Top 10 Most Expensive Super Bowl Commercials Ever
#10: Imported from Detroit
$12.4 Million Anything with Eminem in it is bound to be expensive. This Chrysler commercial begins with various stylized shots of Detroit while a voiceover artist expounds on the hard work of its citizens. The quiet sounds of “Lose Yourself” then begin playing while Eminem drives a black Chrysler 200 through the city streets. The commercial was released during the 2011 Super Bowl, which was shortly after Eminem exploded back into the mainstream with “Love the Way You Lie.” The commercial was made on a reported budget of $12.4 million - a good chunk of which probably went to Eminem and the use of “Lose Yourself.”
#9: The Longest Chase
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$14.4 Million Perhaps the best thing about Super Bowl commercials are their high production values. These aren’t your everyday commercials - these are professionally-made short films. The Longest Chase debuted in 2016, and it depicted a small group of bank robbers making a getaway in a Prius. The chase goes on forever, turning the Prius into a cultural phenomenon that is beloved the world over. The production values of the commercial are amazing, including Hollywood caliber stunt driving and the use of real city streets. Of course, high production values don’t come cheap, and this commercial cost nearly $14.4 million to produce.
#8: “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” Trailer
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$11.9 Million It’s amazing that one trailer for “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” cost more than some entire movies. The film’s second trailer was released during Super Bowl LII in 2018 and ran for roughly ninety seconds. There was nothing fancy about the trailer itself - it just happened to have its exclusive debut during the most expensive broadcasting night of the year. This ninety second trailer cost Universal nearly $12 million. Or, put another way, about 7% of the movie’s entire budget. It’s safe to say that the marketing paid off, as “Fallen Kingdom” went on to gross over $1.3 billion.
#7: The Next Big Thing
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$15.2 Million It’s always nice to see megastar celebrities turning up in Super Bowl commercials. In this ad for Samsung, both Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd pitch ideas for an advertising campaign to Bob Odenkirk. Following their pitches, Odenkirk’s character takes a meeting with Lebron James on his tablet, who makes a cute meta remark about making a cameo in the upcoming commercial. Suffice to say, getting the likes of Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Bob Odenkirk, and Lebron James to star in your commercial does not come cheap. While the ad is nothing but men sitting and talking to each other, it still cost an estimated $15.2 million to produce.
#6: The Great Unknowns
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$15.6 Million Sometimes you look at a commercial and you say, “This cost how much!?” For the 2019 Super Bowl, Kia aired an ad for the Telluride. The commercial was a loving ode to small town America - in this case, West Point, Georgia. The town is home to under 4,000 people and has recently been revitalized by a Kia production facility. A child narrates the commercial, saying that the town’s citizens will never be famous but that they are proud of their work - that work being the Kia Telluride. Kia intentionally made the commercial low key, stating that their budget would be going towards students in need rather than an expensive celebrity. The Great Unknowns campaign ended up costing the company $15.6 million.
#5: America’s Import
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$16 Million Chrysler certainly isn’t shy about spending big bucks at the Super Bowl. And they aren’t afraid of snagging massive musical artists as well. A few years after getting Eminem, Chrysler got none other than Bob Dylan. The choice of celebrity works for the theme of the commercial, as he personifies Americana. The ad depicts various shots of iconic American culture and Chrysler cars while a soft acoustic guitar plays in the background. Meanwhile, Dylan expounds on the pride, hard work, and cultural identity of America. It really gets to the heart of the American spirit, but great art is expensive, and this commercial cost a reported $16 million to produce.
#4: The Journey Begins
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$16.2 Million This commercial really proves the whole “Super Bowl ad as short film” argument. In this one, a Latina mother and her young daughter make their way to the United States to live a better life. They ride in the backs of trucks, cross rivers, and endure severe rainstorms while walking to their destination. The commercial cuts off after ninety seconds and tells viewers to visit the company’s website to watch the rest. The entire short film is just under six minutes in length. It’s a gorgeous commercial, both in terms of its story and its visuals. And to think, it was 84 Lumber’s first Super Bowl ad. It cost them an estimated $16.2 million.
#3: Go Further
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$16.2 Million The theme of this commercial is “being stuck.” The first half is devoted to people in sticky situations, like getting stuck on a ski lift and stranded in the middle of a lake. But then the music kicks in and these people get out of their situations, thus becoming “unstuck.” To go with the theme, Bryan Cranston claims that Ford is innovating to help people move forward. This includes investing in things like ride sharing, self-driving cars, and electric vehicles. The commercial doesn’t contain any fancy production values to speak of (aside from Cranston’s voice), but it still cost Ford just over $16 million.
#2: Loretta
$16.8 Million There is a great variety to Super Bowl commercials. Some wow you with their production values, some make you howl with laughter. And some make you weep like a baby. This commercial for Google Assistant portrays an elderly man remembering certain things about his deceased wife. He tells Google to remember various aspects of his wife’s personality and their life together, and Google helpfully complies. It’s a beautiful tearjerker, and it’s a masterful bit of advertising. And for some strange reason, this commercial cost Google a staggering $16.8 million to make and air during Super Bowl LIV.
#1: Before Alexa
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$16.8 Million Amazon’s Alexa has been the subject of numerous costly Super Bowl commercials, including Alexa Loses Her Voice and Not Everything Makes the Cut - both of which cost around $15 million. But the most expensive by far is the Before Alexa campaign. In it, Ellen DeGeneres wonders what people did before the invention of Alexa. The commercial then cuts to various times throughout human history, with people asking others with a name similar to Alexa to perform various tasks. It features some gorgeous costumes and production design, both of which combine to create a beautiful commercial with wonderful period detail. It came with a price tag of $16.8 million, making it the most expensive Super Bowl commercial ever produced. Yet.
