Super Bowl adverts are some of the most prime TV real estate you’re likely to find, and for good reason. The game is one of the most viewed events in the American broadcasting calendar, and this year’s contest was watched by over one hundred million people (though some may have left the room for coffee during the ad breaks).
Which brings us to 2020’s crop of moneyed movie promoters. Beating out competition from Fast & Furious 9 for the fabled gong of “most expensive Super Bowl TV spot” was No Time to Die, the upcoming twenty-fifth James Bond motion picture, and the fifth and final to feature Daniel Craig in the role. According to Variety, MGM spent a cool $5.69 million fat ones on the teaser.
I don’t take any pleasure in relaying which of Super Bowl’s ads was the dearest – an essentially arbitrary fact indicative of the studio with the deepest pockets, not the studio with the best stories to tell. Nonetheless, that is the fact. Suppose it makes a change from Disney being no.1 in all financial departments, eh? Congratulations MGM, your plucky spirit won the day. Eeeh.
Of course, the Mouse House don’t exactly need the publicity to cut through to the public – a fact that didn’t stop them showcasing their next coin in the crown (Black Widow). Both No Time to Die and Scarlett Johansson’s belated solo super-buster are on the home straight ahead of curtain calls in April and May, respectively. Can’t say I’m that enthused by the prospect, though, as I think one is artistically exhausted and the other artistically bankrupt. Your challenge is to guess which is which. I’m certain Black Widow will break another Disney billion, but I’m less convinced about No Time to Die’s prospects. The proof, as always, though, will be in the footfall.