FilmDistrict is turning to audiences for help marketing its new film, the Gerard Butler action thriller “Olympus Has Fallen.” The independent distributor will release brief videos of reactions to early screenings of the film using Vine, Twitter’s video sharing app.
FilmDistrict has taken footage from its screenings at cities nationwide between March 7 and 21 and hopes the videos will generate buzz on social media for the film, which opens March 22.
The film stars Butler as a former special forces operative turned Secret Service agent who gets demoted after an accident. When a terrorist captures the White House, holding the President (Aaron Eckhart) hostage, he must help reclaim the White House.
Butler could use a boost at the box office. He hasn't starred in a hit since 2010, when he joined Jennifer Aniston in "The Bounty Hunter."
Since then? A Shakespeare adaptation, "Machine Gun Preacher," surfing flop "Chasing Mavericks," "Playing for Keeps" and comedy mishmash "Movie 43."
This is the second time in the past month that a small film distributor has experimented with Vine. Oscilloscope Laboratories, the company co-founded by late Beastie Boy Adam Yauch, decided to release “It’s a Disaster” on Vine in advance of its VOD release.
Though even those at Oscilloscope had a sense of humor about the effort, which was announced with a tongue-in-cheek press release, the company did want to explore how a studio could use this new service to build awareness.
So guys, what’s next?
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