No Super Bowl Commercial?

if what you say is true, i am rather dissapointed. it doesnt make much sence to pass that up, tf4 is getting a superbowl trailer,thats going to be one of godzillas biggest competitors. so again, not an opportunity they should pass up

I have to say it: Warner Bros has been kinda stupid with the advertising campaign of their movies.

Pacific Rim being a prime example. Everything's so hush-hush top secret, by the time it comes out, no one even realizes what it is.

You people do know that a lot of studios have been advertising at the Super Bowl less and less each year, right? Warner Bros. isn't advertising any of their movies, because they're one of the studios that realizes that paying $1-$4 million for a 30 second TV spot is insane.

Last year Paramount Pictures admitted that it wasn't worth it and they wish they had not advertised Star Trek during the Super Bowl.

The only reason the Transformers TV spot is a big deal is because it's the movie's first trailer. We've already had a first trailer for Godzilla. (By the way Transformers is NOT one of Godzilla's biggest competitors because its being released over a month after Godzilla.)

Studies have shown audiences are 70% more likely to remember a Doritos commercial during the Super Bowl than a movie trailer.

As for Pacific Rim. The marketing leaders for Pacific Rim were fired late last year. The same people are not promoting Godzilla.

this is what i like about you GMAN2887, your more open minded than most people is see on this site.

Re Pac Rim firings, that's interesting, didn't know that! I just read that Grown Ups 2 is a top nominated Razzie contender. Didn't that movie beat out PR by $2M on opening day? I mean the genre is not everyone's cup of tea, but GTD has a following after the Hellboy films, among others.

^GDT has a strong following, but it's not because of Hellboy. Hellboy II underperformed at the box office which is why we're probably not going to get a Hellboy III.

to bad because millions of people watch the superbowl.

It's always possible that the official TV trailer isn't finished yet guy, keep in mind that it's still in post-production, they MAY get a slot, they may not. Who know's. But I do know the trailer we seen was a mood piece.

GMAN2887 ›

"You people do know that a lot of studios have been advertising at the Super Bowl less and less each year, right? Warner Bros. isn't advertising any of their movies, because they're one of the studios that realizes that paying $1-$4 million for a 30 second TV spot is insane. Last year Paramount Pictures admitted that it wasn't worth it and they wish they had not advertised Star Trek during the Super Bowl. The only reason the Transformers TV spot is a big deal is because it's the movie's first trailer. We've already had a first trailer for Godzilla. (By the way Transformers is NOT one of Godzilla's biggest competitors because its being released over a month after Godzilla.) Studies have shown audiences are 70% more likely to remember a Doritos commercial during the Super Bowl than a movie trailer. As for Pacific Rim. The marketing leaders for Pacific Rim were fired late last year. The same people are not promoting Godzilla."

Wow, I had no idea about that. You actually do make good points. I completely forgot that Star Trek:Into Darkness advertised during the Super Bowl. It goes to show you that the Superbowl is not the best place to advertise. When you think about it, most Superbowl trailers are really not much. I mean, the films get more exposure, but at the same time, most audiences care more about the advertisements than the trailers like you said. It is probably good that Godzilla is not on one of the time slots. Also, I am glad to hear that the marketing team got fired. They should have released alot more content to promote the film. Instead, all audiences got was three trailers and a featurette which were all mostly released online. 

Movies getting more exposure is always a good thing. It would be good for Godzilla as well. But the fact is Super Bowl slots cost an enormous amount of money and there's been no proof, in the last half decade, that they ensure box office success.

We also have to take into account that Legendary has a budget to advertise the movie. Blowing a massive chunk of it on a Super Bowl spot may not be the best use of that budget.

No trailer during the Super Bowl is hardly going to break the movie.

I agree with you. It really makes sense not to do it.

I remember I type an essay on another post with the same topic. So dumb to have a trailer. For the SB. People want stupid commercials like Doritos and Chevy. It'd be a waste of money. People want 15-30 seconds of funny stupidity followed by a logo. Smart move not getting G a slot.

Lets not misunderstand, I'm sure Legendary/WB would promote Godzilla during the Super Bowl if the slots didn't cost such a ridiculous amount of money. The issue isn't that advertising during the Super Bowl isn't good. The issue is that advertising during the Super Bowl is really expensive and there's no guarantee of large return from that expense.

What? A two minute long trailer amongst commercials meant to make you laugh and that's it. You put a dark, realistic and gritty trailer amongst those? It's simple marketing. You don't do that. It's not what people want to see.

What? A two minute long trailer amongst commercials meant to make you laugh and that's it. You put a dark, realistic and gritty trailer amongst those? It's simple marketing. You don't do that. It's not what people want to see.

