Minions: The Rise of Gru is among the 2022 movies that will have a trailer at Sunday's Super Bowl, and in doing so will break two records. The first Minions movie, a spin-off from the Despicable Me series was a massive success, making over a billion dollars at the worldwide box office. Universal Studios and Illumination are hoping Minions: The Rise of Gru will be another hit, but the movie has been one of the worst affected by the pandemic, giving it the potential to secure a couple of unorthodox Super Bowl records.
Super Bowl 2022 pits the Los Angeles Rams against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, February 13th. The Super Bowl is one of the biggest nights in sports, and the most-watched television broadcast in the United States every year. Hollywood has long cottoned one to its advertisement potential and will release its Super Bowl trailers for upcoming blockbusters at the cost of a massive $6.5 million per 30-second slot. Trailers for Jurassic World: Dominion, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness are certain, and Minions: The Rise of Gru will also be among the ranks.
Minions: The Rise of Gru was originally meant to be released on July 3, 2020, but when the pandemic hit production shut down at Illumination Mac Guff in Paris. The movie was pushed back, first to July 2021, and then again to its current date of July 1, 2022, where it hopes to be one of the first post-pandemic blockbusters for Universal. Prior to these release date moves though, Minions 2 had already aired its 2020 Super Bowl trailer. The 2020 trailer was well received, and the movie saw a huge interest spike in the days after the game. With another trailer set for Sunday, Minions: The Rise of Gru will be the only movie to have had trailers aired at multiple Super Bowls, 2 years apart. Additionally, Minions 2 will also hold another record, as the movie that’s spent the most money for airing trailers at the Super Bowl (2020’s trailer price tag was $5.6 million, for a total of $12.1 million for one minute of screentime).
Minions: The Rise of Gru isn't the only film to have multiple Super Bowl trailers over the years, but given the 2022 sequel’s significant delays, it's set to be the only one that has done so in non-consecutive years. Its only competition for that record will be Paramount's Top Gun: Maverick, which also had a spot at the 2020 Super Bowl before being similarly delayed multiple times. Tom Cruise though just starred in a custom trailer for Top Gun: Maverick during the AFC title game. Whether Paramount wants to invest another $6.5 million so soon after that for a further 30 seconds remains to be seen. If it doesn’t, Minions: The Rise of Gru will have the record all to itself.
It's a somewhat dubious honor for the Despicable Me/Minions franchise to hold these Super Bowl records but shows Universal Studio’s confidence in the brand. Family films have been one of the worst affected genres during the pandemic, and Minions: The Rise of Gru could have easily gone the same route as Trolls World Tour or Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, and gone straight to digital/streaming. Universal's decision to delay the movie could ultimately work in their favor when it's finally released this summer.
