Movie Marketing Veteran Gerry Rich on Opening ‘Iron Man,’ Grappling With AI and Maintaining the Human Touch

Gerry Rich, a veteran film marketer, discusses his new memoir and the changing business of promoting films. He says reaching large audiences at once has become harder as television viewing has fragmented, making live sport one of the few reliable ways to reach a broad audience.

Rich also recalls the uncertainty surrounding 2008’s *Iron Man*, which had less familiar source material than *Spider-Man* or *X-Men*, while Robert Downey Jr. and director Jon Favreau faced doubts. The marketing team held back film material until Comic-Con in 2007, where a teaser and footage won over the crowd and helped turn attendees into champions of the film.