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Disney Charged Themselves $10 Million for ‘Little Mermaid’ Oscar Appearance

oscars 2023
Credit: Hollywood Reporter

The 95th Academy Award ceremony on Sunday night was a huge night for Hollywood. Every year, the industry’s biggest stars gather to celebrate each other’s achievements and, of course, promote future accomplishments. Because the Oscars are such a big platform, the exposure to can be life-changing for a company or project. This makes the competition for commercial advertisements nearly as competitive as the competition for an Oscar.

The little mermiad

Credit: Disney

‘The Little Mermaid’ Moment Costs Disney Big

Commercials for the Academy Awards are typically very expensive. As reported by IndieWire, a typical 30-second commercial spot this year cost brands around $1.6 million and $2.1 million. These prices are incredibly high but are pretty much what was expected for such a high-profile event. Similar prices can be expected for other highly watched events like the Super Bowl. However, this year ABC offered an advertisement offer that changed the game for Disney.

This year, the network pitched a sponsored integration opportunity to movie studios for the 2023 Oscars. The offer was that studios could pay to have some high-profile actors from their movies come out to speak about an upcoming project before a commercial break that would feature the trailer. The idea behind this is that it would draw viewers to watch the advertisement because it feels like part of the show. It also boosts how legitimate a project feels to audiences at home.

Live Action Little Mermaid

Credit: Disney

Warner Bros. and Disney Take the Deal

Despite the tempting offer, only two movie studios took them up on it; Warner Bros. and Walt Disney Studios. Disney had Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy come onstage to announce the trailer for their new live-action The Little Mermaid movie that is coming to theatres on May 26. Many thought the moment seemed kind of cheesy and felt like a clear advertisement. Many said the same about the Warner Bros. integrated advertisement.

It was reported by Puck that the commercial integration cost Disney and Warner Bros “between $7 million and $10 million” for each of them. For Disney, who used five 30-second commercial slots for their trailer, $10 million is a likely price. However, the Walt Disney Company does own the ABC broadcasting network, so they are in a way just paying themselves.

In addition to Halle and Melissa, the movie stars Javier Bardem, Jonah Hauer King, Lin Manuel Miranda, Daveed Diggs, and many more. Hopefully, the integrated advertisement will pay off for Disney, and The Little Mermaid will be a huge success to fans come May.

About Eva Miller

Eva was born and raised in the beautiful state of Oregon but has since relocated and lives in New York City. Since she was young, Eva has loved to perform in musicals, especially Disney ones! Through performing, Disney’s music became the soundtrack of her childhood. Today, Eva loves to write about all the exciting happenings for the Walt Disney Company. In her free time, Eva loves to travel, spend time in nature, and go to Broadway shows. Her favorite Disney movie is 'Lilo and Stitch,' and her favorite Park is Disney's Animal Kingdom.