In little more than a month the latest entry in the most successful comic book movie franchise of them all will debut in a record number of theaters (including on more than 100 IMAX screens), and already the marketing of Spider-Man 3 is well underway. All through April more than 5,800 7/11 convenience stores in North America (and thousands more around the world) will be offering customers Slurpees in containers with three different lenticular designs that feature 'jump out at you' images of Spidey that tie in with the new film.
Meanwhile cable giant and Internet provider Comcast has been offering its customers an exclusive Spider-Man 3 trailer, which debuted on March 23rd, plus new Spidey content every week until Spider-Man 3 debuts on May 4th.
The Starz network of premium (pay) cable and satellite channels begins its Spider-Man 3 promotion on April 4th with sneak peeks at the new film followed by the April 28th premiere of the Starz exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the new movie, On the Set: Spider-Man 3, which includes interviews with Tobey McGuire and Kirsten Dunst and airs at 10:55 pm (ET, PT). On May 3rd, Starz hosts a 'When Comic Books Attack' movie marathon that includes On the Set: Spider-Man 3 along with such comic-inspired movies as
Among the more interesting Spider-Man 3 promotions is Hasbro's creation of a Webpage where kids can sign up to get wake-up calls from Spidey himself and even submit questions to Spider-Man creator Stan Lee. And of course in addition to a strong line-up of Spider-Man 3-inspired action figures, playsets, and role-playing toys, Hasbro also managed to come up with something very special, a web-influenced version of Mr. Potato Head known as Spider Spud.