For Hollywood, the Super Bowl is like the start of a season.
Marching out a trailer before the biggest television audience of the year is a great way to build hype for an upcoming movie, even if that movie's release is months away.
So while the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons put on an offensive thriller of a game, moviegoing fans can make plans months in advance, thanks to expensive trailers for future blockbusters.
The advertising realm isn't holding back when it comes to commercials either, with big-name companies set to trot out celebrities such as Jason Statham, Melissa McCarthy and even Tom Brady himself.
But many come for the movie trailers and only the movie trailers. According to Brian Steinberg of Variety, heavy-hitters such as Disney, Universal and Paramount are the headline acts as far as Hollywood trailers go:
A spokeswoman for Paramount said the studio would promote "Transformers: The Last Knight" during the game and tout the Scarlett Johansson starrer "Ghost In The Shell" in a spot before the kick off. Universal will run at least a trailer during the event, but a spokesperson for the studio declined to offer details. The studio has releases including "Fifty Shades Darker" and "The Great Wall" on tap. Disney declined to comment on what it might choose to promote.
Deadline.com's David Lieberman and Anita Busch detailed a few more expected appearances:
Studios usually keep their plans close to the vest; this year is no different. But we hear that Disney will advertise two films (possibly the next installments of Guardians Of The Galaxy and Pirates of the Caribbean). Fox is expected to advertise the psychological thriller A Cure For Wellness and possibly one other film — either Logan starring Hugh Jackman as Wolverine or the next Alien.
There are familiar and new names in there, but the theme remains the same: Studios go out of their way to promote the best projects of the year during the Super Bowl.
Perhaps one of the most interesting bits of info to leak so far is the fact that Sony's Skydance studio will make an appearance during Super Bowl Sunday.
According to Anthony D'Alessandro, the studio will trot out a look at Life, a sci-fi thriller featuring Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal. This is huge news not only because of the names involved, but also because the studio hasn't had a trailer during the Super Bowl since 2014.
D'Alessandro had another major reveal in the write-up—rumor continues to spread that Universal will unveil The Fate of the Furious, a movie slated for release on the same day as Furious 7 and other hits of the past.
As usual, most expect Paramount to have a big day. The Rock revealed weeks ago that he is filming a Super Bowl ad for Baywatch via an Instagram post (note: post contains NSFW language):
Some of the expected movie trailers won't necessarily be making their debuts.
Take Guardians of the Galaxy 2, for example, which has a trailer already making the rounds:
Another look at the anticipated movie doesn't hurt, even if it isn't a fresh trailer.
The Rock's Baywatch movie already has a trailer out:
As does Ghost in the Shell:
This should go without saying, given how popular it was, but The Fate of the Furious already has a trailer out as well:
It seems Hollywood has generally been more tight-lipped than usual about its trailers this year. But some of the year's biggest releases will clearly have Super Bowl spots alongside a few surprises.
What those surprises are remains to be seen, but knowing Hollywood, it will keep observers buzzing for a long time. Should trailers weave in a social media campaign as well, hype for a movie can carry on for months until viewers actually plop down in the seats at the theater.
With Super Bowl spots as expensive as ever, observers can expect nothing but the best from Hollywood.