It’s no secret that McDonald’s will be featured in Loki season 2, as discovered in behind-the-scenes photos that circulated on social media last year. However, nobody expected that both Marvel Studios and the fast food franchise would go into overdrive in this latest promotion, with a pop-up restaurant that will be featured in the Disney Plus series.
McDonald’s teased a special promo back in early August, and many people assumed it was another limited Chicken McNuggets deal. Technically, that is correct as McDonald’s launched “The As Featured In” Meal, which is essentially a McNuggets, Big Mac, or Quarter Pounder combo. However, there’s more.
Marvel revealed on its official website and social media channels that there will be a limited-time pop-up in Brooklyn, where fans get to experience the McDonald’s x Loki treatment in person. Customers will enter a 1982-themed McDonald’s restaurant, where they will not only be served by staff dressed in that era, but they will also encounter some TVA agents as well. But it’s not just food that this pop-up experience has to offer. Props and costumes, as well as some clips from season 2, will be displayed inside the restaurant, giving fans a closer look at what’s to come.
While it’s unknown how much this marketing campaign cost, it has to be one of the biggest stunts Marvel has pulled since Avengers: Endgame. Deadline reported that Marvel Studios spent an estimated $200 million to promote the 2019 blockbuster and partnered with multiple brands to entice people to buy tickets. And it worked, as it became the highest-grossing film of all time before it was dethroned by Avatar.
This McDonald’s collaboration may prove useful in enticing people to subscribe to Disney Plus after it was reported that subscriber numbers have dropped (via Forbes). Though that likely won’t stop the Walt Disney Company from pursuing its plans to increase its subscription cost for both Disney Plus and Hulu.
If you want to visit this special pop-up, it will be open from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1 and will run until midnight. Just be sure not to arrive 5 minutes before closing unless you want to speak with the manager. As for Loki season 2, it will make its way to Disney Plus on Oct. 6, 2023.