Last Crusade: the least marketed?

Tank Driver

Member
Marketed is probably the wrong term, more-like merchandised...

I should preface this by saying I'm from the U.S. so other countries might vary.

I remember when the movie came out in '89, I wanted to get everything under the sun related to "Last Crusade". Everything! Well, compared to the predecessor (TOD) and Batman (same year), I really find it kinda devoid from a collector's point.

Some notables for me: Lack of movie program, no action figure line (this hurt the most), no arcade game (bummed about that one); I can go on and on.

Definitely not the same as Temple of Doom....

Is it just me???:confused:
 
I agree, I live in UK and it was the same here.
Very little Television coverage.
A few magazine covers but few official merchandise.
The real marketing push was Batman which was everywhere. I thought the presence of Connery would have been a bigger incentive in this country, but I didn't see one interview with Sean at the time of release.
We had the Royal premiere here and it was barely mentioned on the news.
No specials about the making just a short featurette.
 
As my first birthday had yet to take place at the time LC was released, I can't comment on promotional/marketing matters on tv etc. in 1989. However, judging by the amount of LC-related collectibles in my collection, I can say that indeed LC did not have much merchandise.

The wave of ROTLA, TOD, and LC collectibles brought on by KOTCS aside, there is virtually no LC merchandise. There is the Marvel comic series, some computer games, the 7-up and Pizza Hut indy tie-ins, and the generic merchandise: soundtracks, audiobooks on cassette, storybook, calenders, novels etc.

The only pre-KOTCS LC related action figures I know of are the Micro Machines by Galoob, which in Spain were sold as seperate sets (i.e. a Last Crusade only set). But these are from 1997. Also, there's a limited series of collector plates of LC only from 1989.

So indeed, when compared to the amount of ROTLA and TOD merchandise, it seems LC was skipped by the marketing team.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
From my experience in Canada, there was MORE news coverage & media hype than there ever was for the previous 2 films. (The Pepsi commercials were a shocker!) The marketing of "Last Crusade" was BIG.

The merchandising? Not so much.

One of the segments that I recorded from "Entertainment Tonight" back in '89 was with a Lucasfilm Licensing guy, Brad Weston. He pretty much said that it was a conscious effort for the "Crusade" merchandise to be geared towards more "high end" items like the hat & jacket. (He doesn't state it directly but it's obvious that the marketing focus was on 'adult' fans who'd seen "Raiders" in the theatre 8 years before, rather than the 'kid' market of 1989.)

My biggest gripe is that there were no Burger King glasses for "Crusade"!(n)
 
Agree stoo. More high end.
I think a film like this promoted itself. Didn't harm the box office.
I would still like to see a good Making of Last crusade. Put together like the new Raiders doc or Crystal skull extras.
 
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