Across the pond, university students are being invited to see Toy Story 3 early, well before it's 18th June release. Actually, they are being invited to see most of the film (about an hour or so). Via a nice little viral, students are being being driven to the Facebook fan page to win a seat at special screenings across major cities.
This initiative ticks a lot of boxes when it comes to a major release. First of all, it is appealing to a relevant audience. The first film came out back in 1995 and a whole generation grew up with the characters and there will certainly be many who are super keen to Woody, Buzz and their pals in 3D glory.
Secondly, these guys talk. In our industry we talk a lot about generating buzz and getting people excited about a product/campaign. Being one of the first people to see a considerable chunk of the film will inevitably get these people talking, telling their friends and generally starting a bonfire, not lighting fireworks.
Lastly, and following on from Sam's post on social media, if you are going to get people excited, feed them content and with the huge array of characters, there is plenty to be found here or here.
Would this work for any theatrical release? I am not so sure, in fact, no. Toy Story set the benchmark in computer-animated films and there has been hype around this film for a very long time. This teaser screening programme might work for a Batman or Pirates of the Caribbean, but this film is pretty unique in the sheer volume of content that they can seed out to fans pre-release.
It will be interesting to see if the teaser screenings make their way over to the UK. Let's hope so.
- Ben
