Ice Cube’s War of the Worlds wasn’t just released by Amazon – at times, it’s a crucial part of the movie’s plot. However, according to one producer, it didn’t intentionally feature any product placement.
The remake (which now stands at 2% on Rotten Tomatoes, up from its original 0% rating) unfolds entirely through screens, with Ice Cube’s Homeland Security officer navigating an alien invasion and trying to save the world from his desk.
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This eventually involves his daughter’s boyfriend – an Amazon delivery driver – using one of the company’s drones. “Prime Air… it’s the future of delivery,” he says. They also convince a homeless man to help them by giving him a $1,000 Amazon gift card, and there are multiple references to “spying on people’s Amazon carts.”
Given that the film is available to stream exclusively via Prime Video, it’s easy to see why people have accused it of product placement. Patrick Aiello, one of its producers, says that isn’t true.
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War of the Worlds producer denies use of product placement
Aiello appeared on Toni’s Film Club YouTube channel alongside editor Charles Ancelle, where they addressed “the elephant in the room… was this one giant advertisement for Amazon?”
“No, it wasn’t,” Aiello said.
Below, you can find screenshots of each time Amazon appears in War of the Worlds:
“Amazon didn’t see it until it was all the way done. We never intended for Amazon to release the movie. We always thought Universal was going to release the movie theatrically.”
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Aiello stressed that they made Devon Bostick’s character an Amazon delivery driver to reflect their importance during the pandemic.
“In the early months… when you weren’t going to the grocery store and you couldn’t get toilet paper… who was bringing us – individually, to all of our homes – all of these products to keep us going, keep us neutral, keep us surviving? Amazon drivers,” he explained.
“These individuals are unsung heroes. They are not identified as such, it’s not people’s dream to become delivery people, but at the end of the day, they are rendering a personal service to humanity, and they are doing so without ego.”
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You can watch the full interview with the War of the Worlds producer and editor below:
What about the Prime Air drone with the logo on the screen? “The reason Charles and I decided to put the Amazon Prime Air bezel on the drone screen was because we needed to clearly differentiate the otherwise static screens of cubes off the screen,” he said.
Ancelle added: “There are two drone feeds in that scene… it was very confusing for a time in the edit when you didn’t have the Prime Air overlay.”
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Aiello also cited Los Angeles’ homelessness problem and how the scene with the gift card was an opportunity to give an everyman “who’s not appreciated” the chance to save the world. “How do you get someone like that immediate money, cash in hand? Amazon gift card,” he said.
So, is it all just a coincidence? In short, yes. Amazon didn’t make changes or add product placement to the film, because any references to the company and its products were already there in the first place.
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War of the Worlds is streaming now. Check out our list of the best movies of 2025 (spoiler alert, it isn’t on there) and see what else is dropping this year with our 2025 movie calendar.
