After making over $1.35 billion at the box office (and $565 million of that is from the U.S. alone), one would think that Jurassic World would be getting the biggest promotional push from Universal Pictures. But, in actuality, the studio is putting all its promotional strength behind the forthcoming Minions, a Despicable Me prequel that will be launching this weekend in theaters.
Deadline reports that the film studio has launched a number of promotions for the upcoming animated comedy, which features the gibberish-talking assistants looking for a new boss to serve — and finding it in a character voiced by Academy Award winning actress Sandra Bullock.
The campaign is, in fact, the largest one in the studios’ history, even considering the likes of films like Back To the Future and Furious 7. Many companies are on board with Minions-based promotions. McDonald’s, for instance, is a huge key partner, with Happy Meals and other promotions pointed at adults — not to mention Minions plastered on the walls, greeting customers as they come in (as seen above).
In addition, the Minions are making their impact in other markets. There are plush dolls and other toys that are sure to get a lot of sales going; Tic-Tacs and other food promotions feature Minions-like design; and Electronic Arts will soon launch Minions Paradise, a game that will no doubt see a huge push in the mobile division.
“The Minions have permeated pop culture so it has such a broad appeal from ages 3 to 84. We started hearing from brands (around the world), so it was a very coordinated global effort; we worked with all the local offices around the globe,” said David O’Connor Universal’s executive vice president of global brand marketing and partnerships.
The film was originally intended to release around the holidays last year, but Universal held off the release to summer 2015, in an effort to get more promotions for the film rolling in — and it’s a move that appears to be paying off. Everywhere consumers turn — even online — the Minions certainly can’t be missed.
O’Connor and his team spent a great deal of time putting together the campaign to promote the Minions, with a lot of work and planning going into choosing the right partners for the little guys. But it’s paid off with just the right level of advertising, and plenty of Minion-mania, as it were, appealing to consumers. Projections for the film indicate that it will have no trouble clearing out a $100 million-plus weekend — even with continuing attention going into Universal’s Jurassic blockbuster.
And the promotions kicked off well before the film’s release. Last month, Amazon teamed with Universal and Illumination Entertainment (the creators of Minions) to ship packages with special packaging featuring the characters from the film — a promotion that saw great success.
Other products — Twinkies shaped like Minions, cereals with special Minions goodies inside — guarantee that the little guys won’t be going away anytime soon. In fact, promotions like this could easily continue into the home release of the film later this year.
Some might see it as oversaturation — a few online users have expressed bitterness over Minion overkill — but the truth is, Universal has effectively put together a campaign that covers all forms of products, from toys to popular adult items (including men’s ties and sleepwear) to an appearance in an NBA Final-related ad, where a Minion went toe to toe with the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry. That ad can be seen below.
There’s just no stopping the Minions. They arrive in theaters tonight with special 6 PM showings, before the film opens in wide release this weekend.
