Solo: A Star Wars Story’s Ad Campaign May Get A Super Bowl Kickoff

Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter are both suggesting that Solo: A Star Wars Story will finally get its trailer in front of the Super Bowl, and from the sound of things, the timing has everything to do with Black Panther.

 

 

First up is the less-sure of the two reports from Deadline, which confirms that there are at least two movie ads that Disney has paid for:

Disney/Marvel‘s Black Panther will also be showing up during commercial breaks… While Disney will have a presence during the Super Bowl, they’re tight-lipped about their plans. Deadline has knowledge that they will run a 30-second and 45-second spot. A good guess is that a Marvel trailer or two will run… Over the last two years, Marvel has aired spots to their summer season openers during the Big Game, read Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 and Captain America: Civil War.

 

A spot for July 6th’s Ant-Man vs. The Wasp would be a complete surprise as we haven’t seen any footage from that pic to date. There’s also the question whether Disney decides to drop a trailer for Solo: A Star Wars Story. Should that occur, it would be the first time ever during the Super Bowl that Disney has done so since taking ownership of Lucasfilm. Given that the film’s May 25 release is less than five months away, they have to start promoting. During the 2016 Summer Olympics, Disney raised the profile of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story with a second official trailer drop.

 

Other potential TV spots that Deadline list as definite maybes include a new one for A Wrinkle In TimeAvengers: Infinity War, and The Incredibles 2. However, looking at the proximity to the big game itself makes it likely that we can rule Incredibles 2 out, and A Wrinkle In Time seems like a long shot – or at least something that would be better-suited to be attached to Black Panther itself. It’s also entirely possible that the TV spot for Black Panther is actually a tie-in ad like what they’re doing with Lexus, and the two ads they drop at the game are Avengers: Infinity War and Solo: A Star Wars Story. I certainly think that Disney will run ads for the Olympics, but the question is if they’ll be fore Solo or Avengers.

 

Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter is a little more bold with their assertion of what their sources have told them, and suggests that an ad for Solo is imminent:

The marketing campaign for Solo: A Star Wars Story is widely expected to kickoff during Super Bowl LII upon the release of the first ad for the summer 2018 tentpole, according to industry insiders.

If so, Sunday’s big game will end chatter as to why Disney and Lucasfilm have waited to drop any materials for the standalone Star Wars movie, which opens in theaters four months from now on May 25. Lucasfilm and Disney have insisted since Ron Howard took over directing duties in June 2017 that Solo — an origin story starring Alden Ehrenreich as a young Han Solo — would still be able to meet its release date, but that hasn’t stopped speculation to the contrary.

Disney declined to comment regarding its Super Bowl plans. Hollywood marketing experts say Disney may have held off touting Solo until Star Wars: The Last Jedi, debuting in mid-December, was largely done with its run in theaters.

 

Furthermore, The Hollywood Reporter argues that there will be three ads for Disney films instead of Deadline‘s two. If that’s the case, then they will almost certainly be Black PantherAvengers: Infinity War, and Solo: A Star Wars Story – all movies which look to be set to become of Disney’s biggest hits this year. If Disney wants to pull a surprise, they could substitute A Wrinkle In Time for one of those.

 

Bear in mind that these two reports are far from an official confirmation, but given that these are trade websites, their advice definitely should be heeded. I certainly think that the Solo trailer is going to be attached to Black Panther – from the sound of things on the front of box office projections, that movie is going to blow expectations away with an opening well above the $120M figure that’s expected of the film, which itself was already well above initial expectations for the film. As such, they can’t afford to not have a Solo trailer attached to it. But at the same time, I don’t think they’ll wait that long to drop it – and if they opt to skip the Super Bowl, there’s always the Olympics.

 

Disney has opted to leave Star Wars out of the Super Bowl ad blitz in previous years, and it’s not hard to imagine why: given that their three previous films have released at the very end of the year, spending a bunch of money so far ahead of the movie’s premiere is counterproductive. But since Solo is looking deadlocked for that late-May release window, it’s incredibly likely that Disney may opt to break a tradition. One tradition that they’ve stuck to thus far is to drop a trailer with a big football game, and you certainly can’t get any bigger than the Super Bowl.

