Hollywood Second-Guessing Comic-Con, Could Viral Marketing Be Next? Dan Koelsch, June 13, 2011June 13, 2011 The New York Times ran a piece yesterday about how movie studios are taking a more cautious approach to this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. After propelling the comic book convention into the mainstream in recent years, why are they turning away now? Also, what could this shift in priorities mean for viral marketing? Read my thoughts after the break. The big news from the NY Times story is that Warner Bros. will not be presenting any of their movies at Comic-Con. This means no panels or booths for The Dark Knight Rises or The Man of Steel. Fortunately, Zack Snyder’s Superman film has next year’s Comic-Con to fall back on, since the film comes out that Christmas. Other studios are also pulling out of the 2011 convention, including Disney, Dreamworks, and The Weinstein Company. Even Marvel is considering sitting this one out, despite The Avengers coming out next year.Why this sudden exodus from the mecca of geek culture? Like always, it comes down to money. The rabid fans at Comic-Con can also be the most critical, so a risk/reward assessment has to be made. Does the potential for good buzz outweigh the effort needed to battle bad buzz? Obviously, the studios mentioned above have their answers. Unfortunately, even good buzz isn’t even enough to validate the time and effort needed to make a splash at the convention. Movies like Kick-Ass, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and Sucker Punch all generated great buzz from Comic-Con but flopped at the box office.The timing isn’t very good for films either, as the late July timeframe doesn’t help most films coming out that summer and may be too early for next summer’s blockbusters. As noted in the NY Times article, Television is starting to swoop in to the now vacant slots, since they are gearing up for the Fall season.Fortunately, some studios look to take advantage as well, with Universal’s Cowboys & Aliens having a “serious stunt”, The Amazing Spiderman planning a big promotion, and other films from Paramount, Lionsgate, and Summit hosting panels.What could this mean for viral marketing in general? Comic-Con is the Super Bowl for viral campaigning, so if movie studios don’t think that it works on that level, they may second guess their efforts on a smaller scale as well. For instance, 42 Entertainment pumped millions of dollars into the viral marketing campaign and ARG for Tron: Legacy (especially at Comic-Con), but the film opened up to a slightly disappointing $44 million weekend and barely made back its budget domestically. Super 8 is in a similar boat, having only a $37 million weekend despite being in prime summer slot.However, from my experience, it seems that most of the time, the studios know that their viral campaign or ARG isn’t meant to attract the general public. Not everyone is interested in following; it takes a certain kind of fan to get into these extracurricular activities. So as long as they keep their budgets in check, everyone wins. The ARG players have their fun and spread the word, and the studios don’t have to answer to why they spent millions of dollars to appease a few thousand people.What do you think about this news? Is Comic-Con doomed, or is this just a cooling off period? Would Comic-Con be better without Hollywood turning it mainstream? Does this have an effect on viral marketing in general? UPDATEApparently, the “serious stunt” for Cowboys & Aliens is in fact the film’s world premiere. Comic-Con Conventions Editorials Events Features Viral News Comic-Con
Comic-Con 2013: Gareth Edwards, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Johnson, & Elizabeth Olsen Talk “Godzilla”, Cosplay, And “Tone” July 24, 2013July 24, 2013Godzilla is one of those iconic characters that will remain a part of cinematic history for a very long time. Directing this new iteration of Godzilla, the acclaimed King of Monsters, is Monsters director Gareth Edwards. He along with film stars Bryan Cranston, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Elizabeth Olson were at… Read More
J.K. Rowling Adds Another Harry Potter Story To Pottermore July 8, 2014July 8, 2014Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows marked the end of a legendary run of Young Adult novels. The series of novels closed with the titular character and friends having aged, matured, and watching a new generation learning different forms of magic and wizardary. Now with his own family to take… Read More
Viral Video Round Up: Fright Night, The Muppets, Anne Hathaway, Glee, Ruben Fleischer, And More! August 21, 2011October 18, 2011The Internet is full of videos related to movies, whether they be fan made, studio made, or somewhere in between. We regularly bring you the best, most interesting, or just plain weirdest, and today we do it again. Check out the latest viral videos after the break.Pages: 1 2 Read More
Khan Manka, Jr. gave one of the great keynote addresses at last year’s Comic-Con – and basically said the studios should and would be backing out. Studios just don’t have the power they think they do over the mindset of fans.http://mankabros.com/blogs/chairman/2010/07/21/khan-manka-jr-comic-con-2010-keynote-address/