Focus Features, A24 target Film โคEnthusiasts on Letterboxdโ in Bid forโฃ Box Officeโ Success
LOS ANGELES -โ In a strategic shift to โคcapture the attention ofโ a highly engaged and influentialโข audience, Focus Features and A24 are increasingly โฃcourting film enthusiasts on the social media platform Letterboxd, โrecognizing its power to โdrive buzzโฃ and ticketโ sales. the โstudios are tapping into the platform’s communityโ of cinephiles-especially younger viewers-to build anticipation for upcoming releases, a demographic demonstrably swayed by peer recommendations and โonline discourse.
The โgrowingโ importance of platformsโ like Letterboxd reflectsโข a broader trend inโค film marketing.โ “FOMO is massive for young audiences,” says Shawnโฃ Robbins, Fandango’s director of analytics.”For the young audience, โif a lot of people’s friends โขare talking about it, they โฃwant โคto see it.” Thisโ dynamicโข is prompting studios to moveโฃ beyond conventional โคmarketing tactics and engage directlyโ with online โคcommunitiesโค where film conversation thrives.
Focus Features is actively leveraging this trend,โฃ exemplified by its presence โat events like the Focus Fest, whereโ attendees-described as “film โnerds” by one โคparticipant-gather โto celebrate and โฃdiscuss cinema. The studio plans to launch โ”F-Stop,” a traveling airstream showcasingโ props, apparel, and Blu-rays from itsโฃ directors’โ films, โto โfurtherโค stoke interest in its fall โslate, which includes awards hopefuls from Chloe Zhao and Hamnet.
The strategyโค isn’t limited to Focus Features.โ A24 has long โคbeen a favorite among Letterboxd users, benefiting fromโ the platform’s organic enthusiasm for its distinctive and often unconventional films. Both studios understand that cultivatingโ a dedicated online following can translate into significantโข box office returns, particularly for films that rely โฃon word-of-mouth marketing.
At a recent focus Fest event, the day’s programming โขbegan with a screening ofโ The Big โLebowski, introduced by a videoโ message from Ethan Coen andโฃ emceed โฃby TikTok movie personalityโ Straw Hat Goofy (3.6 million โfollowers). โThe event underscored the studios’โ willingness to embrace newโค formsโ ofโ engagement and cater to a โขgenerationโ of film โขlovers who are shaping theโ future of moviegoing.
This story โappeared in the Oct.โ 15 issue โฃof โ The Hollywood Reporter magazine.