an interview with Connelly.

OneRepublic leaned into the beach football sequence for their video for “I Ain’t Worried” from the movie’s soundtrack.

The Cannes Film Festival event was indeed a spectacle, with fighter jets doing a flyover before an enthusiastic response from the audience to the screening of the film. While in France Cruise was interviewed about his insistence the movie play in theaters and not on streaming, the surreal nature of watching a retrospective of his career and more. Connelly also spoke about working with Cruise. How he and the other filmmakers wanted to do something original was covered in an interview with Kosinski.

Short videos like this one for Rooster introduced each of the major characters with the actor playing them offering some background information.

An assemblage of elite athletes appear in a TV spot that focused on how those who refuse to settle for anything less than excellence are the true mavericks in the world.

You could get a free ticket to the movie if you spent $25 at Applebee’s.

Another featurette focuses on the respect the actors gained for the prowess and intensity of the actual naval aviators they worked with during filming as well as the fact that everything seen on screen is something the actors are actually doing. Similar ground, along with more about this being a big-screen experience was covered in a Dolby-exclusive featurette.

Cinemark also had an exclusive making-of featurette.

Cruise filmed a Fandango-exclusive greeting to audiences, welcoming them back for the summer movie season.

Connelly appeared on “The Late Show” and “GMA” to promote the film while Cruise stopped by “The Late Late Show” and other programs.

overall

First off, an admission: I never thought this movie would happen. It seemed like one of those that was just not fated to move from pipe dream to reality. No one seemed very interested in doing it and the more time passed the less likely it seemed a viable story could be developed.

I’m happy to be proven wrong. Based on the campaign and with the addition of the positive reviews that have given the movie a staggering 97% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes this looks incredible, a worthy addition to the Top Gun mythos.

On both of those fronts, you have to credit Cruise, who seems to have willed the movie into existence (and into theaters) by sheer force of will alone. Ricky Bobby may be right and Tom Cruise may actually have some form of magic, as he not only single-handedly made the film happen but did so while teaching other actors how to fly jets and more.

Tracking estimates of a $100 million four-day opening weekend may prove conservative based on the word of mouth around the movie, all of which has been supported by a slick, well-messaged marketing push that reinforces Cruise’s status ais one of the biggest stars around while also reminding us how emotional the first movie, which wasn’t really an action picture, really was.

Tom Cruise Is Just Standing There

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It may be hard to believe in 2018, but Tom Cruise only really became an action movie star after 2000 following the release of Mission: Impossible 2. While Top Gun and Days of Thunder were certainly thrilling films, each with their own particular need for speed, they were the exceptions in a pre-2000 filmography that was more focused on dramas such as The Firm, A Few Good Men and Rain Man or comedies like Risky Business. Even the original Mission: Impossible didn’t really kick the action phase into full gear as it was followed by Jerry Maguire, Eyes Wide Shut and other dramas.

Since 2000, though, the actor has focused on the action genre, only sprinkling in the occasional drama and saving comedy for a handful of cameos. His tendency to run away from things in those action movies has given rise to a number of videos, memes and GIFs bringing together all the times he’s had to run from sandstorms, collapsing buildings, explosions and other threats.

tom cruise running

The trailers for recent releases like The Mummy, Edge of Tomorrow, American Made have all made sure to include heavy doses of the actor’s physicality. If you look at the posters for those same movies, though, you see he’s just…kind of there. He might be walking toward the camera or something, but he’s largely in some kind of static pose.

The message from the studio marketers seems to be that his mere presence, usually larger than all the other elements on the one-sheet, should be enough to attract the audience. Let’s look at the one-sheets for Cruise’s output since 2000, when he ran around the corner onto Action Blvd. and see whether they feature a man in motion or if we just see him standing there.

