Flight have been generating some good buzz since it’s debut on November 2nd, but not everybody is pleased with the attention the film has gotten.
Budweiser and Stolichnaya are unhappy at the way their products are portrayed in Flight, claiming the movie links their beverage to alcoholism and drunk driving. Now the companies have some demands for the studio.
It has being reported that Bud and Stoli are asking Paramount to block out their logos in future releases of the film.
“We would never condone the misuse of our products, and have a long history of promoting responsible drinking and preventing drunk driving,”said Budweiser vice president Robert McCarthy told Reuters.
In one scene in the movie, Washington can be seen holding a can of Bud while driving drunk, and the company stated that nether Paramount or Robert Zemeckis contacted them to ask if they could use their product in the film.
Washington also consumed a number of other alcoholic beverages, including Greygoose, Blue Ribbon beer, Hennessy, and Coors, just to name a few, but only Bud and Stoli are demanding that their logos be obscured.
Flight made $25 million in its opening weekend, and unfortunately for Bud and Stoli, that loot looks to be out of their reach. Despite the use of their products, trademark licensing experts say there is little or nothing the companies can do if their products are used in a film. That’s because courts approved long ago that products can be used in a film without a company’s approval.
By the way, I don’t know why the execs at Budweiser and Stolichnaya are all hot under the collar. What ever happened to the saying, “all press is good press” — especially when it’s free? Anyway, since beer companies have major advertising dollars, this dust up will probably be settled over a cold one.
