One of Hollywood’s hallmarks — talent promotion and publicity — is back in full swing as actors and studio marketers reunite. By mid-day Thursday, less than 24 hours after the SAG-AFTRA strike ended, Tom Hiddleston was booking a TV appearance in the U.K. to promote the season two finale of Marvel Studios’ series Loki. He’ll then travel to New York City, where he and The Marvels star Brie Larson are slated to appear on The Tonight Show. Also expect to see photos of Larson and her co-stars Iman Vellani and Teyonah Parris surprise fans when showing up at screenings of their new superhero movie, which opens everywhere this weekend. Vellani surprised fans at an El Capitan screening in Hollywood with filmmaker Nia DaCosta Thursday, while Parris appeared at the BoxLunch charity gala in Los Angeles. Vellani has quickly been booking media interviews to support The Marvels as well.
While the strike may not have ended in time for these actors to anchor glitzy premieres, any effort is better than none. During the SAG-AFTRA strike, which lasted 118 days, actors were not allowed to promote or publicize any movie or show from a struck member company, meaning the five major legacy studios and streamers Amazon, Apple and Netflix. For marketers, it was a nightmare scenario. And before the actor work-stoppage, Hollywood writers had gone on strike in May, meaning that late night shows — one of the most important stops heading into a movie’s opening or the premiere of a new show — went dark. Box office pundits estimate that many movies would have made 10 percent to 20 percent more at the box office more had talent been available to publicize their wares. That is particularly true for adult-skewing titles, such as Martin Scorsese‘s Oscar hopeful Killers of the Flower Moon, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio — one of the world’s biggest names who is now free to wield his weight — opposite Lily Gladstone and Robert De Niro. Kenneth Branagh’s star-studded A Haunting in Venice could have also benefited, considering the its star-studded cast includes Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Dornan, among others.
“These past many weeks and months were obviously devastating for all of us,” says one studio marketing chief. “It underscored the extremely important role stars play in breaking through the cluttered media environment we live in now. Having talent to promote and front our campaigns is a powerful weapon.”
At Disney, the studio happened to hold its premiere for Thanksgiving animated musical tentpole Wish on Nov. 8, just as SAG announced it had reached a tentative deal to settle the strike. Even though the premiere has already happened, the studio may still build a special event around a performance by star Ariana DeBose. The timing of the end of the strike is opportune for Warner Bros., which has a bevy of star-studded December tentpoles — Wonka, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and The Color Purple. Sans stars, premieres became scaled-down events, but are likely to rebound in a major way.
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Every part of a campaign can use a helping hand from stars, such as several trailers that were released this week by various studios. In a statement Thursday, SAG reminded members that they should fulfill their contractual obligations and return to work, noting that “members and influencers may resume services relating to publicity and the promotion of motion pictures produced under the CBA and Television Agreement, without consequence or conflict with the union.” The ban on using influencers was a double blow for studios during the strike, but is now lifted.
The sense of relief that marketers feel overall is palpable. “We had so many balls in the air in terms of this plan or that plan, or this junket and that junket,” says one of the marketing presidents. “We didn’t know what do to do with the strike still happening, but we had to be at the ready. Now it’s over.” This return to normalcy will allow for the industry to continue producing and promoting its content, bringing stars back into the spotlight and providing the support necessary for the success of upcoming films and television shows. With stars once again free to promote, the industry can expect a resurgence in publicity, increased box office numbers, and a more vibrant entertainment landscape.