  • Vanilla Sky: Cruise looks pensive and slightly confused here, which makes sense given the reality-bending nature of the story. Verdict: Not Running.
  • Minority Report: This predated the “Tom Cruise running” phenomenon and not only does show him in motion but even features the tagline “Everyone runs.” Verdict: Running.
  • The Last Samurai: Technically he’s moving here, but it’s only because the horse he’s riding is running. Verdict: Running.
  • Collateral: One of his more passive appearances, here he’s not only completely still he’s actually sitting down, taking a load off. Verdict: Not Running.
  • War of the Worlds: An aberration where Cruise is almost completely absent from the poster campaign, likely because this was *immediately* after his whole “jumping on Oprah’s couch” incident and lots of negative stories about his involvement with Scientology. Verdict: Disqualified.
  • Mission: Impossible III: Mostly the posters here had him looking serious and determined, not necessarily moving about. Verdict: Not Running.
  • Lions For Lambs: A rare foray back into straight drama, I’m not sure many of the actors moved in the movie itself, much less on the poster. Verdict: Not Running.
  • Valkyrie: A movie about plots and schemes and political maneuvering doesn’t lend itself to a very dynamic campaign, at least not in print. Verdict: Not Running.
  • Knight & Day: Meshing comedy and action, Cruise shows up on the theatrical poster in motion, but oddly as a silhouette. Verdict: Running.
  • Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol: For a movie whose key action sequence on the outside of a Dubai skyscraper was so key to the marketing, two of the three theatrical posters (the exception being the IMAX version) show Cruise just walking along. Verdict: Not Running.
  • Rock of Ages: No, but he should have run away from whoever asked him to wear that jacket. Verdict: Not Running.
  • Jack Reacher: Once again, we’re supposed to imply his action chops because he’s holding a gun and looking serious. Verdict: Not Running.
  • Oblivion: Not only is he walking, but he’s far from the camera, reflecting the desire to sell the movie as a sci-fi spectacle more than anything. Verdict: Not Running.
  • Edge of Tomorrow: Surprisingly, this movie was sold with a minimum of Running Tom Cruise, including on the posters, where he and Emily Blunt are largely just observing the chaos around them, not doing anything about it. Verdict: Not Running.
  • Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation: Once again the IMAX poster is the only one that doesn’t feature a passive Cruise, this time largely shown as the big head in the background. Verdict: Not Running.
  • Jack Reacher: Never Go Back: Ironic title since the marketers *did* go back to the same concept of Cruise standing there with a gun. Verdict: Not Running.
  • The Mummy: The most action Cruise is shown engaging in on the posters here is dangling from a rope while exploring a tomb. Verdict: Not Running.
  • American Made: I’m not even sure this is an intentional choice, as the photo of a smiling, relaxed Cruise used here may have just been taken on a random Saturday. Verdict: Not Running.

So there you have it: The posters – or at least most of the posters – for 14 out of Cruise’s 18 movies since 2000 feature little to no action. Take that, internet.

That’s more than a little surprising given not only how action-oriented the movies themselves are but how much Cruise’s physicality is used as part of the publicity campaign for many of these titles. Especially in the last five years or so, official featurettes and media interviews will touch on how willing the actor was to do his own stunts and how complicated and involved those stunts usually were. As he gets closer and closer to 60, he wants to keep positioning himself as ready and able to jump out of planes, run across bridges and engage in elaborate sequences, which makes sense, it’s just not a message that’s been communicated on the posters much at all.

Chris Thilk is a freelance writer and content strategist who lives in the Chicago suburbs.

Mission: Impossible – Fallout – Marketing Recap

mission_impossible fallout posterYou can read all about the marketing of Mission: Impossible – Fallout over at The Hollywood Reporter.

Media and Publicity

Until just a few days prior to the movie’s release there wasn’t a whole lot of earned media activity outside of what resulted from the distribution of official featurettes and other content.

That didn’t change until just recently as Tom Cruise stopped by “Kimmel” to engage in some pranks and talk some more about the injuries he sustained filming the stunts in the movie. Henry Cavill also showed up on “GMA” to talk about the movie in general.

It’s not terribly surprising there wouldn’t be a whole lot of these kinds of press appearances. Cavill has a history of putting his foot in his mouth during interviews and I don’t think anyone wants Cruise speaking in a non-monitored environment. Plus, owned channels were utilized sufficiently to get the word out, especially how widely and frequently that content was amplified by the press.

There have also been a few new IMAX-related promotions that continue to emphasize how big the movie is and how you need to see it on the biggest screen possible to fully enjoy it. Those include a look at how such a screen was constructed for the Paris premiere and members of the cast talking about what they would do with 26% more of various objects.

Overall

It’s almost as if it’s being sold as the anti-comic book movie. The characters may likewise regularly survive situations that the average person wouldn’t, but the studio and star are telling us the stakes are far higher because they’re very, very real.

PICKING UP THE SPARE

The popular Battlegrounds Mobile video game is getting a movie-themed level.

There’s some good points made in this story about how the M:I franchise is the rare movie sold on its star and not an IP brand. I don’t, though, think it goes far enough to look at how the marketing relied on the combination of Tom Cruise’s name recognition and the promise of mind-blowing stunt work *is* a brand. If Cruise was actually still a market-driver on his own, Edge of Oblivion 2 would already be in production.

A new TV spot has been released emphasizing the incredibly high marks the movie has received from critics.

Lots more official featurettes have been released, including an IMAX Q&A with director Christopher McQuarrie, and character-specific profiles of Simon Pegg, Henry Cavill and Angela Bassett.

Bassett also joined Tom Cruise on “The Late Late Show” while Cavill popped up on “Kimmel” to talk about stunts and other aspects of making the movie. Meanwhile costar Vanessa Kirby, who wasn’t a huge part of the main campaign, was interviewed about the stunts (of course) and her decision to join the franchise.

