Based on the success of La La Land, Beauty and the Beast and The Greatest Showman, and positive reviews on the recently released A Star is Born – starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, cinema is set to deliver two more highly anticipated musical blockbusters towards the end of this year.
First up, get ready to ‘Rock and Roll’ with Bohemian Rhapsody (November 1). The film is a biopic on the lead singer of Queen – Freddie Mercury, and the rise of his legendary rock band. The remaining band members of Queen were part of the creative process, including casting Rami Malek as the lead actor.
Mary Poppins Returns (December 27) is the highly anticipated sequel to the classic 1964 film Mary Poppins. Set in London in the 1930s, some 24 years after the events of the original, it features an all-star cast that includes British actress Emily Blunt, American legend Meryl Streep and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Successes of musical movies from the recent past:
La La Land (2016)
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
The Greatest Showman (2017)
La La Land, Beauty and the Beast and The Greatest Showman also ran for a period of 17, 14 and 19 weeks (respectively) in the UAE.
Contact a member of our sales team to book a ‘Follow an English Blockbuster Movie’ campaign alongside Bohemian Rhapsody/Mary Poppins Returns and benefit from having your ad showcased in cinema for as long as the movie runs.
Sources: The Numbers, IMDb and MVM Analysis
Some audiences are harder to reach than others through traditional media. Cinema however delivers premium first-run content within a captive environment to an attentive audience of varying demographics. And with an exciting and diverse line-up of movies set to release over the months of November and December 2018 – just in time for the dawn of the new year, there’s never been a better time for advertisers to turn audiences into consumers.
November
Bohemian Rhapsody
Starring: Rami Malek, Joseph Mazzello and Mike Myers
Release Date: 1st November 2018
Fun Fact – Rami Malek got to meet Freddy Mercury’s sister while in costume. When she saw him, she said: “That’s my Freddy.” She initially laughed, but later cried on an emotional note.
Girl in the Spider’s Web
Starring: Claire Foy, Sylvia Hoeks and Lakeith Stanfield
Release Date: 08th November 2018
Fun Fact – It is based on the novel of the same name by David Lagercrantz, and continues on the “Millenium”-series created by Stieg Larsson, who passed away in 2004.
The Grinch
Starring: Rashida Jones, Benedict Cumberbatch and Angela Lansbury
Release Date: 08th November 2018
Fun Fact – This was Benedict Cumberbatch’s second animated film. His first was Penguins of Madagascar (2014), four years prior.
Overlord
Starring: Wyatt Russell, John Magaro and Pilou Asbæk
Release Date: 08th November 2018
Fun Fact – One of the filming locations for the film was a decommissioned branch-line of the heritage train line and popular tourist attraction, the Bluebell Railway, in West Sussex, England.
Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Starring: Keira Knightley, Mackenzie Foy and Morgan Freeman
Release Date: 08th November 2018
Fun Fact – The Nutcracker and the Four Realms marks the 298th time Keira has portrayed a character in a period piece.
Thugs of Hindostan (Hindi)
Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir khan and Katrina Kaif
Release Date: 08th November 2018
Fun Fact: This will be the first time that Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan will be seen in a film together.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston and Jude Law
Release Date: 15th November 2018
Fun Fact – Newt Scamander carries a wand, practices magic, and works for the Ministry of Magic even though he was expelled from Hogwarts, which puzzled several fans online especially since Hagrid wasn’t afforded those liberties. J.K. Rowling explained that the reason for this will be revealed throughout the series.
Robin Hood
Starring: Taron Egerton, Ben Mendelsohn and Jamie Dornan
Release Date: 22nd November 2018
Fun Fact: The ancient techniques of speed shooting from the draw hand and the double draw are used by Robin Hood in this movie.
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Starring: Kristen bell, Gal Gadot and John C. Reilly
Release Date: 22nd November 2018
Fun Fact: The logo for the movie was made to resemble an app icon, while the “Wreck-It Ralph 2” banner resembles a notification/update.
