Carnival Corporation is set to run its first Super Bowl ad which will ultimately be chosen from four semi-finalists created by BBDO Atlanta and directed by Wally Pfister whose commercial production house affiliation is Reset. The final Super Bowl TV commercial will be sourced from Carnival’s recently launched “World’s Leading Cruise Lines Marketing Challenge” that gives consumers across North America the chance to provide the company with input on its new advertising creative. Hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, this interactive crowdsourcing contest lets consumers “join the company’s marketing team” and vote for their favorite creative concept with a chance to win a grand prize of a yearly cruise for life. Consumers can visit Carnival Corporation’s new campaign hub created by BBDO Atlanta – WorldsLeadingCruiseLines.com – for details on how to vote in the Marketing Challenge. Rough-cut preview videos of the semi-finalist ad concepts are available for review and voting. The final elimination round will help determine which two finalists emerge from the following spots: “Getaway” which shows how cruising gives guests the chance to get away from all the stresses of life; “Cruise Virgin” in which people talk about their first cruise, which they happily remember; “Message in a Bottle” where special cruising moments are in a message in a bottle; and “Mystery Spot,” an idea based on a surprise that will serve as a reminder of how special the sea can be. All four semi-finalist concepts are now in full production via BBDO Atlanta and Pfister who made recently made his feature directorial debut with Transcendence starring Johnny Depp. Pfister earlier served as DP on dozens of films, including Moneyball, The Dark Knight trilogy and Inception, which earned him a Best Cinematography Oscar in 2011….
“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” Tops Weekend Box Office
In the holiday season battle of big-budget family movies, Paramount Pictures' "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" sped past the Walt Disney Co.'s "Mufasa: The Lion King" to take the top spot at the box office ahead of the lucrative Christmas corridor in theaters.
"Sonic the Hedgehog 3" debuted with $62 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates. With strong reviews (86% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and a high score from audiences (an "A" on CinemaScore), "Sonic 3" is well positioned to be the top choice in cinemas during the busiest moviegoing period of the year.
It was telling of some wider trends that "Sonic 3" — made for $122 million — bested one of Disney's top properties. Videogame adaptations, once among the most derided movie genres, have emerged as one of the most dependable box office forces in recent years. The two previous "Sonic" movies together grossed more $700 million worldwide and the third installment appears likely to do better than both of them. A fourth "Sonic" movie is already in development.
"Mufasa," however, was humbled in its opening weekend, with its $35 million in domestic ticket sales coming in notably shy of expectations . The photorealistic "Lion King" prequel even opened wider than "Sonic 3," launching on 4,100 theaters and gobbling up most IMAX screens, compared with 3,761 locations for "Sonic 3."
Though "Mufasa's" reviews were poor (56% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences gave it an "A-" CinemaScore.
"Sonic 3" nearly doubled the haul for "Mufasa," which cost more than $200 million to make. Disney could look to $87.2 million in international sales to help make up the difference. The third "Sonic" will rollout in most overseas markets in the coming weeks.
In director Jeff... Read More