For a few days, it seemed like Universal decided that there would be no advanced screenings of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey for influencers. But on Monday, influencers sat alongside traditional critics and journalists at special showings of The Odyssey specifically for the associated press junket. Despite what it may have looked like, Universal was not going back on its word. The studio was simply embracing an undeniable reality of the modern entertainment press.
News
Influencer screenings aren’t going away
But we can rethink our relationship with entertainment media in the age of parasocial fandoms.
But we can rethink our relationship with entertainment media in the age of parasocial fandoms.
Details
Much as it may pain some to admit, influencers and content creators have become a significant part of our media ecosystem — one that offers film studios an invaluable way to reach larger, more diverse, and younger audiences. Whether it’s a YouTuber’s video essay, a TikToker’s reaction video, or a glowing review on Instagram, influencers’ content can go viral if it resonates with (or enrages) a rabid fan base. And the way that some influencers build massive followings of their own highly engaged
People’s reactions to the idea of Universal snubbing creators ahead of The Odyssey’s theatrical premiere highlights another important facet of our media landscape. Influencers have become a big part of how studios promote their films. Speaking to Yahoo Entertainment, digital marketing strategist Gigi Robinson explained that influencer screenings are “one of the smartest moves in entertainment marketing right now” because of how they “create a full content arc.”
“It’s not just about showing up and watching a movie,” Robinson said. “Every creator makes it their own. These screenings make people feel like they’re part of something exclusive. And that anticipation? That’s what gets people into theaters.”
Analysis
But some people have grown weary of the (often overly enthusiastic or cartoonishly negative) energy that they bring to the table. It’s clear that studios are aware of this on some level, otherwise trades wouldn’t be running stories about who’s getting invited to screenings.
What Universal probably meant when the no-influencers-allowed news broke was that there won’t be any screenings of The Odyssey that are put on solely for content creators. Those types of screenings aren’t unheard of, but it’s far more common for studios to screen their unreleased projects for small audiences that consist of critics, journalists, regular theatergoers (who have usually won a contest of some sort), and a handful of people best known for their social media presences. Having that mix
One of the more frustrating things about these screenings is the way their scheduling tends to leave members of the press with very little to finish their work before embargos (agreements barring journalists from publishing until a certain time) are up. It can be difficult to put a piece of insightful film criticism together in just a few hours before you have to post it and hope that Google Zero won’t make your work almost impossible to find (it will.) This is particularly challenging for write
Stay informed with the latest news on Wararka.so — your trusted source for Somalia and world news.
