NFL, Loews Usher in Film Trailer
Relief may be on the way for moviegoers who seethe at the guy behind them who can’t stop talking during the movie.
NFL Films has produced a tongue-in-cheek 75-second trailer that will run before movies on the 2,448 screens owned by Loews Cineplex Entertainment.
In the spot, a loudmouthed boor is blabbing away at the screen when two burly ushers, played by Michael Strahan of the New York Giants and Bruce Smith of the Washington Redskins, pull the disruptive patron out of his seat and frog-march him to a room in the back of the theater where a judge played by Tony Siragusa, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens, doles out the punishment. Tim Couch of the Cleveland Brown also has a role in the spot.
The trailer, which starts playing in Loews multiplexes this weekend, is the highlight of a national promotion campaign engineered by the NFL and Loews Cineplex called “Lights, Camera, Kickoff.”
“The NFL has always wanted to extend its brand into entertainment areas, and this is a potentially good vehicle for the league,” said John McCauley, VP of marketing for Loews Cineplex Entertainment.
The deal could work for both parties, said McCauley, as ESPN Sports polls show that NFL fans are 35% more likely to go to the movies every week than the rest of the U.S. population.
In exchange for the NFL putting up the money to produce the spot, Loews will hand out booklets at each movie showing that feature an NFL TV schedule, information about fantasy football, discounts on merchandise from the NFL Shop and an entry form for a contest to get a free screening with an NFL player.
NFL players in 15 cities with a Loews multiplex also will attend premieres of movies with children sponsored by local charities.
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