Paramount Pictures is again relying on the power of social media to market the next Paranormal Activity instalment, with plans to debut the horror film in the top 20 cities which receive the most Twitter votes.
The new campaign is open to fans worldwide, with the winning cities set to see Paranormal Activity 3 on October 19, just days before the film’s global release. The current top 20 is comprised of US cities – Sydney, Perth and Adelaide are all registered in the interactive map but had not received any ‘tweets’ on the opening day of the campaign.
“The support of this franchise from the online community is phenomenal," Paramount Pictures vice chairman Rob Moore said in a statement. “We again look to reward them for that support by offering them the chance to see it first, this time expanding our reach globally.”
Earlier this year, Paramount also partnered with Twitter to promote mystery film Super 8. It sponsored the hashtag #Super8Secret as a “promoted trend”, which linked to a special preview ticket offer, which included free popcorn.
The original Paranormal Activity – reportedly made on shoestring budget of just $US15,000 – grossed more than $US193 million after its release in late-2009. The film initially opened in a number of small US towns but a campaign by director Oren Peli, prompting audiences to demand the film be shown in their home town by voting on eventful.com, helped convince Paramount to widen the release.
The latest strategy mirrors the one used on last year’s Paranormal Activity 2, which employed a similar audience vote through the eventful.com website to determine the top 20 cities where the film debuted. More than 120,000 votes were cast for the top 20 cities with the Los Angeles metro area receiving the highest number.
A spokeswoman said Paramount Pictures Australia is supporting the Paranormal Activity 3 digital promotion as well as other strategies promoting the Footloose remake, which is released next month.
The Paranormal Activity 3 website.