 

 

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Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

Grant Davis (Pomojema)

Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

79 thoughts on “Solo: A Star Wars Story’s Ad Campaign May Get A Super Bowl Kickoff

  • February 1, 2018 at 3:19 am
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    Not advertising Solo during the super bowl would send a terrible message that Disney has no faith in the film (whether it’s true or not). I think they pretty much have to show a trailer during the game, if only to save face.

    • February 1, 2018 at 10:18 am
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      Also feeling that way. Internet would blow with videos/articles on WHY they did not released Solo trailer at super bowl.
      Or is this their new marketing strategy – huge negative buzz is also a form of advertisement ?

      Maybe poor post production editors are now working day and night to finish up the trailer which was build up from the recent reshots of the reshots to deliver the trailer on time.

      • February 2, 2018 at 4:04 am
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        The movie already costs much more then calculated, so maybe they are afraid to lose more money because it may not be a success…

  • February 1, 2018 at 4:19 am
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    “from the sound of things on the front of box office projections, that movie is going to blow expectations away”

    An obscure comic book character with almost no following? Really?

    • February 1, 2018 at 5:52 am
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      Black Panther is less obscure than the Guardians of the Galaxy and Doctor Strange were before their films came out.
      Not to mention the cultural significance Black Panther has that GOTG and Doctor Strange didn’t have.

      Black Panther will be a huge hit.

    • February 1, 2018 at 6:27 am
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      Cardinal rule of the modern box office: never, EVER underestimate Marvel Studios. Period.

      – Pomojema

    • February 1, 2018 at 10:56 am
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      #Realmarvelfan

    • February 1, 2018 at 12:10 pm
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      I think folks have been waiting a really long time for a good movie, Marvel can and has delivered,
      I wish there was a Kevin Feige at Lucasfilm

      • February 1, 2018 at 5:59 pm
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        We had a really good one in November

    • February 1, 2018 at 12:12 pm
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      While I would normally agree, tracking has it at $120+ so far and presales have been through the roof, the most ever for a superhero film. None of that means anything at all until it opens, but by all accounts, this movie is exceeding all reason and logic.

    • February 1, 2018 at 2:59 pm
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      This shows just how out of touch you are hahahaha.

  • February 1, 2018 at 6:36 am
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    I understand that to support these movie trailers they are also holding some kind of sporting event.

    • February 1, 2018 at 3:55 pm
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      Hehe yeah. I remember to watch the trailer for TFA, I had to watch a football game…miserable. At least I had dual monitors and would do my thing on the primary monitor until the trailer came on.

    • February 1, 2018 at 3:55 pm
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      Hehe yeah. I remember to watch the trailer for TFA, I had to watch a football game…miserable. At least I had dual monitors and would do my thing on the primary monitor until the trailer came on.

    • February 2, 2018 at 7:59 pm
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      Apparently the World will be watching. I’ll say!

  • February 1, 2018 at 9:48 am
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    A Superbowl ad is literally “DO OR DIE” for this Film. The “average casual fan” on the street still has no idea when this Film is even coming out. Literally DO OR DIE.

  • February 1, 2018 at 9:48 am
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    A Superbowl ad is literally “DO OR DIE” for this Film. The “average casual fan” on the street still has no idea when this Film is even coming out. Literally DO OR DIE.

  • February 1, 2018 at 10:47 am
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    By end of play Monday, I think we’ll have had seen our first look at this movie. Whether, it’s the Super Bowl or not.

  • February 1, 2018 at 12:13 pm
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    I agree with the article, Cant see Disney paying NBC for airtime during the Superbowl, when they have an equal if not bigger platform on Youtube and other social media

    • February 1, 2018 at 2:58 pm
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      You underestimate the size of the audience for the super bowl.

      We know they have already paid for a few spots.

    • February 2, 2018 at 12:24 am
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      That wasn’t what my article was arguing. My point was that it would have been a waste to market a movie between ten and eleven months away from release instead of marketing it at a closer time… And Solo is about four months away, so now’s a good place to market it.

