Cinefantastique Online

Variety has an article outlining the marketing and promotional blitz that New Line Cinemas is lining up in support of THE GOLDEN COMPASS, which opens on December 7. Based on the first of the “His Dark Materials” book series, the film is intended to launch a cinematic franchise that will (New Line hopes) match the success of their previous fantasy-film adaptations of the LORD OF THE RINGS books. The challenge in this case is that “His Dark Materials” are not as well known as the Tolkein work.

To aid its cause, studio has enlisted a bevy of blue-chip brands which are committing more than $50 million in marketing and promo support for “Compass.”

Studio also is devoting significant coin of its own to introduce U.S. moviegoers to author Philip Pullman’s fantasy world, in which talking animals serve as the souls of humans and armored polar bears fight wars. The $150 million “Compass” is planned as the first of a trilogy.

Brand partners set to tubthump for the pic’s opening next month include Coca-Cola Co., Burger King, Wal-Mart, Target, Sega, the World Wildlife Fund, Borders, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Best Buy, Emusic, FAO Schwarz, Corgi Intl., Toys R Us, Trans World Entertainment, Circuit City, Marie Claire and Scholastic.

Planned promo push by outside marketers surpasses what “The Lord of the Rings” franchise had backing it. Total value of brand-backed marketing is $120 million, studio estimates.