Warner Bros. and Legendary are hoping for a monster opening weekend for Godzilla We are using every possible method. I'll probably convince my parents to take me to the theater.
Over the past two weeks, Warner Bros. has been engaging Roblox users with an interactive trailer for the Godzilla vs. King sequel that allows players to step into 2D video and emerge into the film's Hollow Earth world. Ta. The trailer then becomes playable via an obstacle course (an “obie” in Roblox parlance) in which players navigate the video with Mini-Kong's girlfriend Suko and collect movie-themed crystals.
For those who are not active users of the platform, or have children who are passionate about it, Roblox is an online platform that allows users to program and play games created by themselves or others. It's also often used as a virtual “hangout” location, with some players spending more time communicating than building.
Roblox reports 71.5 million daily active users, who spend an average of 2.4 hours a day on the platform. And the fastest growing group of people spending time on Roblox is Gen Z, the 12-year-old to 27-year-old demographic.
Since its release on March 13, Roblox's Godzilla x Kong: New Empire trailer has impressed Warner Bros. executives, with users spending an average of nearly eight minutes watching it. It is said that he spends a lot of time talking with “Godzilla x Kong Obie''. Cameron Curtis, Global Digital Marketing.
“We've found that once we engage viewers with our content and trailers, they're much more likely to go ask their parents for Godzilla x Kong tickets afterward, or go buy their own tickets.” says Curtis. variety.
Warner Bros. used Roblox's poll feature to survey users on whether they were more likely to go see the movie, which opened on Friday, after playing the trailer. “The answer is a resounding 'yes,'” Curtis reports.
“Roblox isn’t the right platform for every movie, but with Godzilla So when you think about the 13- to 18-year-old audience that's on the platform and playing these games, it's very important to bring them in and have them experience the trailers like this. There's a huge opportunity for that to happen. It becomes a conversation between classmates. They're playing these games together, so it becomes something they can connect with.”
Plus, there's the added bonus that Roblox influencers will push user-generated content surrounding the trailer to YouTube and other platforms, further driving social media hype about the movie. “Roblox is creating a community, and there's a ton of creativity within that community,” Curtis said.
Jonathan Gustavii, director of strategic partnerships at The Gang, the Swedish studio that developed Roblox and Warner Bros.' playable trailers, calls the Roblox partnership “the next frontier” for marketing, especially for entertainment brands. .
“They can have trailers and do physical events. They can do a lot of things to promote the movie,” Gustavie said. “This is the epicenter for experiencing movies and iconic IP in immersive environments. These environments are places where users can engage in entirely new ways never before possible.”
While this playable trailer is the first of its kind, Roblox has collaborated with studios for years, previously working with Warner Bros. on last summer's release of “Barbie” and even worked with Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures on “Thor.” Franchise experience. (The last one required the user to confirm he was over 17 to play, as the Roblox demo wasn't entirely aimed at children.)
According to Todd Lichten, head of entertainment partnerships at Roblox, this is just the beginning of what the platform has planned with other brands and studios.
“We have a big project that speaks to the ethos of our theatrical marketing team and is paving the way for our franchise team to come in and take a more persistent approach. We'll have a big update in the next month or so.”
For now, Lichten says creators and directors often come to Roblox with ideas and requests that are “an extension of what we've already built.”
“When Jon Favreau and Fairview Entertainment came on the platform late last year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Elf, I don't think the intention was necessarily to adapt it,” Lichten said. “It was about taking the best elements of the platform: community, social and gift-giving, and using vacations and magical journeys around the North Pole as a way to bring the IP back to life.”
Lichten calls the “Elf” collaboration alongside “Barbie” (which gave users the opportunity to build dream homes and spend time in each other's homes “without distinction between the real world and the digital world”) and “SpongeBob SquarePants”. , making it one of Roblox's most successful IP partnerships. Square pants. ”
“Breathing is particularly noteworthy here, because Roblox is more than just a gaming entity,” Lichten says. “These are the places where Nicki Minaj hangs out with friends, the established world of Paris Hilton. I think there's all sorts of flavors, and we've only scratched the surface.”