Unless you live under a rock, you're aware of a cinematic event occurring this weekend, so much so, you're either extremely excited for this event, or you're sick of hearing about it. If you're in the former camp, hopefully you'll get to see it soon. If you're in the latter camp, I'm sorry--I don't think the hype is ending soon.
This morning, while picking up groceries, I noticed something. We went to Walmart and I went inside to get some breakfast. I was instantly hit with some of the promotional displays at our local store.
They didn't just hit me, they flogged me as if I were getting smacked upside the head with a wet bag of laundry.
Apparently, Marvel/Disney has teamed up with Walmart to help promote their latest film.
I wonder how much money went into this promotion.
I also wonder if it was even necessary.
I have a lot of friends who are over the moon to see this film (definitely former camp people...). They got their tickets as soon as they were able to do so. They took picture after picture of them standing in front of the theater, of their tickets, of the pre-film popcorn and drinks, and of them goofy smiling while sitting in their chairs waiting for the magic to begin. I've seen picture after picture posted on social media and today's officially the first day of the release. I'm willing to bet these pictures and postings are going to continue all this weekend and beyond. (definitely making mad the latter camp people...).
The point is, these people are not getting paid to promote the film--they're doing it because they love it. And, Marvel has been promoting this film for about eleven years, ever since the first Iron Man release in 2008. Each film promotes the next and the next and the next. You really couldn't ask for a better marketing campaign.
So, do they need Avengers: End Game posters on the doors as you enter Walmart? Do they need a banner over the bay of self-checkout machines? Do they need numerous ads inside the store? I'm sure someone somewhere sat in a room, crunched the numbers, and felt the cost of all this (must be in the millions...) is worth it. They've concluded doing it and paying the money will result in even more money at the box office. Maybe they're right. I'd like to think they are. I do know, that had my friend not offered me a ticket to see it tonight, I might not see this movie until it reaches RedBox or cable. But that's just me.
Yes, this is one of the big ones. Movies like this don't come along very often. It's likely to break every box office record possible. But, on a quiet Friday morning in a chain store in Centerville Utah, they most likely could have saved the cost of advertising the film. But hey...what do I know?
I hope those who see it have a good time and those who are already sick of it can endure til the end. Happy Avengers: End Game weekend, everyone!
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