The 30-second advertisement for mobile game Evony: The Kings Return, starring Hollywood’s Aaron Eckhart, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Fan Bingbing, was shot in Queenstown in December.
It aired in the third quarter of Monday’s dramatic American Football Super Bowl showdown in Houston, Texas.
The advertisement’s executive producer, New York’s Ben Davies, of production firm Furlined, told Mountain Scene: ‘‘New Zealand, and in particular the South Island, was the clear and first choice for us to shoot.
‘‘The variety of dramatic scenery, the amazing climate and the world-class production facilities and talent made the decision an easy one.’’
The Super Bowl was screened to more than 111 million people worldwide.
TV network Fox reportedly charged more than $US5 million ($NZ7.5 million) for 30-second commercials this year.
A longer, two-minute cinematic film of the Evony advertisement, directed by Henry Hobson, is on YouTube.
It featured locals as extras. It was also shot in Romania and elsewhere.
Eckhart, who was spotted on Shotover Jet while in the resort, stars as George Washington, Morgan is King Arthur and Bingbing is Empress Wu Zetian.
San Francisco’s Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners was the ad agency behind the project.
The New England Patriots mounted the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28.
