BMW cars upstage local movie stars at premiere of 'Mission Impossible' sequel
The third act of the fourth instalment of the Hollywood action franchise Mission: Impossible plays out like a BMW commercial.
'Wait until you see the car,' says Ethan Hunt (portrayed by Tom Cruise) during a key briefing scene in the film (official title Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol). What follows is a slow motion, highly stylised scene of Hunt arriving at a party in the BMW i8, a futuristic-looking hybrid sports car featuring clear glass doors, laser headlights and a sculpted, flowing body. Later in the film, Hunt races down a Mumbai highway in the middle of a sandstorm in the car, with the BMW logo flashing across the big screen multiple times.
The collaborative marketing strategy between BMW and the film franchise reached Hong Kong last Wednesday night, as BMW organised a movie premiere at Cyberport that was preceded by a cocktail event promoting the carmaker's product line. Unfortunately, it didn't include the i8, as that car is still two years away from production. Still, celebrities Michael Wong Man-tak, newly crowned TVB best actor Kevin Cheng Ka-wing and model Jacqueline Chong were on hand to gush about BMWs and Tom Cruise.
'I think both the cars and Tom Cruise are very good looking,' Chong said.
Both Cheng and Wong, who have filmed action scenes, said they were impressed by the stunt work and action scenes in the film. Wong said he had a tough last week filming an action scene in Guangzhou.
'I had to ride a horse for the scene,' he said. 'And I'm not so good at that.'
Linus Schmekel, general manager of BMW Group Importer Office Hong Kong and Macau, said the marque sold 5,000 cars in Hong Kong this year, a record number for a European car. 'And in two years, we'll be seeing the i8 on Hong Kong streets,' he added.
