Paranormal Activity has made almost $98 million in it’s first 5 weeks in theaters. The movie is still doing very well, which is nearly unheard of, with most movies barely hanging on for a few weeks before they die.
There is no secret to the film’s success. They tapped into social networking. Period. The brains behind the distribution (Paramount Pictures, Dreamworks and Blumhouse Production all have their names on the movie) encouraged people to demand the film in their city, Tweet about their experience and engage with others who have seen it on the movie’s Facebook fan page.
Brilliant!
Now that the movie is in pre-DVD production, they are encouraging fans to add their name to a list in order to be mentioned in the credits on the DVD.
This is unprecedented viewer-engagement in the film industry. And when all is said and done, the movie will have made WELL over $100 million.
When we create a culture where reaction and response is not only accepted but encouraged, great things can happen. People will have increased buy-in and buzz will increase dramatically. The folks behind Paranormal can give you 100 million reasons why social networking and embracing response are keys to success.
Church, I hope we learn this lesson, and learn it fast.