As someone once remarked, space is the ultimate frontier. For the past few decades, the American government and its primary space exploration agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (commonly known as NASA, if you’re being unkind), has reduced the nation’s push to explore this final frontier. However, within the last week, it appears this trend is shifting, as the launch of Artemis II marks a significant advancement for the space program in sending humans back to the moon, with the ultimate aim of setting up a base on the lunar body. While different officials have proposed some outlandish visions for the future of space exploration, one idea that seems more plausible than most is the concept of advertising in space. After all, “Ad Astra” managed to outdo Paul Verhoeven by featuring numerous flashy advertisements from real-world brands.in the movie’s scenes on the moon, offering a preview of what such a future could resemble.
However, if events had unfolded according to plan in 1993, we might have witnessed this future much earlier. As part of the extremely wild marketing campaign for the June release of John McTiernan’s “Last Action Hero,” Columbia Pictures attempted to promote the film by placing it on the side of a NASA rocket scheduled for launch around the movie’s debut. The ultimate failure of this bold idea perfectly encapsulated the fate of “Last Action Hero,” as the film ended up being the first box office disappointment.for star Arnold Schwarzenegger. For a meta action-comedy, this event ironically turned into the film’s funniest moment.
Read more: 12 Unmade Comic Book Films That Were Better Left Untouched
The promotion for Last Action Hero had already ventured into space prior to the shuttle concept.
“Last Action Hero” initially started as a complete parody of ’80s action movies and their screenwriters, such as Shane Black. It later changed course, not only embracing the many excesses typical of the genre but also being reworked by Black himself.As “Last Action Hero” became more popular, Columbia Pictures recognized Arnold Schwarzenegger’s impressive history as a strong indicator of success, and increased the marketing effort threefold.In the oral history from “We Minored in Film,” Schwarzenegger provided a thorough account of the film’s advertising campaign, including the space shuttle concept:
In addition to the action figures, we secured licenses for seven types of video games, a $20 million marketing campaign with Burger King, a $36 million “ride film” destined for amusement parks, and – which was my favorite – NASA selected us as the first-ever paid advertisement in space. We painted ‘Last Action Hero’ and ‘Arnold Schwarzenegger’ on the rocket’s sides and organized a national contest where winners had the chance to press the launch button.
When the plan to promote the film using a rocket was initially covered in the Los Angeles Times, the head of Columbia displayed some remarkable mental acrobatics, connecting the concept very tenuously to the movie’s storyline about a magical ticket that enables characters to move between the real world and cinematic realms:
Columbia Pictures’ Chairman Mark Canton stated that ‘Last Action Hero’ revolves around ‘entering various worlds,’ making it a ‘perfect’ concept for a rocket launch. ‘We are constantly seeking fresh and distinctive methods to market our films, and this is truly unique. In this instance, individuals worldwide watching the TV broadcast will witness it.’
The discarded Last Action Hero rocket advertisement signified the conclusion of ’80s extravagance
It would have been one issue if “Last Action Hero” had just failed to perform well. Although the movie did generate revenue, the studio required the film to earn $80 million within the country to break even, but it only managed $50 million. However, despitethe energy of Mark Canton and Arnold SchwarzeneggerThe insult to the movie’s box office struggles was that the scheduled promotion with the “Last Action Hero” ad never occurred. In May 1993, a month before the film and the launch were set to happen, NASA announced the postponement of the launch until August, which would have been too late to boost the movie’s earnings. Eventually, the launch was canceled completely. One might wonder what became of the sweepstakes winner who was supposed to press the launch button, as Arnold mentioned (assuming there was indeed a winner).
In the end, the chaos around “Last Action Hero” served as a wake-up call for Hollywood.(as well as Schwarzenegger) up a bit from its time of excess and arrogance. Looking back, this wasn’t a complete realization; after all, Michael “Bayhem” Bay’s filmmaking career was just beginning, and Schwarzenegger shifted from a declining movie star status to a successful run for governor of California. Although there have been many excesses in cinema following “Last Action Hero,” no one has attempted such an ambitious space advertisement since. Maybe we can at least wait until there are people in space to advertise to.
If you’re seeking the simplest method to stay informed about all the key developments in movies and television, why notregister for our free newsletter? You can also Add us as a preferred search provider on Google.
Read the original article on SlashFilm.
