Welcome, everyone!
With this being the first newsletter, I am going to blend a few topics from movies, marketing, and social media to give a feel of what to expect going forward. The first being Christopher Nolan’s Tenet which is (for now) set to release in theaters July 17.
(4 minute read)
Quick bits:
Reported $200M budget — Nolan’s highest for an original concept
Likely needs to exceed $450M WW for a profit
Nolan gets 20% First Dollar Gross — Meaning he gets a percentage of the box office revenue beginning with the film’s release rather than when the movie finally turns a profit
WB. needs at least 80% of the world’s theaters to be open to release it, including NYC, L.A., and SF (which rep 25% of a film’s opening weekend). L.A. lockdown is extended through July 😅
Nolan says it’s his ‘most ambitious film yet’
John David Washington says the film will dictate 'the next 10 to 15 years of filmmaking'
Never been done before stunts, massive set pieces in every country filmed in, no green screen
Nolan changed the Tenet title treatment after a bike brand accused him of stealing the logo… Not the first time he’s been accused of nabbing 👀
No time travel in the film, but inversion
John David Washington stays coy on if the film is connected to Inception 🤔
Sir Michael Caine doesn’t even know what it’s about despite being in the film 😂
Robert Pattinson, who read the script, says there were 'months at a time' while filming where he was not even ‘vaguely understanding’ the film
Theaters are hearing it will move to Wonder Woman 84’s spot on August 14 and that will get pushed back to December and likely take Dune’s spot.
So why Fortnite?
Why would WB and Christopher Nolan, who advocates for the cinematic experience so much that the first teaser debuted exclusively ahead of Hobbs and Shaw, drop the new trailer in a video game? The answer is in the data:
61% of U.S. teens have played Fortnite (2018)
#2 most-watched game on Youtube (2019)
#4 most-watch game on Twitch (May 2019)
72% male demographic and 61% age 18-24
With movie theaters closed, live sports canceled, and limited TV events, tying it to a big-time video game was the best bet for the new trailer. Fortnite has also seen past success with similar marketing campaigns:
Travis Scott’s virtual appearance drew a record 12M viewers
Marshmello hosted an in-game concert with 10M viewers
Fortnite kinda became Star Wars canon when Palpatine’s broadcast was revealed at an in-game crossover event for The Rise of Skywalker (The dead speak! 🤦♂️)
No matter when it releases, will people show up without a vaccine? It’s a big risk for Warner Bros., but no film competition means theaters can have Tenet on multiple screens at once for a week before Disney’s Mulan drops. There’s also the spoiler factor. The film’s secrets will be all over Twitter and Reddit after the midnight showings. I’m willing to bet quarantiners will venture out to see Tenet solely to avoid that.
If you would like to hear my theories on Tenet, check out my podcast where we will be discussing the new trailer this week.
Growth Hack: Becoming a Reply Guy
Speaking of Stephen A. Smith, for the social media side of this newsletter, here’s a breakdown of the simple way the infamous @SASBurnerAcct has amassed 420,000+ in 6 months.
Gather a shit ton of Stephen A. Smith memes
Turn on post notifications for every big-time reporter or sports account (Bleacher Report, Woj, etc.)
Become their Reply Guy and spend all day immediately responding to live tweets (example)
That’s it.
A simple yet effective strategy that can be replicated by anyone in different niches. All you’ll need is a folder of memes on your phone, witty replies, and engaged accounts to leach off. Even Sportscenter has pivoted to the Reply Guy strategy on Instagram to grow their account.
Why it works:
If it’s a quick reply, ideally within a minute of the tweet being posted, the Twitter algorithm will show the response near the top and start to receive engagement (Likes / RTs). On the flip side, if another account posts around the same time, and starts to pick up traction with likes / RTs, they will overtake the top spot. It has to be engaging content. You also don’t want to be obnoxious with it or Twitter will clap your account:
RIP @Alex77033705. You will not be missed.
The strategy is simple, but it will take time to pull off. The @SASBurnerAcct, for example, has tweeted 17,407 since November — almost 100 tweets per day. Is all that hard work worth it in the end? The page appears to be a hobby, but if @SASBurnerAcct ever decides to sell, it’s worth at least $25,000.
Comeback of the Century: Drive-In Theaters
IFC Films has pulled off an impressive pivot release strategy to earn solid box office results during the pandemic with The Wretched. The film has maintained the #1 movie spot at the box office 4 weeks in a row since its release, grossed $548,609, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon 💰
Week 1 — $65.9K (12 theaters)
Week 2 — $69.6K (19 theaters)
Week 3 — $92K (21 theaters)
Week 4 — $186K~ (59 theaters)
The Wretched Ratings:
Rotten Tomatoes — 73% 🍅
Metacritic — 61 ✅
Drive-in theaters are uniquely suited to thrive during the pandemic with people looking for entertainment alternatives. Last week, only 21 drive-in theaters open. Now, there are 169 open.
That’s all for this week! You can also follow me on twitter @zach_williamson and @culturecrave. Make sure to subscribe below 👇
Tenet's Road to Release + Reply Guy Growth Hack
Slight update on the Fortnite data: I meant to say May 2020 for Twitch, but since the trailer dropped, it's risen to the #2 most-watched game https://twitchtracker.com/games
Great post