Dentsu Steps Into Hollywood as Producer on 'The Angry Birds Movie 3'
Updated: 6 days ago
TL;DR: Dentsu is stepping into Hollywood as both a producer and the global agency on 'The Angry Birds Movie 3', a sign that agencies increasingly want to help make entertainment, not just buy ads around it.
What Dentsu Is Doing
Dentsu has confirmed it is taking a producer role, and acting as global agency, on 'The Angry Birds Movie 3', the next instalment in the Rovio franchise now under Sega, with Paramount handling the theatrical release. It is an unusual step for a media and creative network to sit on the production side of a major animated film rather than simply market it.
The arrangement blends Dentsu's media muscle with a genuine stake in the content itself, giving the network skin in the game on a global piece of IP instead of a campaign that merely surrounds one.
Why Agencies Want to Make, Not Just Market
As attention fragments and ad-avoidance grows, agencies are chasing branded entertainment and intellectual property where the content is the ad. Earning a producer credit on a franchise film is the logical extreme of that shift from interruption to creation.
It also diversifies revenue beyond fees and media commissions toward a share of content upside — a sensible hedge at a moment when the traditional agency model is under real financial pressure.
Marketing Minute's Read
The lines between agency, studio and brand keep blurring. For brands, it means your agency might soon pitch you a film, a game or a world rather than a 30-second spot. For agencies, it is a high-risk, high-reward move: production is a different business with very different economics and failure modes.
The takeaway for marketers is to start thinking in terms of IP and worlds, not just campaigns. The brands that travel furthest now are the ones with stories people actively choose to watch, not ads they are forced to sit through.
Quick FAQ
What is Dentsu's role on The Angry Birds Movie 3?
Dentsu is acting as a producer and as the global agency on the film.
Why is an agency producing a film?
Agencies are moving into branded entertainment and IP ownership as traditional advertising loses attention and the fee model is squeezed.
Who is behind the Angry Birds films?
They are based on Rovio's game franchise, now owned by Sega, with Paramount handling theatrical distribution.
When your agency starts producing films, the job description has changed. Dentsu buying into the content itself is a glimpse of where this is going: brands won't want spots, they'll want stories people choose. It's a bold bet — production is a brutal business — but the logic is sound. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
The future-facing agency doesn't buy attention, it helps make the thing people want to watch — Dentsu just took that idea to Hollywood.
Would you rather your agency made you a film people seek out, or an ad they skip? Tell us.
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Campaign, Animation World Network, License Global, Campaign Middle East.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
