The Toxic Avenger may have been shoved into a vat of toxic chemicals that are now oozing out of him, but he still won’t pollute his body with sugary sodas. In a partnership with fast-growing non-alcoholic beverage brand Liquid Death, entertainment studio Cineverse is releasing a public service announcement (PSA) starring Toxie (Peter Dinklage) himself in advance of the release of its new horror-comedy, The Toxic Avenger Unrated.
In the PSA, a group of high-school bullies with notably big bellies are pressuring the girls to drink soda, helpfully labeled “Diabetic Classic.” The cheerleader is caving when Toxie – a janitor formerly known as Winston Gooze – steps in to stop it, separating the lead bully from his arm in the process. Toxie instead recommends Liquid Death’s line of soda-flavored sparkling waters, with each can containing just 10 calories, 2 grams of sugar and no artificial sweeteners.
The spot and related creative is rolling out starting this week across digital, social media and out-of-home – the latter via a digital billboard in Times Square, operated by Outfront Media.
The brand partnership – which premieres on the same day as the movie, Friday, August 29 – is just one of many fun campaigns that Cineverse has launched in advance of the new film.
On August 1, Cineverse unveiled a partnership with Moviefone to bring back the famous phone line that greeted callers with “Hello, and welcome to Moviefone!” Instead of hearing the original voice, callers who dial 1-802-377-FILM are greeted by Toxie, again voiced by Dinklage, who reads showtimes, re-enacts the original trailer and offers tips on how to get tickets, which are, of course, on sale now at Moviefone.com. Fans who call multiple times will hear multiple messages.
"We are thrilled to bring fans Macon's hilarious, punk-rock, heart-warming film alongside the imitable nostalgia of the Moviefone number," said Cineverse SVP of Marketing Lauren McCarthy in a statement. "This toxi-rific pairing is just the latest installment in our fan-forward campaign leading into Labor Day weekend, and teaming with Moviefone to make this bonkers concept happen – and quickly – has been a great experience."
Besides Dinklage (Game of Thrones), The Toxic Avenger also stars Kevin Bacon (Sirens), Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings), Jacob Tremblay (Room) and Taylour Paige (Zola). The movie is written and directed by Macon Blair, writer for Marvel Comics/Dark Horse Comics, and based on Troma Entertainment President and Co-Founder Lloyd Kaufman’s Toxic Avenger franchise, which first debuted four decades ago. It’s produced by Legendary Entertainment and distributed by Cineverse.
