‘Blue Beetle’ Ad on the Steps of Philadelphia Museum Rankles Locals

A large advertisement for the superhero movie Blue Beetle is currently installed on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where a famed sculpture of the fictional boxer Rocky Balboa is sited. Since going on view, many, including a Philadelphia Inquirer columnist, have decried the ad, claiming that it is an eyesore.

Though the ad is only slated to be there for seven days, the large vinyl stickers are plastered across all 72 of the famous steps climbed by Rocky Balboa in the 1976 film Rocky.

CBS News spoke to a range of locals who disliked the advertisment, with one visitor from Dallas saying, “I think it’s tacky to put an ad like this on such an old prestigious place.”

Others seemed more nonplussed. “It gives color, it gives emotions. It’s cool, it’s fine,” Italian tourist Diletta Dinalle told CBS News.

The ad was approved by the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation department, which maintains the museum and the stairs. A parks department spokesperson told CBS that the city will receive $28,000 for the seven-day installation.

“As the city of Philadelphia owns the East Terrance stairs (the Rocky Steps) and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, decisions about how to use these stairs are made by the city; not the Philadelphia Museum of Art,” the Philadelphia Museum of Art said in a statement. “As such a recognizable landmark, we love the idea of using the stairs for promotional purposes and we would welcome opportunities to use these stairs to promote Philadelphia’s emerging artists.”

This is not the first time a public area or landmark in the city has been used for corporate advertisements. “Can’t there be one place in this society where we’re not forced to engage with advertisements?” Philadelphia-based art blogger Conrad Benner wrote.

It remains unclear how the city will use the money. “If this is going to be the city’s answer to fundraising, I think it’s a pretty lazy and uninspired answer,” Benner added. “That’s not a lot of money, but it’s a huge return on the studio’s investment.”