August 27, 2004
Nokia Takes a Risk in Putting New Phone on the Big Screen
When "Cellular" hits U.S. movie theaters Sept. 10, viewers will see Kim Basinger playing a kidnapped mother and William H. Macy as the cop who helps find her. But the title character is a snazzy new Nokia Inc. videophone -- the result of a risky product placement by the Finnish cellphone maker, reports the WSJ.
"The Nokia 6600 is central to the film's dark storyline, which portrays both the best and worst features of cellphones - such as a scene in a wireless-phone store, where, Ryan, frustrated by rude customer-service representatives, fires a revolver at a smiley-face sign to get their attention.
Nokia spokesman Kari Tuutti declines to say how much the phone maker paid for placement in the movie. Time Warner Inc.'s New Line Cinema, the film's distributor, declined to comment.
Absent from the movie, however, is any approved mention of a major U.S. wireless carrier".
Above - scenes from the trailer for "Cellular": Chris Evans's character receives a call from a stranger who says she is kidnapped (top). He tries to stay on the call but his phone's battery runs low on charge (middle). He tries to buy a charger, but only firing a gun at a store sign gets the attention of the sales staff. Watch the trailer for "Cellular" at the film's official site.
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