La Marketing in film sagas exemplified by the case of The Lord of the Rings

Abstract

While the saga is not a narrative genre originated by cinema, it is a structure that cinema successfully appropriated by employing various strategies to engage its audience and materialize desirable objects that were once confined to the realm of literature. This essay aims to examine the arrival of sagas in Hollywood cinema and the marketing techniques implemented to achieve both commercial and technical-artistic renown. We will focus particularly on the case of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, preceded by a brief examination of the cultural phenomenon of Star Wars and how it set a course for emerging franchises in the internet era. Furthermore, we will explore the differences between literary sagas and their cinematic counterparts, as well as how the latter represent an open and transmedia narrative universe that heavily relies on a dispositif (as understood by Agamben) of audience loyalty, facilitated by derivative and extracinematic works. Thus, understanding the longevity and success of sagas in the contemporary industry requires acknowledging the consolidation of media franchises and the affiliation of fans with specific modes of consumption.