Like many sectors following the pandemic, the film industry, particularly cinema, is undergoing a resurgence marked by the success of blockbuster hits like Barbie and Oppenheimer. So, what does this mean for advertisers?
Coming off the back of what has been a tough few years for cinema, movie-goers around the world, are flocking back to the big screen.
Though this renaissance of cinema could be put down to the fact that people are making up for time lost during the pandemic, this new boom is also a result of films being released in a new landscape.
With TikTok now being one of the biggest entertainment media platforms in the world, films now have the ability to go viral, creating pop culture moments and resulting in box-office hits.
Val Morgan’s New Zealand Sales Director, Matt Tremain looks at the double feature ‘Barbenheimer’, as the biggest drive for pop culture this year.
“Both titles really affirmed the influential force that cinema has to create iconic cultural moments which will echo right through generations to come,” he says.
With the unexpected double feature social phenomenon of Barbie and Oppenheimer, which both films tapped into as part of their marketing strategy, ‘Barbenheimer’ was able to reach every generation.
Tremain says that according to Val Morgan statistics, Barbie delivered across all demographics, meaning the film offered something for everyone.
Oppenheimer on the other hand tapped into the younger demographic thanks to its marketing strategy.
Ultimately both films dominated the big screen despite having the same release date. Barbie is now grossing over $1.3 billion at the global box office while Oppenheimer is grossing over $850 million.
“They’re big cultural moments, and they drive significant outcomes for brands who include cinema as part of their screen mix,” adds Tremain.
Reaching pop culture phenomena status means these films have been able to further drive influence after a person has watched the film as well.
Looking at other films throughout the years, Tremain talks about Top Gun which shifted how Americans viewed the military while the Korean film Parasite brought up conversations about social inequity. Marvel Studio’s Black Panther was able to dive deeper into topics of representation and race. Major cultural moments such as these have all helped to put eyes on cinema.
This rebirth of cinema has opened up a whole new world for advertisers.
“The cinema experience undeniably fulfils our fundamental human need for connection, bringing individuals, communities, and cultures together based on shared interests. Movies create a sense of anticipation and occasion.”
With the successes recently seen in cinema, the demand for brands to align with these cultural moments has increased and will continue to increase he says.
“What’s driving that is having a deeper understanding of the role that the channel plays.”
He adds that the outcomes experienced by brands who have been part of these cultural cinema moments speak for themselves.
Over the next year, advertisers can expect crowds of Kiwis to walk into movie theatres thanks to the diversity the film industry is producing.
Cinema is the consumer-ticketed entertainment experience of choice for Kiwis, so for brands, this means tapping into this opportunity to connect with these audiences through the only channel that delivers full and sustained attention.
“It’s such an exciting time for the cinema industry as we see some of the best films come to the biggest screen of all, and brands can really leverage cinema’s power of reaching audiences that are primed to pay attention.”
