10 Movies That Are Nothing More Than Feature Length Commercials
5. Its A Bird, Its A Plane, No, Its Sears - Man Of Steel
In 2011, Warner Bros attempted to imitate Marvels superhero crossover successes by launching its own wave of DC superhero adaptations, starting with the Green Lantern. Warner Bros took a bath on the legendary flop that failed to recoup its massive budget. Not wanting to get left in the dust, Warner Bros took another swing at franchise dividends by bringing DCs most popular character, Superman, back to the big screen with 2013s Man of Steel. This time, the venerable studio hedged its bet to ensure Man of Steel would turn a profit no matter what by setting a new record for product placement. Over a 100 companies contributed approximately 160 million dollars in ad revenue to the feature. Some of Man of Steels corporate sponsors feature prominently in the plot. For example: Supes saves a boy from drowning so he can become the manager of a IHOPs, a fact the movie highlights obnoxiously by having several scenes take place in the restaurant. When renegade Kryptonians attempt to destroy Superman's hometown, Smallville, Superman engages in a city-destroying brawl, most of which takes place in front of the local Sears franchise. The retail outlet's logo features prominently in the background. Warner Bros unprecedented ad campaign skyrocketed Man of Steel to a global box office of nearly 700 million dollars and paved the way for the upcoming Batman/Superman feature film crossover.
