Killers, starring Ashton Kutcher’s and Katherine Heigl, premiered June 4th, and for critics and movie goers alike, it will be the first opportunity to see the film. Lionsgate opted to forgo any advanced press screenings of the film, and leave reactions in the hands of the audience. The studio claims the decision to keep the film out of the critic’s hands was made to capitalize on the social media buzz the studio is anticipating.
What we’re all wondering now is what’s the real story? Do Killers creators know the movie will bomb with the critics? Or are they truly riding the new media wave and giving a voice to the masses? The studio denies any correlation between expected critic reaction and the choice to skip the screenings, claiming the power of Twitter, Facebook, and other social media are the new powerhouse for word of mouth marketing. We saw the success word of mouth brought to Sandra Bullock’s The Blind Side, so who knows? Lionsgate may be on to something.
This isn’t the first social media stunt behind the new film. Ashton Kutcher created an uproar when he proclaimed he was going to pirate the first 10-13 minutes of the new film via Twitter a few days before its release. Considering Kutcher’s 5 million plus followers, social media may just be the best route to Killers success.
Article written by Desiree Roughton on GotchaMovies.com. Reposted with permission.