Time Warner's (NYSE:TWX) upcoming Space Jam sequel has the potential to be massive at the box office. It also has apparel giant Nike (NYSE:NKE) in position for a marketing alley-oop.
How much participation Nike will have in the franchise relaunch is unclear, as the company took a somewhat hands-off approach to the first entry in the series, but some manner of team-up appears to be a likely proposition. Nike might benefit from the sequel even if it does not pursue tie-ins with the project.
LeBron James will step into the leading role, and his attachment, along with the film's premise, could make Space Jam 2 one of the biggest box office, merchandising, and cross-promotion megahits of the decade
Space Jam's history as a marketing juggernaut
The original Space Jam movie actually got its start from a series of Nike ads dubbed "Hare Jordan" depicting basketball legend Michael Jordan alongside Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes characters. Following a Super Bowl ad that featured Jordan and Bugs teaming up to face Marvin the Martian and his henchmen in basketball and bowling, Jordan's agent David Falk pitched the idea for a feature-length team-up to Warner, and ultimately got the project off the ground after receiving support from the company's consumer products division.
While Space Jam did great things for Warner's Looney Tunes franchise, the movie was first and foremost a Michael Jordan vehicle. Here's Falk's take on the value that the film provided to the Jordan camp:
Some think it's a vehicle to sell merchandise. I'm sure it will. Some think it's an effort to broaden his appeal among kids. I'm sure it will. But first and foremost, we saw it as a great litmus test for a new class of opportunity for Michael after his NBA years are over.
The 1996 film did help spur more than $1 billion in retail merchandise and product tie-in sales for Warner, and was also a big hit in its own right, with roughly $230 million in un-adjusted ticket sales followed by $209 million in home video sales. As Jordan's agent said would be the case roughly two decades ago, Space Jam also helped endear the superstar to a new generation of fans and helped bridge his cultural significance into a new era.
LeBron James probably isn't thinking much about retirement at this point, but the potential for similar brand-building effects exists for the athlete with Space Jam 2, and that has to be of interest to Nike following the company's more than $1 billion lifetime endorsement deal with the athlete.
A high-stakes franchise relaunch
For Warner, Space Jam 2 has the potential to restart a valuable franchise at a time when entertainment is booming and the company is looking to build its stable of dependable properties. Significant growth in international film markets, particularly in China where the NBA is the most followed sports league, gives the sequel huge ticket sales potential. If successful, Space Jam 2 could give a long-term boost to the value of Warner's Looney Tunes characters. Getting Bugs, Daffy, and the rest of the gang back into regular action has the potential to be a boon to Warner across multiple segments, with tie-in potential for its Cartoon Network channels and opportunities to reenergize the company's consumer products division.
For Nike, the implications of the film are less clear at this point in production, but still significant. The company took a hands-off approach to the first Space Jam, not producing much in the way of marketing tie-ins and skipping on product placement in the film due to concerns about the movie's handling and the potential for negative brand spillover -- but there's a better than 50-50 chance that the Swoosh will be more involved this time around. Last year saw Nike and Warner's consumer products division team up to relaunch the Hare Jordan ad campaign and launch a special Space Jam edition Jordan sneaker. 2015 also saw Nike endorser Blake Griffin star in an ad for Air Jordan sneakers alongside Marvin the Martian -- a callback to the ad that helped spawn the original Space Jam, and a possible sign that Griffin could be in the sequel.
Read full story at http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/06/17/space-jam-2-is-a-billion-dollar-opportunity-for-ti.aspx
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