'KPop Demon Hunters' fries and Grogu shakes: Why Hollywood keeps feeding the fast-food machine
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Nearly half a century ago, Burger King released collectible glassware as part of a promotional campaign for the soon-to-be unexpected hit “Star Wars.”As “Star Wars” grew into a multibillion-dollar franchise — acquired by Disney from Lucasfilm in 2012 — the cups have become treasured collectibles for super-fans.Now, in the run-up to “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” hitting theaters Friday, Burger King is revisiting its history with the franchise by providing four souvenir cups featuring characters from the movie with the purchase of one of the themed meals.Burger King, which has embarked on a multi-year comeback effort — the struggling chain recently updated its Whopper — has looked to tie-in programs as a way to attract families.
Netflix recently jumped onto the trend, rolling out big collaborations with McDonald’s this year.It’s the latest chapter in the decades-long love affair between Hollywood and the fast-food industry.
The partnership has survived seismic shifts in how people watch movies and recovered from a high-profile temporary breakup between two of the largest players — McDonald’s and Disney — in 2006.“It’s a symbiotic relationship between the studios and these restaurants,” said critic Matt Singer, who has reviewed tie-in menus for the film website ScreenCrush for more than a decade.“The movies get free or licensed promotion for their movie, and fans of the property are drawn to the fast-food place or the restaurant.”In the 1970s, major fast-food chains began to target kids in response to changing demographics and the rise of dual-income households, said University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill communication professor Avi Santo, who studies how entertainment franchises expand into consumer products and other merchandise.
Collaborations with popular movies and TV shows were a crucial part of that strategy.The now-de...