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1. Goldeneye. MGM/UA pulled out all the stops -- music videos, infomercials, video rereleases, even a BMW tie-in -- to make the Bond series seem almost new again. 2. Congo. By positioning this badly reviewed jungle adventure as an ad hoc sequel to Jurassic Park, Paramount kept it off the endangered species list. 3. Seven. New Line's catchy ads told audiences Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt were starring in an edgy, violent adult thriller. They worked. 4. Dangerous Minds. Disney used Coolio's ''Gangsta's Paradise'' as an aural ad for Michelle Pfeiffer's successful turn in the blackboard jungle. 5. Waiting to Exhale. An all-diva soundtrack released a month early made the movie a must-hear before it was a must-see.
WORST MARKETED
1. Judge Dredd. After this comic-book adaptation was stuck with an R rating, Disney posters added insult to injury by promoting a masked Sylvester Stallone in one of the most off-putting print campaigns in memory. 2. Strange Days. Instead of selling sci-fi, Fox tried to sell star Ralph Fiennes; the result: a pretentious, joyless trailer. 3. A Little Princess. Warner tried twice to launch the critically applauded remake of the kids' classic, but the girlish title kept boys and dads away. 4. Sabrina. Why sell a hat when you've got Harrison Ford? Oddly, Paramount shortchanged its star and showed Julia Ormond instead. 5. Joe Eszterhas movies. When the voluble scribe took to the airwaves pushing Showgirls and Jade, critics took him to task for his overpaid, underskilled writing.
