BMW owners are expressing outrage on social media after the luxury automaker began displaying advertisements for Spider-Man: Brand New Day on their car dashboards without prior warning.
The Hollywood Reporter reports that BMW began displaying ads for the latest Spider-Man movie last week on newer cars, prompting backlash from drivers who paid substantial sums for luxury vehicles, with some models costing up to $160,000. The promotional campaign is part of a partnership between BMW and Sony-Marvel and is scheduled to continue through August 10, according to the automaker’s press release.
When drivers start their vehicles, a banner promoting the film appears on the dashboard display. While users must click on the advertisement to view the full video, some owners report that BMW has been progressively introducing more intrusive video content to the dashboard interface over time.
One owner detailed their concerns about the trend, stating that BMW appears to be gradually normalizing the display of advertisements. According to this driver, the company initially showed celebratory videos, then transitioned to advertisements for BMW’s own products, and has now moved to third-party advertising. The owner expressed particular concern that since the screen controls nearly every vehicle feature, drivers are essentially compelled to view advertisements before accessing their own property.
The reaction on social media platforms, particularly on Reddit’s r/BMW forum and other subreddits, has been overwhelmingly negative. Users posted comments describing the advertising as “insanely dystopian” and calling for regulations to prevent similar practices from becoming widespread in the automotive industry. One user expressed dismay at paying $130,000 only to receive commercial advertisements, while others drew comparisons to episodes of the television series Black Mirror.
Multiple users drew parallels to Apple’s controversial 2014 decision to automatically add a U2 album to the iTunes libraries of more than half a billion customers, which received significant criticism at the time.
The partnership extends beyond dashboard advertisements. In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, BMW receives product placement when the character Spider-Man, portrayed by Tom Holland, encounters a BMW vehicle and the driver activates the car’s Sport Mode feature.
Product placement involving automobiles is common in the film industry, with notable examples including Aston Martin in James Bond films and Chevrolet in Transformers films. However, the typical arrangement involves the vehicle being featured within the movie itself, rather than movie advertisements being displayed inside the vehicles.
According to TechSpot, BMW had previously indicated it would not sell advertising space on its dashboards. In December 2023, a senior vice president at BMW stated during an industry roundtable discussion that the company did not envision selling screen space for commercial purposes, describing the vehicle interior as a private space.
Breitbart News reported in 2023 that BMW raised the ire of its customer base by switched some features that expected to be standard in a luxury car, such as heated seats, into a subscription service:
The recent introduction of subscription pricing for heated seats—a feature that comes standard in the majority of BMW vehicles—caused widespread backlash. BMW enthusiasts and auto industry observers expressed their outrage at having to pay extra for a feature that was already built into their vehicles.
Similar payment models are used by Tesla for add-ons like Autopilot and the beta version of fully autonomous driving. These, however, are software improvements rather than physical features. Automakers like Mercedes and Toyota have also begun using subscription-based feature plans. Mercedes charges extra for more power on its EQ-series electric vehicles, whereas Toyota charges extra to access certain features on its app.
Read more at the Hollywood Reporter here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of AI, free speech, and online censorship.