Reviving a very old thread because I was googling the topic of movies based on commercials and this thread was one of the top hits.
The examples given in this thread missed one of the biggest ones; the 1992 Super Bowl commercial “Hare Jordan” for Nike shoes. This commercial led to the 1996 movie Space Jam, which had a 2021 remake Space Jam: A New Legacy.
Nah, the biggest one was the Geico Caveman spawning the “Cavemen” TV show.
Ted Lasso first appeared in a series of NBC promos for Premier League football.
I don’t think it counts because I don’t think Hogan was playing the character of Dundee in the ads. He was himself, popular Australian comedy bloke Paul Hogan. But the ads got him noticed by Hollywood.