The cost of a one-minute commercial during this year’s Super Bowl broadcast was priced by NBC at about $8 million — and even more during peak moments of the game. On the face of it, given the severe crisis facing Hollywood, these unprecedented rates should have discouraged film studios from investing their increasingly scarce resources in launching trailers during the broadcast, leaving the stage to the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, Bad Bunny’s halftime show and the various advertisers.
On the other hand, the Super Bowl — with tens of millions of viewers glued to their screens — is a once-in-a-year opportunity for massive exposure for new films aiming to become blockbusters. That opportunity comes at a steep price. But the major Hollywood studios have little choice. Without reaching television viewers at home, there is almost no chance they will later head out to movie theaters. Here are some of the standout trailers unveiled during the broadcast:
The Adventures of Cliff Booth
In the case of "The Adventures of Cliff Booth," at least, Netflix subscribers will be able to watch it from their living rooms. Quentin Tarantino may not love the idea, but it appears inevitable even for a master filmmaker still devoted to the old magic of cinema, which inspired his 2019 film "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." The streaming giant has embraced the character of Cliff Booth from that nostalgic drama and given him a standalone film, which received its first exposure during the Super Bowl broadcast.
Tarantino wrote the script but handed directing duties to David Fincher, who has long since accepted Netflix as his home studio. Brad Pitt, who played the laid-back fixer Cliff Booth in the original film, takes center stage — without Leonardo DiCaprio, but with Elizabeth Debicki, Carla Gugino, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Timothy Olyphant, Peter Weller and "Anora" star Karren Karagulian. It is hard to tell from the very brief teaser what the plot will be beyond Pitt’s charisma and the character’s backstory, but what is already clear is that the film will feature plenty of profanity and no small amount of violence.
The Mandalorian and Grogu
After so many disappointments on both the big and small screens, Kathleen Kennedy has finally stepped down as president of Lucasfilm, leaving Dave Filoni with the task of charting a new path for the "Star Wars" franchise. The new ruler of the galaxy’s first move will be "The Mandalorian and Grogu," a film he co-wrote with Jon Favreau, who also directed it.
The duo behind Lucasfilm and Disney+’s flagship series are going bigger after three streaming seasons, but the teaser itself reveals very little. In fact, it feels more like a gag — a tribute to classic Super Bowl commercials through the ages — than a real glimpse of the new film or its plot.
What we do get is Pedro Pascal’s voice. The actor, spotted celebrating and dancing at the Latin party hosted by Bad Bunny during the halftime show, reprises his role as Din Djarin in both the series and the film — and in the teaser, at least vocally. Alongside him is Grogu (formerly known to the public as “Baby Yoda”), as the two ride in a carriage like something out of the Wild West. Only instead of horses, there are Gungans, and instead of the deserts of Texas, Arizona or Tatooine, they travel across icy terrain suggesting the plot will take us, among other places, to the frozen planet Hoth from "The Empire Strikes Back." This is the way.
Hoppers
Like Lucasfilm, Pixar has also lost its standing as Hollywood’s uncontested animation powerhouse, but its upcoming film "Hoppers" looks like the hit the prestigious studio needs to reclaim its former glory. Director Daniel Chong and his producers have shaken up the familiar storylines and character types that have become routine in recent Pixar films, creating a new, fresh and imaginative world in which a teenage girl turns into a beaver — a human inside a rodent’s body, complete with sharp teeth and extraordinary intelligence.
She adapts well to the animal kingdom. But a beaver woman is also a force of destruction: warnings about humanity’s ever-expanding encroachment on animal habitats lead to the declaration of war — one she will try to prevent. Do not worry: this is not a violent action film, but a wild comedy with an ecological message, featuring voice work by Dave Franco and Jon Hamm, among others, and Piper Curda in the lead role.