2.0 (Tamil)
Starring: Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar and Amy Jackson
Release Date: 29th November 2018
Fun Facts: This will be the first Indian film directly shot in 3D. Akshay Kumar will make his Tamil debut with this film. This is the first time Rajnikanth and Akshay Kumar will be working together.
*the movie will release in 15 languages (worldwide)
December
Mortal Engines
Starring: Hugo Weaving, Stephen Lang and Robert Sheehan
Release Date: 13th December 2018
Fun Fact: This will be director Christian Rivers’ first full feature film as a director (He previously directed a short and a section of an anthology).
Aquaman
Starring: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard and Nicole Kidman
Release Date: 20th December 2018
Fun Facts: According to Amber Heard, the underwater filming required cast members to be hosed down, and then shooting took place on a cold soundstage. Additionally, The Fishermen tribe were created through a combination of make-up (for the top half, the upper torso) and computer-generated imagery (for the bottom half, the tails).
Bumblebee
Starring: Justin Theroux, Hailee Steinfeld and Marcella Bragio
Release Date: 20th December 2018
Fun Fact: John Cena is the third wrestler to appear in a Transformers feature, after Dwayne Johnson (who played Cliffjumper in Transformers Prime (2010)) and Joe Seanoa (who played Predaking in Transformers: Power of the Primes (2018)).
Zero (Hindi)
Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma
Release Date: 21st December 2018
Fun Fact: Shah Rukh offered Sridevi a cameo role in this film, so that he can share screen with her for 2nd time in his career. Since her death, this will be Sridevi’s last appearance in films.
Mary Poppins Returns
Starring: Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep and Colin Firth
Release Date: 27th December 2018
Fun Fact: The sequel will be released 54 years after Mary Poppins (1964), setting a new record as the longest gap between a live-action film and its sequel in history.
Don’t miss on advertising your brand alongside these blockbusters – guaranteed to usher in large audiences.
Contact a member of our sales team to book your campaign today!
Sources: IMDb and YouTube
Cinema connects with families by reaching parents and children in a shared premium environment!
Cinema’s unique ability to deliver IMPACT and ENGAGE with a CAPTIVE audience makes it one of the perfect platforms for advertisers wanting to specifically target parents.
As per research conducted by IPSOS in 2017, family movies are a planned event and a majority of parents prefer taking their kids out for a movie on a monthly basis.
Kids/Family movies have also proven to be high performers in the past:
Each year, over 15+ blockbuster kids movies are released in the UAE
On average, blockbuster kids movies do 250K admissions in the UAE
Four Kids/Family movies made it to ‘UAE’s Top 10 Movies’ list in 2016
Three Kids/Family movies made it to ‘UAE’s Top 10 Movies’ list in 2017
Incredibles 2 – which released on 14th June 2018 (and is presently screening in cinemas), did over 332K admissions in just 4 weeks since its release date.
Missed out on advertising alongside a Kids/Family movie this year? Don’t worry, as Q3 and Q4 2018 has an exciting line-up of Kids/Family movies in store:
The House with a Clock in its Wall
Starring – Cate Blanchett, Jack Black, Kyle MacLachlan
Release Date – 20th September 2018
Smallfoot
Starring (voice) – Zendaya, Gina Rodriguez, Channing Tatum
Release Date – 27th September 2018
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween
Starring – Madison Iseman, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ken Jeong
Release Date – 11th October 2018
Mowgli
Starring – Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale
Release Date – 18th October 2018
The Grinch
Starring (voice) – Benedict Cumberbatch
Release Date – 8th November 2018
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Starring – Keira Knightley, Helen Mirren, Mackenzie Foy
Release Date – 8th November 2018
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Starring (voice) – Gal Gadot, Kristen Bell, Mandy Moore
Release Date – 22nd November 2018
Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse
Starring (voice) – Nicolas Cage, Hailee Steinfeld, Kimiko Glenn
Release Date – 13th December 2018
Mary Poppins Returns
Starring – Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, Julie Walters
Release Date – 27th December 2018
Contact a member of our sales team for more information on cinema advertising opportunities.
Sources: MVM/IPSOS Report, MVM Analysis, YouTube and IMDb
