Of course, the ultimate question may be, What effect does all this have on the movies themselves? Studio and fast-food execs are unanimous and unequivocal: none at all. Says Dicker, "The movie has to be first and foremost." But that hardly seems like Hollywood. For one thing, product placements, such as the one in George in which the Tarzan-like character sits on top of a cable car eating a Big Mac, are commonplace. One Burger King executive acknowledges he has received several scripts from projects seeking partnership deals — with a flame-broiled burger cleverly worked into the plot. Release dates can be up for negotiation too. One reason Universal's Flipper opened in May '96 was to fit into Pizza Hut's promo schedule. The film's producers recently conceded the movie probably would have done better if it had been released in early summer.

The fallout — and the stakes — will only get larger. Campaigns are already well under way for Fox's animated feature Anastasia, whose November mega-release will be backed by a $30 million Burger King promotional push, and Sony's Godzilla, which is tied to Taco Bell next summer. Even further down the line, PepsiCo's restaurants — Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut — have locked up a long-term partnership with George Lucas' much-anticipated Star Wars prequels. DreamWorks reportedly is even considering a tie-in for The Prince of Egypt, its animated tale of Moses. (Get your Ten Commandments with each Happy Meal?)

Notes marketing expert Ira Mayer, who publishes the New York-based Entertainment Marketing Letter, "The resources devoted to [movie tie-ins] continue to ramp up, and they'll do so until something else catches the public's attention." Anyone up for a Tamagotchi tie-in?

Originally posted Jul 18, 1997 Published in issue #388 Jul 18, 1997 Order article reprints
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