Since Rio was chosen as the Brazilian city to host the start of the mega worldwide launch of the new Superman film, the City of Rio, through RioFilme, began mobilizing to support the action that brings the director and the cast of the film to the city, in one of the most anticipated releases of the film industry season. The director of the blockbuster, James Gunn, the actors David Corenswet (Superman/Clark Kent) and Rachel Brosnaham (Lois Lane) and the producer Peter Safran arrived in the city on Saturday (21/6). A team with dozens of producers, security guards and all the structure that a Hollywood production of this size requires is also in the city.
Planning actions included meetings at the Rio Operations and Resilience Center (COR) with the producers of the film's release and representatives from RioFilme, Riotur, CET-Rio, COR, the Municipal Department of Culture, the Carioca Company of Partnerships and Investment (CCPar), Comlurb, the Municipal Guard, the Department of Conservation, the Department of Public Order (Seop), VLT, as well as the sub-prefectures of the South Zone, Islands and Center and representatives of the State Government (public security) and Rio's airports.
– Hosting the premiere of a film like Superman in Rio de Janeiro is much more than an event. It is the consolidation of a policy that understands audiovisual as a driver of economic and social development and territorial appreciation. This is the city that films the most in Latin America, with concrete results in generating jobs, income and self-esteem for the people of Rio. Today, Rio is positioned as one of the major international scenarios for the creative industry, as a result of the planning and strategic vision of the City Hall. After Gagacabana, we now have Supercabana – said the CEO of RioFilme, Leonardo Edde.
Support for the initiative is in line with RioFilme's goal of internationalizing Rio's audiovisual sector and projecting Rio as a film-friendly film destination worldwide. The mobilization was motivated by the importance of events of this size in promoting Rio's image worldwide, promoting tourism and strengthening the city's soft power.
The mobilization began with a campaign to have the preview screening in Rio and led to preparations for the premiere. On May 29, a giant countdown was set up in Copacabana for the big day of the premiere (June 23). The mobilizations to safely welcome the film crew to the city, the preparations for setting up the grand premiere structure at the Odeon, complete with a red carpet, and ensuring the success of the team's tourist tour of the city also had the essential support of the City Hall. To this end, RioFilme mobilized municipal departments and agencies to ensure that everything would run smoothly during the four days that the film crew would be in the city.
Soft power – The potential of Rio’s creative industry
All this mobilization in the city means investment in one of the fastest growing industries in the world: the creative industry. Last week, the Federation of Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Firjan) released the results of a mapping of the creative industry in Rio de Janeiro, revealing that the sector employs more than 120 people throughout the state, with a focus on the capital. One of the points highlighted by Firjan was the power of the audiovisual sector, which currently ranks tenth in Rio's GDP. In the last three years alone, the sector has generated R$4,2 billion in the economy of the city of Rio. In terms of employment, there are more than 20,4 direct formal jobs in the sector. Rio is currently the most filmed city in Latin America and one of the most filmed in the world. In 2024, it surpassed Paris by almost 40% in the number of authorized filming days, according to data from the Rio Film Commission.
Firjan's mapping also reveals that: 2,7% of employing companies in the state are in the creative segment, a percentage higher than the national average (2,3%). In absolute numbers, the state registered around eight thousand creative establishments, a growth of 2,8% between 2022 and 2023.
All the efforts to ensure a perfect stay in Rio for the film's crew have been successful. At a press conference on Monday in Santa Teresa, the director and actors of Superman revealed that they were enchanted by the city. The visit, which culminated with the premiere on Tuesday night at Cine Odeon, has already taken in Christ the Redeemer, Aterro do Flamengo and Jardim Botânico, postcards that should be reproduced in photos and videos of the international media in the coming days.
