Spider-Man: Brand New Day Breaks Hollywood Record with $309 Million Campaign
Spider-Man: Brand New Day changed Hollywood's promotional record before even hitting theaters. A partnership network of 165 brands, including companies like McDonald's, Little Caesars, Samsung, and BMW, generated an estimated media value of $309 million worldwide.
According to data reported by Deadline, this figure represents the largest promotional partnership campaign ever measured for a film. The previous record also belonged to Sony: Spider-Man: Far From Home reached $288 million in 2019.
$309 Million is Not Sony's Advertising Spend
The announced amount does not reflect the classic advertising budget that Sony Pictures allocated to promote the film. Instead, it represents the global media value calculated from the television ads, digital content, product packaging, store applications, and other promotional activities of the brands involved in the campaign.
In other words, while companies associate their products with Spider-Man, they also enhance the film's visibility. Sony does not have to spend $309 million directly for the same level of promotional reach.
Licensed product and toy revenues are not included in the calculation. Due to the commercial rights of Spider-Man's merchandise being held by Disney, the $309 million figure only encompasses the promotional partnerships conducted by Sony.
The Campaign Centers Around Food and Technology Brands
McDonald's and Little Caesars provided the highest media value for the campaign. They were followed by Samsung and BMW. Amazon, ASUS, Liquid I.V., Takis, and poppi were also part of the global partnership network.
Little Caesars launched the “Webberoni Pizza,” featuring pepperoni pieces arranged in a web shape for the film, and hosted an event recreating Peter Parker's home. Samsung incorporated devices used in the film into its own advertising campaign. Some brands were not only visible in external promotions; they also entered the film through product placements.
The structure of 165 partnerships distinguishes the campaign from the traditional model based on a few major sponsors. Sony reached different consumer groups through varying food, beverage, technology, automotive, and gaming brands from country to country with the same film.
Spider-Man Takes Back Its Own Record
It’s no coincidence that the record for the largest promotional partnership in Hollywood belongs to two consecutive Spider-Man films. The character can connect with a wide audience, from children to adults, allowing it to match with diverse sectors ranging from fast food to automobiles, and from phones to video games.
The $309 million result of Brand New Day surpassed the $288 million peak held by Far From Home for seven years by a margin of $21 million. Thus, Sony renewed the record with its own film without losing it to another studio.
First Box Office Data Also Surpasses No Way Home
The first response to the massive campaign was seen in North American previews. According to Deadline's initial calculations, Spider-Man: Brand New Day generated over $50 million from previews in the U.S. and Canada.
If this figure is confirmed, the film will surpass the $50 million of Spider-Man: No Way Home, achieving the best preview result in the series. The initial estimate places Brand New Day in third place of all time, following Avengers: Endgame's $60 million and Star Wars: The Force Awakens' $57 million.
However, the preview total is still being updated. Therefore, the result above $50 million and the all-time ranking may change with the studio's or box office tracking companies' final figures.
It is noteworthy that Brand New Day reached historic levels in two different areas before its opening weekend was even completed: The film was not only surrounded by a major advertising campaign; the visibility created by the campaign also began to reflect in the initial ticket sales.
