2020 has been an interesting year for movies regarding marketing and ticket sales. For instance, overall theatrical ticket income is up, but the actual ticket sales are down. On top of that, several titles have been purchased by Netflix when it was determined that their box office potential is limited.
However, there are always movies with extraordinary campaigns. The way they marketed the films motivated millions of people to go and see it, becoming the box office hits. Some of these are blockbusters, whereas the others are smaller and might not have premiered in your theatre. Without further ado, let’s check out some of the best titles in terms of marketing and promo campaigns.
8. Black Panther
Source:momentarycinema.com
We have to start off this list with Black Panther. This film became huge and all thanks to marketing. Black Panther should have been just another Marvel Cinematic Universe release and a movie that could have been missed, but in the end, many went to see it. Even though a lot of people were disappointed with the film, from the marketing perspective, Black Panther was a total success. What contributed to that success was the soundtrack produced and curated by Kendrick Lamar.
7. A Wrinkle in Time
Source:professionalwomanmag.com
With this film, Ava Duvernay became the first black director to helm a release that had a budget of over $100 million. The plot was based on the popular book with the same name. What made this movie special was Oprah, first and foremost. A big part of marketing were Storm Reid, Mindy Kaling, and Reese Witherspoon.
6. Annihilation
Source:themoviedb.org
Annihilation is a sci-fi mystery with Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson and Gina Rodriguez leading the way. In the US, the film didn’t fare well, which is the reason Paramount sold the overseas rights to Netflix. Personally, I found this film quite intriguing with predominantly female casts, but that is not mentioned either in the trailer or other marketing materials. It was a low-key marketing campaign, which proved well.
5. Ready Player One
Source:readyplayeronemovie.com
Ready Player One was directed by Steven Spielberg, and the film that is based on a popular book has had a warm welcome. It was dismissed as “Nostalgia: The Movie” as trailers and posters started circulating, referencing as much of the 1980s pop culture. This is the only movie campaign which used Rush’s Tom Sawyer and Van Halen’s Jump, which makes it one of the best of the year.
4. A Quiet Place
Source:inverse.com
John Krasinski, who directed and starred in this film found a fun way to present a horror, by wrapping it in a family drama. It shows how people learned to survive in near silence after the invasion of aliens who attack at a sound. To make A Quiet Place successful, Krasinski and Emily Blunt were in the press constantly, and there is no dialogue at all in the trailers. For this film, word-of-mouth was a big part of the promotion.
3. Sorry to Bother You
Source:theintercept.com
Hip-hop star from Oakland, Boots Riley was directing a movie for the first time, which drew people’s attention. Lakeith Stanfield was cast, who was a perfect fit for the role. The trailers disclosed nothing of the narrative and characters, and they fantastically sold the film. And let’s not forget about Tessa Thompson.
2. Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Source:bbc.com
Mission: Impossible franchise is a long lasting one, and it doesn’t take a lot of effort to advertise a new addition to the list. Still, the promotion of a film is essential for its success, and this was one of the best in the year. The whole campaign revolved around the assumption that the audience wanted to see Cruise doing death-defying stunts. That’s the truth of it. It was all about stunts. And Cruise.
1. The Death of Stalin
Source:culturedvultures.com
This type of movie could be considered old-fashion for the United States and the current political climate. However, high-profile cast in a dark comedy set in Russia presenting various government officials who want to come into power after the death of Stalin is something people do want to see. Straight-up satire releases are a rarity these days, and this one came at the right time with the right marketing.
