Coming Soon to a Theater Near You, if You Demand It

By Claire Cain Miller

Paranormal Activity(Paramount/Associated Press) A scene from “Paranormal Activity.”

If you have not yet heard of the horror movie “Paranormal Activity,” you will soon. It is about to become the first major studio film to be released nationwide as the result of online requests from the public.

The film is about a young couple who become convinced that a demonic presence lurks in their bedroom at night, so they decide to set up a video camera to catch it. The movie was shot on an extremely low budget of $10,000 and opened at the end of September with midnight screenings in just 13 small college towns.

From there, it has become a Web sensation, with chatter about the movie bouncing from Twitter to Facebook, spurring a coming nationwide release.

The company behind the viral buzz is Eventful, a venture-backed start-up in San Diego hired by Paramount Pictures, the movie’s producer. Eventful provides a service that lets performers ask their fans where they should appear. For $30,000 to $250,000, Eventful builds and hosts a Web page where people can vote by clicking on a button that says “Demand it!”

Paramount promised to release “Paranormal Activity” in cities where enough people demanded it and nationwide if a million people demanded it. As of Friday night, it was close, with 960,000 demands.

“Part of it is the movie genuinely terrified people,” said Jordan Glazier, Eventful’s chief executive. “But I think a lot of it has to do with, for the first time ever, fans are part of the process in bringing a movie into distribution. There is such a sense of ownership and loyalty engendered by being part of the process.”

Mr. Glazier said he had expected the “Paranormal Activity” campaign to achieve only a fraction of the buzz that it has. He credits its success in part to the way it has ricocheted around the Web. When fans demand the movie, they can also post the demand on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and other sites. “Paranormal Activity” has been a trending topic on Twitter for the last few days.

Much has been made of the social Web’s ability to dim a movie’s prospects as disappointed moviegoers send out negative Tweets on opening night. Bloggers have wondered whether Web comments drove people away from “Bruno,” for instance. The success of the Eventful campaign for “Paranormal Activity” suggests the same power can bring about a different result.

So far, Eventful has been most popular with musicians. Eighty thousand have used it. The rock band Kiss is on a North American tour that was scheduled entirely on Eventful. The pop singer Mandy Moore used Eventful to let high school students request that she perform at their graduation, and the country group Little Big Town let fans choose the opening act for shows in their towns.

Watch for more movies to be released this way. Mr. Glazier said he had been fielding calls this week from other movie studios curious about the success of “Paranormal Activity.”

Comments are no longer being accepted.

Tamika October 10, 2009 · 1:15 am

i dont know who is lieing to these people the movie paranormal is not what i would call the scariest movie but the worst movie i ever seen in my life. this was a wast of my time in money it was not scary at all, it was more funny then scary. i wouldnt go see this movie agin even if someone paid me or even if it was free. all i have to say is dont see it….

DonBoy October 10, 2009 · 1:20 am

“The company behind the viral buzz…”

Come on, isn’t this sort of a red flag?

Michael October 10, 2009 · 4:17 am

Interesting story behind the movie, but to be honest I’m not inspired to go see it: ‘Paranormal Activity’ has got to be the blandest name for a movie in the history of cinema.

What’s next? “Scary Ghost Story”?

Pat Washburn October 10, 2009 · 8:48 am

I don’t think the Web can be blamed for the fact that Bruno was a stinker.

jk October 10, 2009 · 10:19 am

The movie is a dog. Period.

W Smith October 10, 2009 · 10:39 am

Sounds like another Blair Witch Project astroturf disaster, I’ll be avoiding this one.

andrew October 10, 2009 · 12:03 pm

Saw it. Loved it. It was a lot of fun and very creepy. I went to it alone and when I was trying to sleep at 3 AM I had some problems. : )

Richard Morris October 10, 2009 · 12:03 pm

Ah come on Go ahead and blame the web for the failure of Bruno. It’s always someone else’s fault why things go astray

Moochie October 10, 2009 · 1:24 pm

This reminds me of the Blair Witch Project, whose success came about largely through word-of-mouth, or perhaps some well-placed hype in places frequented by easily excitable kids. When I finally saw the movie, on cable, years after its release, I figured it was perhaps the worst movie I’d seen that decade.

Some people are easily duped.

fern October 10, 2009 · 2:49 pm

Art critics can we trust them?
The Marquis de Sade spent most of his life in jail for his writing, now his works are used in philosophy courses.

“Vox populi, vox Deï”? we’ve seen what happened with prop8 – lying and misleading voters.

I rented Sex in the city and did not finish it I just returned it, yet it was a much acclaimed and trendy movie.

