The Weeknd is spending $ 7 million of its own money to offer a ‘cinematic experience’ to fans during the Super Bowl halftime show
The Weeknd is set to join an illustrious list of musical artists to head the Super Bowl Halftime Show when he takes the stage for the Super Bowl LV in Tampa on February 7.
And he’s betting on delivering a ‘cinematic experience’ during the performance, putting in $ 7 million of his own money to help give an additional boost to production value, according to Advertising panel.
The Canadian is also taking the opportunity to play at one of the most watched annual sporting events in the world, releasing a new album of big hits before the big game.
Going all in: The Weeknd is putting $ 7 million of its own money into the production budget for its next performance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in Tampa, Florida; seen in 2018
The Tamp Bay Buccaneers are facing the Kansas City Chiefs in the championship game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, the home of the Buccaneers.
But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will only be 22,000 fans in the stands, which is just over a third of its 60,000+ capacity.
With last year’s Super Bowl television audience of about 100 million in the United States, plus an estimated 50 to 65 million viewers around the world, The Weeknd (born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye) decided to put $ 7 million in his own pocket to realize the vision he had for the big event.
The big game: the Tamp Bay Buccaneers are facing the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl LV being held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida
“We have really focused on attracting fans at home and making presentations a cinematic experience, and we want to do that with the Super Bowl,” said the 30-year-old Canadian.
“We’ve always had the Super Bowl on our wish list, and we’ve always had schedules for all of our goals,” added singer-songwriter Amir ‘Cash’ Esmailian’s co-manager. “It happened a few years earlier than we expected.”
The singer’s decision to add money to the production budget came after the halftime show’s sponsor, Pepsi, announced that she was joining other advertisers to cut her commercials for Super Bowl 55.
The big game starts at CBS at 3:30 pm PT / 6:30 pm ET, which means the break should be around 5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET.
Big plans! The hitmaker says he and his team are now focused on making their performances, which include the Super Bowl, ‘a cinematic experience’
Jennifer Lopez and Shakira were the main attractions of the Super Bowl Halftime Show in Miami last year.
The list of legendary artists who also took the stage in previous years includes Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Paul McCartney, U2, The Rolling Stones, Beyoncé, Madonna, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Kay Perry, Bruno Mars and Shania Twain, among others.
Weeknd’s next most successful album, entitled The Highlights, will be released on February 5, two days before the Super Bowl. The 18-track compilation includes a number of his greatest hits, such as Can’t Feel My Face, Starboy and Blinding Lights.
His most recent studio album, After Hours, spent four weeks first on the Billboard 200 and racked up nearly 900 million on-demand streams in the United States in 2020, according to MRC Data.
Earning money: The Weeknd also took the opportunity to play in front of one of the most watched annual sporting events in the world by releasing a new blockbuster album, The Highlights, on February 5, two days before the big game