Social Media Spooks Hollywood, Scares Studio Heads, Haunts Up Opportunity For Journalists to Make Puns

If you haven't heard of the micro-budgeted indie ghost film, Paranormal Activity, you will.  The tiny flick started its marketing campaign by holding free late night screenings at colleges and encouraging the audiences to Tweet about the movie.  It worked.  Paramount was originally just going to remake the film with a ton more money and big stars.  Instead, due to the buzz on Twitter, Facebook, and everywhere else social media, they tested the waters theatrically - and this weekend they did everything they could to get more theaters.  Their per-screen average was massive this weekend and they grossed over $20m.

They also employed Eventful.com to let the audience decide where to book the theaters.

http://eventful.com/performers/paranormal-activity-/P0-001-000212499-6/competitions

From Variety:

"Paranormal Activity" took the No. 3 spot with $20.2 million as it expanded to 760 theaters in its fourth weekend, posting a 155% uptick and a boffo per-screen average of $26,530. Par's micro-budgeted pic has cumed an estimated $33.7 million, and the studio plans to expand to some 1,800 locations starting next weekend.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118010081.html?categoryid=13&cs=1

Comments

[John L Murphy]

Wonder if it's scarier than Chris Smith's new documentary Collapse?!

[John L Murphy]

Now it's the #1 movie in America - $22m gross this weekend - beating heavyweight Halloween-time horror flick Saw VI handily. Unbelievable.