Gilbert had previously discussed with the two producers of his film the idea of running an advertisement during the Super Bowl. Although there was no precedent for this, the promotion and distribution departments at Disney and Warner Bros. both found the suggestion very constructive.
After a meeting, the producers asked Gilbert to cut a 30-second trailer to be featured as a Super Bowl commercial.
This year's Super Bowl halftime show would feature global pop superstar Michael Jackson, making his first appearance on the Super Bowl stage. Initially, the superstar had intended to decline, but Super Bowl officials informed Michael Jackson that the game would be broadcast live in multiple countries worldwide.
Michael Jackson declined the Super Bowl's suggested song list and chose his own songs. The final two songs were "We Are the World" and "Heal the World," through which he aimed to convey his love to the world. Another reason was that Los Angeles had just experienced the shocking Los Angeles riots in 1992, making racial tensions unprecedentedly sharp. To help bridge racial divides, Michael Jackson planned to hold his first concert of 1993 in Los Angeles. At the same time, on the Super Bowl stage, he wanted to convey virtues like truth, goodness, and beauty to all of America and the world, urging everyone to love peace and unity.
It was against this backdrop that this Super Bowl stage garnered immense attention.
When the riots occurred, it was around March or April, but Gilbert wasn't significantly affected. The riot-stricken areas were gang-ridden communities in Los Angeles, essentially a real-life version of GTA. However, the areas near Hollywood remained safe, with excellent public security. The real collapse of North American society would begin only when the affluent communities were affected. No matter how large the current unrest, it didn't shake the fundamental structure.
As an outsider (as he saw himself), Gilbert maintained a detached, "schadenfreude" attitude. As a relatively minor figure, the media didn't focus on him. In contrast, many Hollywood stars in Los Angeles used filming as an excuse to flee the city during that period, fearing media scrutiny. In such situations, responding or not responding would both be considered a mistake, and someone would inevitably be displeased no matter what was said. Only Michael Jackson possessed the influence and ability to call for people to unite.
Moving on, once the decision was made to air an ad during the Super Bowl, Disney quickly contacted the Super Bowl broadcasters. This was the first time Super Bowl broadcasters had received a request to air a movie trailer as an advertisement. The Super Bowl broadcasting officials immediately realized that if the film achieved good promotional results, the Super Bowl might become an important promotional platform for Hollywood films in the future. This was actually a good thing for the Super Bowl brand promotion, so the Super Bowl broadcasting officials agreed.
The 30-second trailer was quickly cut. For a film full of exciting shots, this was no difficult task at all. As the advertiser, Disney received several Super Bowl tickets. Robert Iger directly transferred the tickets to Gilbert, letting him take his family or others to watch. Gilbert wasn't interested in American football, but he was very much looking forward to pop king Michael Jackson's halftime show. So, he invited his aunt's family from San Francisco to watch the Super Bowl halftime show with him.
Nothing stays hidden in Hollywood for long. Soon, the news of Speed airing a trailer during the Super Bowl spread throughout Hollywood. Many Hollywood companies instantly realized, "Aha! So that's how you do it! Why didn't we think of that?" Films slated for the summer blockbuster season quickly contacted the Super Bowl broadcasters, hoping to secure an ad slot. Unfortunately, by the time they reached out, all the ad slots were gone. However, it didn't matter; they could just wait and see how effective Speed's ad would be. If it proved successful, then next year's Super Bowl would likely see even more Hollywood films vying for ad spots.
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Soon, in February, the Super Bowl was held in Chicago. Gilbert, along with his aunt's family, took their seats in the VIP box at the Super Bowl, avoiding the crowds of regular spectators. However, Gilbert felt that to truly experience the game, one had to be in the general stands.
The game itself was quite boring for Gilbert, as he didn't understand American football. He thought it would be better to watch Michael Jordan play basketball. Although Gilbert wasn't a fan of playing basketball either, he at least knew many of the star players, so being an armchair fan was fine. In contrast, his uncle, John Mays, was thoroughly engrossed, excited even though he wasn't a fan of either team.
However, when the first half ended and the stage for the halftime show was being set up, Gilbert knew that one of the greatest live performances in pop music history was about to begin. Before that performance, the annual Super Bowl ad show was about to start.
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As the first half of the game concluded, the viewership of the Super Bowl broadcast began to surge, showing exponential growth. The TV station staff cheered excitedly; broadcasting this Super Bowl game was proving to be incredibly worthwhile. Before the halftime show began, the station started airing commercials.
Zoe and Doug were already glued to their television, as Michael Jackson fans, they naturally had to watch his performance. However, they watched the commercials first. Every year, Super Bowl commercials showcased the popular products of the season and were always very entertaining. They had already seen entertaining commercials for IBM computers, Estée Lauder cosmetics, and Lamborghini supercars.
Just as Zoe thought the halftime show was about to begin, a deafening explosion roared. Zoe was startled, and a house was blown up on the TV screen.
"Doug, is that... a movie trailer?" Zoe asked, a little disbelieving. They were seasoned Super Bowl viewers, but they had never seen a movie trailer aired during the Super Bowl before.
At this moment, subtitles flashed across the screen, and Doug unconsciously read them aloud: "From the director of The Shallows and Final Destination... Zoe, this is Gilbert's new film."
"Oh my goodness," Zoe covered her mouth. "He's actually running an ad during the Super Bowl! No one has ever done that before."
Watching the explosions and car chases in the trailer, the dazzling editing, and the camera shots following the tires, everything made their adrenaline surge.
Doug touched his racing heart, excitedly saying, "This movie's trailer is so amazing, so cool! When is it coming out?"
With a final explosion, the film's title, Speed, flashed across the screen, along with the release date: The film would officially hit North American theaters on April 30th.
After watching the trailer, Doug was still wanting more. He told Zoe, "We definitely have to go see this movie in the theater."
"Yes," Zoe agreed. "And we should get a lot of friends to go see it with us."
Across the U.S., not just Zoe and Doug saw the Speed trailer during the Super Bowl. According to later statistics, at least 40 million viewers tuned in to the Super Bowl during that time slot. This was the impact of Michael Jackson, and Speed, whose trailer aired just before his performance, was seen by all those viewers.
The promotional effect was even better than Disney and Warner Bros. had estimated. If even 10% of those viewers showed interest in the film, that would be four million potential viewers. Moreover, Gilbert's edited trailer was incredibly exciting, giving Disney and Warner Bros. great confidence.
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