      – Pomojema

    • February 2, 2018 at 2:13 am
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      Literally one of the dumbest commets ever. Disney won’t pay to have a product of theirs air during the most watched program in the entire fuckign WORLD, every single year? Amazing thought process by you.

      • February 2, 2018 at 2:18 pm
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        Haha asshat

  • February 1, 2018 at 12:45 pm
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    I think it will debut at the Bantha Bowl.

    • February 1, 2018 at 6:54 pm
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      My money is on the Trompers, but the Stampers have Grung on their side. It’ll be a tough night.

    • February 1, 2018 at 9:12 pm
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      Oh WackyBantha, you always make this comment section Banthastic. Keep it up!

  • February 1, 2018 at 2:54 pm
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    I live in the UK so, as long as it’s shown on YouTube, I don’t really care. *shrug*

  • February 1, 2018 at 2:57 pm
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    Been saying this for months. This is the only Star Wars movie (given the May release) that could qualify for a Super Bowl spot.

    • February 1, 2018 at 4:50 pm
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      What do you mean? This is just The Playlist reporting on THR article.

      • February 1, 2018 at 4:57 pm
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        You’re totally right. My mistake for being lazy.

  • February 1, 2018 at 4:58 pm
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    If they were going to put a trailer in the super bowl wouldn’t they have officially announced it by now?? All other important trailers had a specific platform and time so the fans could be ready. Something’s fishy or it’s not happening this weekend my friends.

  • February 1, 2018 at 4:58 pm
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    If they were going to put a trailer in the super bowl wouldn’t they have officially announced it by now?? All other important trailers had a specific platform and time so the fans could be ready. Something’s fishy or it’s not happening this weekend my friends.

    • February 1, 2018 at 5:06 pm
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      Or maybe they’re doing something different.

      • February 1, 2018 at 5:09 pm
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        Different doesn’t really make sense for a movie they should be pumped to promote. It worries me if they’re stuffing a trailer among all the other fluff of the Super Bowl without letting us know when it will air.

        • February 1, 2018 at 5:58 pm
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          They don’t have to let anyone know. it’s the Super Bowl. The world will be watching.

          • February 1, 2018 at 6:30 pm
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            I think other countries on this planet might disagree with that statement.

          • February 1, 2018 at 6:33 pm
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            It airs in 180 countries. I didn’t misspeak.

            It’s a global audience, though the bulk is of course in North America.

          • February 1, 2018 at 6:39 pm
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            Airing and watching are two different things. It barely gets a mention in the uk and has a very small audience. Also none of the commercials/trailers that are shown are the same as the us. In fact in the uk it’s shown on the BBC which has no commercials. I should imagine that’s the same for other countries as well.

          • February 1, 2018 at 7:52 pm
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            That’s why I said the bulk is North America.

            It still attracts a ton of attention and is the start of the marketing campaigns for many companies. There is a reason they pay so much for the ad space.

          • February 1, 2018 at 9:24 pm
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            *Yawn*

          • February 1, 2018 at 9:45 pm
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            Yep I think that’s exactly what the rest of the world thinks as well. Only the US has any real interest in this.

          • February 1, 2018 at 10:22 pm
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            Let’s see…oh, a pathological hatred for Hillary in your history…Yawn, indeed.

          • February 2, 2018 at 3:57 am
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            Not Europe tho. If I’m correct and the game is baseball, no one cares here…

          • February 2, 2018 at 3:57 am
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            Not Europe tho. If I’m correct and the game is baseball, no one cares here…

        • February 1, 2018 at 6:30 pm
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          Remember the Rogue One promotion? It was fairly tame compared to the TFA promotion. And RO only got as much as it did, because they had seven new characters to market. Han Solo sells himself, in theory.

        • February 1, 2018 at 6:58 pm
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          They don’t plan their marketing strategy based on how “pumped” they are. You’re going to know when the trailer airs, and if you don’t, there’s YouTube. Which is where most people will see it regardless of when or where it premiers. The Rogue One trailer premiered at 8 AM on Good Morning America between the weather and a cooking segment.

          • February 1, 2018 at 9:09 pm
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            Exactly..we are going to know when the trailer airs because they tell everyone before – like “watch GMA at 8am because the trailer for RO will be on”. My point is that it’s too late in the game to broadcast it for super bowl weekend now or they would have mentioned it this week.