Richard October 10, 2009 · 4:39 pm

The part where their laundry comings flying through the door on a clothes-line was convincing!

Skepticus October 10, 2009 · 4:53 pm

Let’s hurry up and get the torrent out there. ;-)

Ron Talley October 10, 2009 · 6:43 pm

Oh great! some more junk cluttering up our local theaters when i have been hoping for some good movies to come to town so my wife and I can have a pleasant go to the movies.

RJ MacReady October 10, 2009 · 9:10 pm

The budget for production tells you almost all you need to know about this movie; the storyline about the faux-buzz manufactured by the latest new breed of PR flack tells you the rest you need to know.

Jeff October 10, 2009 · 10:59 pm

Michael, they made it, it’s called Scary Movie. It had 3 sequels.

Tim October 10, 2009 · 11:45 pm

#4, Pat, thanks for a chuckle. I read your comment and thought, “Bruno,,,Bruno? Ohhh, yeah, right the one with what’s his name.” After much hype it sank like a rock.

Hilary October 10, 2009 · 11:57 pm

I’d like to see us calling up our congress people to “demand” education, jobs and health care.

Jason T October 11, 2009 · 12:48 am

Personally, I think the trailer is pretty frightening and I would see the movie, but I think the whole idea of demanding it is supremely ridiculous. Why not just release nationwide or do a small selection of major cities (as if there’s going to be more demand in Kansas somewhere)? Oh thats right because these folks are trying out a new way of generating buzz that falls short of anything enticing.

I have to “demand” a movie, that Paramount wants me to pay to see?? I was actually in the process of doing so until I had to sign up within the Eventful site and then check the box to receive these unsolicited deals, just so I can possibly get the movie near my location. What’s next, make 5 of my friends purchase Hasbro toys so I’m allowed to see Transformers 3?

Point being, I’ll wait for this on Netflix.

iker October 11, 2009 · 3:23 am

I really want to see this movie. The name sounds cool by the way. I don’t see anything wrong with it.
I appreciate everyone’s opinion but I rather make my own statement, so yes, I’ll be watching this =p

Julie Ellis October 11, 2009 · 9:33 am

Seems like all this online request stuff shouldn’t be necessary for this film. Couldn’t the fans just request this movie’s release telepathically?

Alarmist October 11, 2009 · 9:40 am

The movie was scary, but not terrifying. However, I’m glad to support a film that was shot on a low budget and utilized the web for its success. THe people have spoken!

I’m tired of mainstream blockbusters that cost a hundred million and consist of run-of-the mill special effects. Storytelling has fallen by the wayside, and American audiences have come actually appreciate low quality.

Movies like this are more inspirational. Perhaps not the best movie out there, but I’ve seen plenty of big-budget flicks that are flops. This fares much better.

doug l October 11, 2009 · 11:27 am

Interesting that Bruno should be brought in as an example of buzz creating failure at least from the standpoint of the box-office.
Haven’t seen Paranormal Activity yet but beyond the buzz, I’m curious about how small but effective products displace huge well endowed and deeply invested products despite the supposed know-how of the suits with giant paychecks who run the movie industry.
I can hardly wait to see the tsunami of copy-cat attempts from the big studios, loaded with big named stars and more of whatever it is some self-deluded psychologist says makes the movie so potent….anything but novelty.

Jack Fids October 11, 2009 · 1:53 pm

Tamika..I would venture to guess that your former english teacher is stalking you at this moment, for lowering their learning/success ratio. TFFTB

David October 11, 2009 · 2:41 pm

I enjoyed “Paranormal Activity”, but I wouldn’t recommend it for people whose sense of horror derives from movies like “Saw” or “Pandorum”.

“Paranormal Activity” has it’s moments (don’t see the preview. It shows too much) that make you jump, but the real fear happens when you let your creativity run scared with the premise.

Your imagination will always be more effective than a CGI monster, any day.

JohnnyB October 11, 2009 · 5:30 pm

Come on, an article and headline like this in the New York Times? Paramount will go wide with this based purely and simply on the economics involved, not the ‘votes’. After they initially opened it and saw the grosses it generated, based on that, and the fact that their production costs were basically zero, and their marketing costs only a fraction of a normal studio release, it was a ‘slam dunk’ to go national, regardless of the “online requests from the public”. Of course, by using this angle, it does get Paramount a tremendous amount of free publicity for the film, and also gets them huge industry points for their savvy marketing. Makes them look very very good, as a matter of fact. And of course, those who ‘vote’ to ‘bring it to their city’ buy into the whole (manufactured) concept and will certainly be there on opening weekend in their city, convinced it was partially through their efforts that the film reached their town.

But I say “Bravo” to Paramount’s sales and marketing team.