Personally I think it's not smart to miss premiering a new trailer during the Super Bowl and here's why.  I understand that the Superbowl is extremely expensive.  Further, I also get that most movie trailers during it aren't as well remembered (even though those are the ones I tend to re-watch after the game is over).  However, there are other factors here.  For starters, Legendary only has one other movie coming out between now and Godzilla and that is 300 Rise of an Empire, which comes out barely two months before Godzilla.  Most movies get a full real trailer (not a teaser like we have for Godzilla) several months before the premiere (300 had one months before, How to Train Your Dragon 2 has one already, etc.) and I feel like 300 is a little too late to get one out.  Second, yes while many people don't remember the trailers from the Superbowl as well, that's also because most of the trailers end up being 30 second spots.  If the studio put out more money (and come on, Gareth Edwards did this movie on $40 million less dollars than Pacific Rim was done, they can put out some) and got a minute or even two minute long commercial, like how Chrysler does every year, they would have a longer, more memorable spot that people will remember, again like the Chrysler or Budweiser one each year.  Finally, while many people I know are stoked for Godzilla many more people I've met either haven't seen the teaser or know little to nothing about the film.  Premiering this during the Super Bowl would ensure a large viewing audience to get the word out to.  Showing off, say, the airport scene from CC that's been under wraps or some other amazing footage would be perfect for this opportunity.  Again, though, that's my opinion.

@Linkzilla

The problem is, however, most people don't go revisit movie trailers after the Super Bowl. They revisit the commercials they like most-- Remember, there are awards shows for commercials now and Super Bowl Ads typically head that line-up. Movie trailers are kept at 30 seconds because studios A) Don't want to blow a lot of their promotional money on Super Bowl ads, B) Have a budget to consider for promotion and C) Also have other movies throughout the year to consider promoting.

Also a two minute spot for a movie? That's promotional suicide in this day and age. You might as well ask Legendary's Super Bowl spot to be their last trailer because a two minute spot is close to $10 million for the Super Bowl. That would put Godzilla deeper in the financial hole and there's no guarantee that money will be made back from audiences watching.

This is the problem with Super Bowl trailers I was mentioning. The rate of return has not been proven by Super Bowl ads. Blockbusters like Star Trek into Darkness are proof that it doesn't always work.

Meanwhile, you're asking way too much from any movie to release a two minute ad during the Super Bowl. No studio is going to pay that kind of money for a slot that long. It would be the only promotion the movie gets from here until its release.

Would a Super Bowl ad for Godzilla be good? Yes. It would at least have more exposure. If it doesn't have a Super Bowl ad will it hurt box office returns? No. There is no and has never been any proof of that.

I'm guessing my Linkzilla you mean me lol.  I do get your points and I understand all of that.  However, as I said before when you have car and beer companies doing 1+ minute to even two minute ads during the Superbowl just to promote their brand, not even to promote a new car or beverage, and these are often the highest rated ads in each Super Bowl (look back and you will see that every award show for commercials during the SB has the Chrysler and Budweiser ads near the top) a movie, especially a big name one like this, can do the same.  Yes it would be costly.  As for the rate of return, however, Pacific Rim made I believe it was over $300 million abroad after it's release.  International markets have become just as big as the US market for movies in recent years, and classic names like Godzilla tend to even better nationally.  That's not to say Godzilla won't do well here, in fact, I think it will do better than most of the recent blockbusters.  As long as we're talking about budgets though let's consider this- they JUST came out with the first teaser for Godzilla.  Most of the "marketting" has occured through leaks that cost the studio absolutely nothing as far as advertising goes.  They haven't spent much on it so far and I can't see that increasing anytime soon.  Truth be told, in a market where not as many people are going to movies because of the economy, you have to reach as many people as possible in other ways, and considering we only have one teaser so far for Godzilla, it would make sense to market on TV in the ways that would reach the most possible people- the Super Bowl is that.  Millions of people watching?  Check.  A commercial longer than 30 seconds (which is easy to miss) that will draw people in as it goes on?  Possible.  It's no guarantee for success but it's no guarantee for failure either.  I just think it's a smart decision, one most other studios won't try.  High risk high reward. 

Ever heard of a producer or show runner saying the word, "results"? When they say that, they need hard, factual evidence of something worth spending money on. If there isn't proof of that they typically don't take the risk.

You're right, there's no proof that Super Bowl movie trailers don't help, but there isn't proof that they return what was spent on them either. And that is more important to studios.

I agree the exposure would be great, but it's too costly of a risk to throw a 2 minute movie trailer into the Super Bowl. That's why it's not a smart decision. It puts a movie further down the hole. A movie must make double its budget to be profitable. So Pacific Rim only barely made profit. Had they thrown a 2 minute ad into the Super Bowl with those same final numbers, it may not have broken even.

I'm also curious where you're seeing these 2+ minute ads for other things during the Super Bowl. Maybe a minute at most, but I can't remember any Super Bowl ad that's taken up 2 minutes of time. That's an insane amount of money. I know that plenty of Super Bowl ads are cut down for their time slots and the longer version of those ads are later released online. But 2 minute ads? I think that's a stretch for anyone.