Kodak and Universal Pictures Partner to Promote The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: EK) and Universal Pictures have partnered to promote the latest epic adventure in the blockbuster global Mummy franchise at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway on July 12. Through Kodak’s partnership with Penske Racing and NASCAR driver Ryan Newman, the Kodak No. 12 Dodge will feature a bold paint scheme from The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Kodak will also have its branding on the car.

“It’s pretty cool that we get to represent Kodak this weekend and what they do with the film industry with a special paint scheme for The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”

Brendan Fraser, who plays explorer Rick O’Connell in the series, will attend the race as Kodak’s guest and serve as Grand Marshal, giving the command “Gentlemen, Start Your Engines.” Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman will wear a Kodak-The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor branded firesuit and helmet as will his pit crew.

“Kodak is thrilled to partner with Universal Pictures and Penske Racing on this exciting promotion that ties together our longstanding relationship with the motion picture industry and our partnership with NASCAR,” said Betty Noonan, Director and Vice President, Corporate Marketing and Business Development, Eastman Kodak Company. “When four great brands get together, great things happen and our customers win.”

“Kodak has been serving customers in the motion picture industry for more than a century and we are proud of the great relationships we have with studios like Universal,” said Michael Houser, Director, Studio Initiatives, Entertainment Imaging, Eastman Kodak Company. “We are excited to partner with them to promote The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor at the NASCAR race on Saturday and at Universal theme parks throughout the month.”

“It’s a great way for us to logically join brands and extend out messaging to our consumers,” said Stephanie Sperber, Executive Vice President of Universal Studios Partnerships.

“It’s pretty cool that we get to represent Kodak this weekend and what they do with the film industry with a special paint scheme for The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” said Ryan Newman. “The car is pretty cool looking, and I think the fans at Chicago will really enjoy it. It’s a very unique paint scheme for the first race under the lights at Chicago. We’re really looking forward to running well with the car and having Brendan Fraser as our guest at the race.”

In addition to the racecar branding, Kodak-The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor advertising will appear on trackside billboards and the film’s trailer will be shown on SprintVision inside Chicagoland Speedway throughout the race weekend. Additional advertising will appear in print and online, as well as the Kodak Times Square Gallery in New York City. Themed merchandise, including die-cast cars, t-shirts and hats, will be available starting the weekend of the race.

The Kodak-The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Dodge show car will be on display at Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood theme parks throughout July.

July 12 also marks the birthdate of Kodak founder George Eastman whose commercial transparent roll film enabled inventor Thomas Edison to develop the first motion picture camera in 1891. By 1896 Kodak was marketing film specially coated for motion picture use.

Kodak has won nine Oscars^® for its film innovation and contributions to the motion picture industry, most recently in 2008 for the development of photographic emulsion technologies incorporated into the Kodak VISION2 family of color negative films. This year also marked the 80th consecutive year – since the start of the Academy Awards^® – that the Oscar^® for Best Picture went to a movie produced on Kodak motion picture film.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor opens nationwide on August 1. In the film, Brendan Fraser returns as explorer Rick O’Connell to combat the resurrected Han Emperor (Jet Li) in an epic that races from the catacombs of ancient China to the neon-lit streets of post-war Shanghai and high into the spectacular Himalayas.

Kodak has been a sponsor of NASCAR for 23 years. Kodak is the primary sponsor of Newman’s No. 12 Dodge in six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2008. Kodak is also an associate sponsor on the No. 3 and No. 6 Team Penske cars in the IndyCar Series.

For images of the racecar, visit www.kodak.com/go/racing. To watch Kodak’s latest Ryan Newman podcast, click on the Marketing Insights section at www.kodak.com/go/podcasts.

About Kodak

As the world’s foremost imaging innovator, Kodak helps consumers, businesses, and creative professionals unleash the power of pictures and printing to enrich their lives. To learn more, visit http://www.kodak.com/, and our blogs: 1000words.kodak.com, PluggedIn.kodak.com, and GrowYourBiz.kodak.com.

Editor’s Note: Kodak corporate news releases are now offered via RSS feeds. To subscribe, visit www.kodak.com/go/RSS and look for the RSS symbol. In addition, Kodak podcasts are viewable at www.kodak.com/go/podcasts. Our podcasts may be downloaded for viewing on iTunes, Quicktime, or other PC-based media players. Users may also subscribe to Kodak podcasts via the iTunes application if already installed on your computer. From the iTunes store, type “Kodak podcast” in the search field to view all of our podcast offerings.

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