    • February 1, 2018 at 5:58 pm
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      No, oftentimes they don’t announce it so it’s a surprise.

      • February 1, 2018 at 9:05 pm
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        So which times don’t they announce it?? because for TFA it was MNF and Rogue One it was GMA and TLJ it was MNF again.

        • February 1, 2018 at 9:23 pm
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          I am talking about Super Bowl trailers.

          We know Disney bought space for movies, we don’t know which ones.

          That’s usually how it works: we know which studios bought time, but not fro what.

    • February 1, 2018 at 6:46 pm
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      What is this, 1974? We don’t have to rely on live television to see a trailer. It will be instantly available to view on any of the futuristic supercomputers you have on your desk, lap, or in your pocket.

      • February 1, 2018 at 9:04 pm
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        Do your research before saying something so stupid.

        • February 1, 2018 at 10:05 pm
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          Okay, let me check. Yep, it’s 2018.

          • February 2, 2018 at 2:17 pm
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            pretty sure your right, it is 2018

  • February 1, 2018 at 8:14 pm
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    “A spot for July 6th’s Ant-Man vs. The Wasp would be a complete surprise as we haven’t seen any footage from that pic to date.” Except that it’s Ant-Man AND The Wasp… and the trailer was released a couple of days ago. So… hmmm. Not looking really good for Deadline’s hunch so far.

    • February 2, 2018 at 12:26 am
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      Deadline’s article was posted before the teaser arrived. The Hollywood Reporter’s article is what was breaking at the time I posted this. Just so we’re clear.

      – Pomojema

      • February 2, 2018 at 12:40 am
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        Did I sense attitude in your reply? I just want to be clear.

        • February 2, 2018 at 3:13 am
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          No, I’m not sassing you. I just thought I’d clear this up since you seemed a little confused. I didn’t point this out in the article, so I understand where you’re coming from.

          – Pomojema

          • February 2, 2018 at 5:16 pm
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            My sass-sense started tingling, and my fingers may have overreacted. Order has been restored to my quantum carburetor.

  • February 1, 2018 at 8:21 pm
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    I bet there’s a fist fight on top of the Falcon.

  • February 1, 2018 at 8:21 pm
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    I bet there’s a fist fight on top of the Falcon.

    • February 2, 2018 at 11:57 am
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      I can totally see that coming

  • February 1, 2018 at 9:08 pm
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    Super bowl. Super bowl! Because we Star Wars fans are in love with the f#*g Super Bowl!

    • February 2, 2018 at 2:10 am
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      I actually am, so don’t presume to speak for me, chubsy.

    • February 3, 2018 at 12:39 am
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      The actual trailer isn’t during the Super Bowl so you can skip it but even if it was you know it would be online instantaneously.

  • February 2, 2018 at 1:20 am
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    Exactly haha.

    You burst nothing. I merely stated that it airs in 180 countries and judging from the international media that are here to cover it, clearly someone does.

    • February 2, 2018 at 6:24 am
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      You said “the world will be watching”. You also made a completely out of topic and uncalled for political comment. Merely. I expect an apology by 9am or I will release the Ewoks. This is your last warning, Deadly dude.

      • February 2, 2018 at 3:19 pm
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        And the world will be watching. You thought I meant “literally the entire world”?

        I think we are done here, haha.

        • February 2, 2018 at 6:28 pm
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          You’ve been warned Dudley! Yub nub, fetch me them nuts! *ee chee wah mah!*

  • February 2, 2018 at 5:47 pm
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    God, are you really that sensative?

    • February 2, 2018 at 6:40 pm
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      Well, you are the one who jumped into name-calling, so… clearly you are the flustered one, your highness.

      • February 2, 2018 at 10:16 pm
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        I learned that name calling is not nice when I was 5.

        • February 3, 2018 at 3:32 am
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          I learned how to kill a man with a piece of string and a pen when I was 5.

          • February 3, 2018 at 4:01 am
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            Creepy.

      • February 3, 2018 at 3:33 am
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        How am I “flustered” exactly?

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