One thing that has been interesting though - noway the acronym SoaP would have become part of the lexicon without the hype. I'll bet, if we look at this movie's overall lifecycle - it does very well in terms of DVD sales and international screens. Fear Factor was never the most popular show in the US, but it kills overseas (and what opinions people are forming of us should not include what they see on Fear Factor or SoaP)
The question nobody seems to be asking is: What would SOAP's take have been without the social media buzz? What kind of business have similar movies done on their opening weekends? If the answer is $5 million, then this was a rousing success to which everybody should pay attention.
Shel, I think the comparison with Anaconda that I mentioned is appropriate ... two movies about snakes, both opening in late August. Roughly the same in ticket sales. And I doubt there was much buzz surrounding Anaconda ... certainly no great connection with the audience.
No doubt the buzz helped SoaP's name recognition, but did it help drive people to the theater?
Great stuff. Was planning to wax poetic on SoaP in this afternoon's class; now prepared to temper that with a little dose of reality. Thanks!
Hey John,
First, thanks for the link : )
Second, I'm not sure we can compare SoaP with Anaconda. Even though Anaconda came out just 2 years ago, much has changed in terms of entertainment choices: video games, more cable channels, YouTube, home theater systems, etc. Add to that the movie-going experience which has become more frustrating with the proliferation of commercials that patrons are forced to sit through.
It's a much more competitive market for attention. Without the fan involvement, SoaP would have been "Pacific Air Flight 121" and would not have done much at all this weekend.
Jackie, even though it appears I often take a different position on stories than you guys, I love your blog and agree with 99 percent ... well, okay, 90 percent ... of what you write. 
So I'm not saying that the outreach effort behind Snakes on a Plane was bad, worthless or a waste of time. In fact, I love the way the filmmaker got involved with his core audience.
My only concern is that this was -- in many ways -- a unique situation and not one that can be duplicated easily. I also think the lessons I outlined are important -- just as the ones you stressed in your post are important, too.
In other words, there are two sides to the SoaP story. Both of them are interesting for marketers, and worthwhile to remember.
Three points to ponder here:
1) SoaP may have been artificially buoyed by fans who intentionally hit multiple screenings. I know there was a Snakes on a Day movement in Austin.
2) Fan-related buzz can backfire, especially in tech-savvy circles. X3 caught hell from the comic geeks, who are purists waiting on a miracle. Likewise, "Serenity" rode a wave of support from the Browncoats, but not enough of a box-office splash to warrant a sequel.
3) This phenonomenon seems to be taking root more prevalently where the users have more control over consumption. Look at the various communities built around "Lost." It's a show that is TiVOed to death. The same social-media kiddies who blog and make Livejournal icons are more apt to support entertainment they can control.
Want proof? Wait for SoaP's DVD returns.
Peace out from Blogger RetirementLand.
Here is a case where the marketing was bigger news than the actual movie. Perhaps the opening weekend box office receipts of Snakes on Plane will buy PR professionals some time for those times when clients want an Internet buzz campaign where a buzz campaign is just not appropriate. You can do everything right and still not get the results you want. I still maintain that the most effective word of word mouth campaigns are those that are not engineered, but just evolve. But to Jerry Grasso's point, the long tail of snake may still favor Mr. Jackson.
Dan ... I agree 100 percent that you cannot manufacture word of mouth or viral interest.
You can help it along, but it must begin organically.
It did with SoaP ... of course, my concern was that many others would try and duplicate that with goofy campaigns.
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