Warner Bros.’ “Contagion” Finally Goes Viral

Just when we thought that Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion missed a great viral opportunity (pun intended), it turns out Warner Bros. and Participant Media had just decided to go a different route. They instead used the Participant Media-owned Take Part website to create an interactive experience for fans. Get the details after the break.

The studios behind the film created a Social Action Campaign “with the goal of raising awareness through popular entertainment.” Check out the site TakePart.com/Contagion to see the following features.

• Interactive “Health Map” : a view of virus outbreaks around the world and near YOU, in REAL-TIME
• Pandemic Infographics : a visual showcase of five pandemics (H1N1, Cholera, Smallpox, HIV/AIDS, Spanish Flu) that changed the world
• Virus Hunters : exclusive video interviews with experts who study the infectious agents that could lead to future pandemics
• Pandemic Games : fast facts, quizzes and a Facebook game about how easily viruses can be spread, pandemic prevention, preparedness, response, resources, curing and containing, eradication and spread.

Contagion, written by Scott Z. Burns and starring Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, and Jude Law, is an action-thriller centered on the threat posed by a deadly disease and an international team of doctors contracted by the CDC to deal with the outbreak. The films opens September 9th and you can follow on Facebook.