In 2020 and 2021, when movie theaters were closed for months, studios worried consumers would never return to the cinema in the same numbers. Many films elected to go direct-to-streaming in those years, and people noted how convenient it was to watch new movies from their own homes. Consumers flocked to the increasing number of streaming services in waves, leading some to wonder whether viewers would ever bother to attend films in the theater again.  

Thankfully, their worst fears were never realized. Blockbuster films like Top Gun: Maverick, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Everything Everywhere All at Once have seen massive box office success this summer with theatrical-only releases. Everywhere All at Once has been one of the most successful indie movies ever. Meanwhile, Maverick recently became the tenth-highest grossing film of all time.   

The massive return of blockbuster movies is no coincidence. Theaters benefited from consumers’ nostalgia for the movie theater experience and lucrative strategies employed by filmmakers and studios. Their successes can teach us marketers a lot. Let’s discuss some of the biggest lessons the movies have taught us so far this summer, and how we can apply them to our own brands.  

The Power of a Hybrid Model

Even though theaters have completely reopened, there’s still no denying the power of streaming services. According to consulting firm Kantar, 85 percent of all US households subscribe to at least one streaming service. Instead of shirking these popular streamers completely, most new releases have taken a hybrid approach. Films like Doctor Strange and The Batman had exclusively theatrical debuts, followed by a launch on streaming services within weeks of leaving theaters.  

The strategy for this approach is two-fold. By starting with a theatrical-only release, consumers must head to the cinema to see the new films they’re interested in. This exclusivity and the spectacle of watching a movie in the theater naturally builds box office buzz and impressive ticket sales. Then, studios can further build the hype with a quick move to streaming. This allows them to capitalize on the movie’s still-recent popularity and capture new viewers who couldn’t make it into the theater. 

Marketers have also learned that a hybrid approach to traditional and digital marketing may be the most effective. Though consumers now spend much of their time on digital channels, print marketing can still be a useful tool to cut through crowded online spaces. Print media, such as direct mail, can help grab audiences’ attention before leading them to a unique landing page or digital offer, allowing them to further interact with your brand. This hybrid approach can ultimately make it easier to measure the results of your campaigns by tracking visits to each webpage or redemptions of online coupon codes. 

Old Ideas Become New

Much to the dismay of some movie critics, many of the biggest films this year (think Maverick, Jurassic World Dominion and Elvis) are new iterations of an existing story. It’s easy to blame it on a lack of original ideas, but the fact that audiences continue to flock to remakes, spinoffs and true-life stories should tell us something about their motivations. These types of movies play on nostalgia and beloved stories or characters, making it easy for consumers to escape to the warm, fuzzy feelings of the past. Those positive and optimistic feelings are exactly what moviemakers want you to feel as you leave the theater.  

There’s the financial security factor at play, too. Movies based on familiar ideas are a safer investment for studios and consumers alike. Audiences know they’ll generally enjoy a Marvel or Jurassic World movie, so they’re more likely to spend their money to see those films. As a result, studio bigwigs are more likely to continue funding similar projects because they’re seen as a guaranteed box office success.

Though consumers don’t always feel nostalgic for advertising in the same way, this strategy can still be a source of inspiration for brands. Consider if your company has had a particularly successful ad campaign in the past. Could there be a way to modernize the message to make it relevant for current customers? Even if your company hasn’t been around for decades, you can still use common nostalgic themes that resonate with your audience. For example, Walmart recently used iconic vehicles from classic movies, such as Back to the Future’s DeLorean and the Batmobile, to promote their grocery delivery service. Using a similar strategy can pay off for your brand in a big way. A report from the Journal of Consumer Research found people who felt nostalgic were willing to spend more on a product than less-nostalgic consumers. 

Newcomers Challenge the Big Names

In June, Elvis, starring relative newcomer Austin Butler, went head-to-head against Cruise’s Maverick. The King managed to come out on top in its first weekend, beating Maverick at the box office by just over $1 million. Elvis did have an advantage, as Maverick had already been out for weeks, but its resounding success showed Hollywood (and marketing teams) that it doesn’t always take a big name to make a big impact. 

Traditionally, brands have tried to partner with big-name, classic celebrities as their spokespeople. Companies assumed the bigger the name, the bigger the return. To a degree, that can be true. Michael Jordan has been a spokesperson for Nike since 1994, and the fact that he still receives more endorsement money than any other retired basketball player tells us his campaigns continue to provide high returns. However, in 2018, AZ Business Magazine reported 78 percent of celebrity endorsements did not resonate with the brand’s audience. With many celebrities charging millions of dollars per endorsement, it can be a high-risk investment. 

Alternatively, the growing community of micro-influencers, or social media personalities with less than 50,000 followers, can offer surprisingly effective marketing partnerships any brand. Because these smaller creators typically appear less polished and calculated than their mega-star counterparts, their followers often view them as more trustworthy. For brands hoping to boost sales through influencer partnerships, trustworthiness and authenticity will be particularly appealing. In addition, micro-influencers often earn up to 60 percent more social media engagement than macro-influencers, according to Forbes. Though they offer a smaller follower base, micro-influencers also charge less per endorsement, and each dollar spent will reach a more engaged audience. 

In many ways, blockbuster films are a microcosm of consumers’ interests and priorities, and they can help us learn what audiences will respond to even outside of the movie theater. As studios and filmmakers continue to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances, we’ll continue looking to the box office to find important insights and lessons that we can apply to our future marketing campaigns.