Is Twitter a Game-Changer for Movies?
I think Twitter is a game-changer for movies.
Last night Iron Man opened here in several theaters around DC, and most of the Tweets getting thrown around were by folks eager to head to the theaters or trying to meet up with friends at the advanced screening of the Marvel movie.
Within seconds of the movie finishing, the reviews came pouring out - nearly all positive, at least, according to Summize, where a quick search aggregates all the Tweets about the film.
We experienced a taste of this when Cloverfield finally came out after an immensely successful viral marketing campaign. Fans who had desperately clamored to see the premiere instantly shared their reviews and opinions - many of them less than glowing - on Twitter, which resulted in a big opening day, but a quick fall-off.
And it’s that instantaneous feedback that will begin to shape the success of films. If it’s a winner, then the Twitter crowd will only help ticket sales on opening weekend, which is really the only weekend that counts. If the film is a dud, then the studios have even less of a chance duping moviegoers into even checking it out, as Twitter users have effectively killed the lackluster movie before it even had a chance.
4 Comments, Comment or Ping
Brandon Fibbs
Twitter. Word of mouth at the speed of light.
May 2nd, 2008
Ryan Moede
Brandon - well said!
May 2nd, 2008
Josh Chambers
@Ryan - While I do think Twitter is picking up steam, do you think it will get big enough to affect movies to such a large extent?
Sometimes I wonder if we social media users forget that most of the world doesn’t use social media (especially “edgey” things like Twitter).
I can understand how the negative Twitter buzz can affect the movie for those of us who use Twitter; but how big is that audience? Will non-Twitter users feel the effect of negative Twitter buzz? I suppose if I see people Tweet about a movie sucking, I’ll tell my friends. However, I’m not sure if I’m convinced it’s a game-changer.
May 5th, 2008
Ryan Moede
@Josh - It will impact films primarily aimed at the Twitter demographic, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it have at least some impact on the non- early adopter crowd. Consider that for many Twitter users, they incorporate it into their Facebook account, and all those Twitter updates filter through their news feed. But given that reviews are out on Twitter even before the end of opening day, for a movie that fits the demographic, I don’t see how Twitter won’t have a powerful impact on select movies.
May 5th, 2008
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