Minions & Monsters
Illumination Studios, Universal’s animation arm and Pixar’s biggest rival over the years, continues to ride the endless wave of its Minions. In the trailer for "Minions & Monsters," directed by Pierre Coffin, the yellow creatures show off in battle scenes against burly Vikings. But that is not enough for them: they want to direct their own monster movie, casting creatures from a parallel universe — a move that could destroy the entire world.
There are no sharp Gibberish one-liners here, nor particularly brilliant humor, but another box office hit seems assured thanks to the enthusiastic support of very young fans.
Disclosure Day
A Steven Spielberg film is always a major cinematic event, and a trailer promoting it deserves the one-time stage of the Super Bowl broadcast. That is the case with "Disclosure Day," in which the legendary director returns to one of his favorite subjects: aliens. This time, they may not be friendly visitors from another world, but potential enemies.
In this spectacular action thriller, the large and glittering cast — including Josh O’Connor, Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, Colman Domingo, Eve Hewson, Wyatt Russell and others — is divided between humans and humanoid aliens. Is this a friendly encounter in the spirit of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," or a violent invasion of Earth like "War of the Worlds"? We will likely have to wait until the film’s summer release to find out.
Super Mario Galaxy
Producers at Illumination, along with their bosses at Universal Studios, are also feeling confident ahead of the release of "Super Mario Galaxy," created in collaboration with Nintendo. The next big hit looks like a blend of the Minions and Spielberg’s new film — also from Universal — as Super Mario and his allies face an invasion of monstrous aliens.
Supergirl
And what is a Super Bowl without a few superheroes? Naturally, Supergirl also makes an appearance. A short teaser from DC Comics’ next superhero blockbuster offers another glimpse of the female counterpart to Superman.
Director Craig Gillespie follows the path laid out by DC boss James Gunn with last year’s "Superman," starring David Corenswet, and hands the cape to actress Milly Alcock ("House of the Dragon"), who appears as Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl — the cynical cousin of the earnest Kal-El, also known as Clark Kent, aka Superman. With that distinguished lineage and her mischievous, youthful attitude, the heroine embarks on a journey from Krypton to saving Earth from looming threats. Krypto the Superdog pops up here as well, helping her stand out among hulking figures like Jason Momoa and Matthias Schoenaerts.
Scream 7
It has become nearly impossible to keep track of the splits and duplications in the backstories of the "Scream" horror franchise, and if you are expecting the new trailer to advance the plot of the seventh installment, you are likely to be disappointed. What can be gleaned from the 30-second glimpse of "Scream 7" is that Sidney Prescott returns, once again played by Neve Campbell — this time armed with a gun and determined to protect her daughter from the masked killer who simply refuses to exit the stage.
Kevin Williamson directs this intergenerational revenge story, featuring franchise veterans David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard and Anna Camp, alongside younger cast members Mckenna Grace, Mason Gooding and Isabel May.
Project Hail Mary
Amazon and MGM Studios are working hard to promote the science fiction film "Project Hail Mary" by directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, which serves as the entertainment conglomerate’s flagship project of the year. In the past, casting Ryan Gosling in a leading role was enough to draw crowds to theaters. But in a very troubled period for Hollywood, struggling to lure audiences back into cinemas, an aggressive campaign is required — and that is exactly what the marketing and public relations teams have been delivering over an extended period, with multiple trailers and teasers, including the latest 2.5-minute trailer aired during the Super Bowl broadcast, which reportedly cost Jeff Bezos about $20 million.
In Lord and Miller’s adaptation of Andy Weir’s novel, Gosling plays a science teacher called upon to save Earth and all of humanity from extinction, triggered by the possible dimming of the sun. "The Martian" already proved to be a box office hit, starring Matt Damon as an astronaut stranded on Mars, and similar motifs recur here, as the hero is forced to continue his journey alone — until he encounters a friendly alien. The two develop an intergalactic relationship in pursuit of their shared goal, overshadowing the rest of the cast, which includes Sandra Hüller, Ken Leung and Milana Vayntrub.