Will Facebook and Twitter Keep “Paranormal Activity” From Turning Into “Snakes on a Plane”?
by Kara Swisher
Posted on October 5, 2009 at 3:30 AM PT
Four years ago, the movie, “Snakes on a Plane,” became a genuine Internet phenom well before the movie was in theaters.
Which, in the end, only showed that online buzz had negligible impact on the viewing public, given that the movie’s box office turned out to be tepid at best.
But will another small film, about a demon-plagued couple with an infrared-equipped videocamera, called “Paranormal Activity,” prove that the chatter of Facebook and Twitter has more legs today?
It looks like it, given that the very-low-budget film–acquired by Viacom (VIA) studio Paramount Pictures as a remake–performed spectacularly well last weekend, selling out midnight-only shows focused on college towns.
That middle-of-the-night tactic was made larger this past weekend, creating a ton of online heat, which led to an expanded release planned for this coming weekend at all hours.
Of course, along with a clever television marketing push, the studio is using Internet feedback to discern where to head next and how.
Well, “Paranormal Activity” looks scary and all–although BoomTown would like to know exactly when people will stop trying to irk demonic spirits.
That quibble aside, it will be interesting to see if the reliance on Facebook (where the movie has about 32,000 fans, most whom are posting variations of “It scared the crap out of me!!!!”) and Twitter (where is it now a trending topic) turns a cult win into a mega-hit.
That’s what many predicted would happen to camp thriller “Snakes,” starring Samuel Jackson, especially considering the deluge of Internet frenzy starting in 2005 that actually forced Time Warner (TWX) studio New Line Cinema to finally release it.
But the movie buzz peaked too early, well before the film debuted, and it limped to a weak box office–leaving the blog-fueled “Snakes” as an asterisk in the annals of failed Web marketing hype.
So, until all the tweeting gets you to the theater–I shall pass, as I prefer skeletons in my closet–here is the clever promo for “Paranormal Activity,” as well as the classic line from “Snakes”:
Comments
Now the world’s eyes and ears are these social networking sites. everything from politics to conquering the everest is done through these sites. now schools have started to consider introducing social networking in their curriculum. and still you are asking will social neworking site change the world? you should have asked the question before two years. now the world has changed.
Posted by sandy viv at October 5th, 2009 at 8:55 amsocial networking site businesses are flourishing, because everyone are addicted to this new trend, including me. i have account in most of these network and still browse for new sites and if i find it interesting i register.
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The problem with Snakes on a Plane wasn’t the buzz, but that the movie was just bad. It became a Meme from his one line – and that was it – and had no real value or legs beyond.
Yes, there were parties in SF for the midnight show … but that was it, especially when it turned out to be a terrible movie.
Paranormal Activity is more akin to Blair Witch Project. It will be interesting to see if it can spread through Twitter, etc or if it’ll be a niche cult film.
Posted by Jeremy Pepper at October 5th, 2009 at 11:31 amKara this is not about Twitter or Facebook. What is driving the success of Paranormal Activity is Eventful.com’s Eventful Demand service. So far 650,000 people have “demanded” that the film be shown in their town.
Posted by brian dear at October 8th, 2009 at 10:49 am