A location-based VR experience has been developed by VRWERX and Nomadic that allows participants to interact with objects and environments from the film.

Two new featurettes came in early December, one showing how members of the press were taken for a helicopter ride and one about how those same journalists and producers were taken for a spin on BMW’s stunt test track. Both of those still find time to mention how hard Cruise worked to master the needed skills.

 

American Made – Marketing Recap

The “action/adventure” phase of Tom Cruise’s career continues in this week’s American Made. Directed by Doug Liman, the movie casts Cruise in the true story of Barry Seal, an everyday guy who’s recruited by the CIA to run drugs on behalf of a cartel as part of a covert operation.

Seal, a natural hustler and fast-talker, is a perfect fit for this assignment, able to talk his way out of any situation, while alternatively relying on the resources of either the cartel or CIA, depending on the situation. So he’s living the high life while acting as both patriot and criminal, able to enjoy the benefits of both employers.

The Posters

Cruise walks toward the camera with a bag spilling out money in his hand and a cocky smile on his face. “It’s not a felony if you’re doing it for the good guys” reads the copy at the top, building the expectation that the story will live right on the edge of legality. A cool red-striped design behind him shows the criminals his actions bring him in contact with, the plane he’s going to be flying and his worried-looking wife. It’s a cool design that, because there’s even a bit of attention being paid to how art works, sells a pretty appealing movie.

The Trailers

The first trailer opens by showing Seal being accosted mid-air by the DEA and forced to land on a suburban street before beating a hasty getaway. We then flashback to see him as a regular airline pilot who’s recruited by the CIA to run some very questionable shipments into some rough areas. He’s really good at this and so operations expand, but so does the scrutiny given to him and the stakes of what he’s doing. That not only causes tension with his wife but also leads to him being at the wrong end of a rifle more times than he might be comfortable with.

It’s a fast, loose and fun trailer that shows how much style director Doug Liman has when he wants to. Cruise is more appealing here than he has been in at least a few years because he’s not trying to be all brow-furrowing serious but because he’s given a chance to bring his natural charisma and charm to bear. It’s not just about him running, it’s about a character that lives on the edge of danger and that’s a Cruise we don’t see too often these days.

Online and Social

When you load the official website you’re promised “The sky is never the limit.” In the upper left is a prompt to buy tickets while in the bottom right there’s a small video player just above links to the movie’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram profiles.

In the upper right of the main page is a button encouraging you to “Fly With Barry.” That opens up an interactive map where you can explore the routes he took and the missions he was engaged in. It’s a cool way to dive into the real story that inspired the movie.

Back to the main page, scroll down and after a few images and graphics you get to the “About” section that has a brief synopsis along with a cast and crew list. The “Characters” section just has a still along with who the actor playing the real-life character is.

“Photos” has some production stills and the poster you can scroll through, while “Videos” has the trailer and a couple featurettes that take you inside the production or offer insights into the real Barry Seal.

Advertising and Cross-Promotions

The trailer, or at least parts of it, were used as pre-roll ads on YouTube that play out the unbelievable nature of the story, which is presented as fast and loose. Other pre-roll spots included a featurette that focused on Cruise’s enthusiasm for doing his own stunts. Social media ads used clips from the trailer as well.

Media and Publicity

Liman apparently sought Gleeson out for the movie, citing the actor’s work ethic as a big reason for casting him. The director also spoke about how Cruise did all his own flying, a variation on the “does many/all of his own stunts” theme that often accompanies his movies, meant to prove the actor’s continued youth and vitality despite the fact that he’s 55.

Oddly, at least at this point, there’s no major presence by Cruise himself in the publicity campaign. Instead his role has been limited to featurettes and official media like this one, which keep him on-script and don’t open him up to unpredictable questions or audience interactions. That might be because of the increased scrutiny Scientology is under at the moment or because of a lawsuit over the deaths of two pilots during production that he’s named in. Whatever the reason, it’s odd to have a star of his magnitude confined to the sidelines.

Overall

As we’ve seen a few times in the last month, this is being sold as a middle-of-the-road adventure-filled comedic drama featuring a huge star. It promises the audience a rollicking good time following the story of someone few are likely to be already familiar with but which promises exotic locations, drugs and a lavish lifestyle courtesy of illegal activity. It’s positioned as escapist entertainment.

The combination of a limited marketing campaign – just one poster and just one trailer for a Tom Cruise movie! – and a publicity push that didn’t include the star almost at all make it a lackluster overall effort, though, and one that the public might see through. There’s some good stuff here to be sure but I can’t escape the notion there’s a lack of faith betrayed by the marketing. Clearly being in the Tom Cruise business is still a good call, but for some reason the studio is a bit gun-shy it seems.

Chris Thilk is a freelance writer and content strategist who lives in the Chicago suburbs.