Esquire IMAX Theatre Showing of AVATAR 3D
Situation:
2009 was a relatively “vanilla” year for IMAX films so Atherton Public Relations had created several new initiatives to “get outside the box” to strategically go out into the community and find the unique audiences for each film. By the time AVATAR was scheduled to begin, several initiatives were under way which set up a perfect storm because it was such a successful film worldwide.
Approach:
Upon initial review, AVATAR seemed to fit into the familiar category of young to middle-aged men who love video games. We’ve had great success with this genre of films in the past so we went to some of our go-to partners we’ve developed over the past few years. We traded tickets for in-store exposure with:
- All of the regional Game Stop outlets
- Bookstores
- Greek systems and radio stations at CSUS and UC Davis
Additionally we’ve developed a regular program with local media station Good Day Sacramento to do a free show for their viewers on the opening day of the film. We work with Mark S. Allen to develop creative live shots to draw audience down throughout the show that morning, thus creating great TV for them to draw audience. Good Day partners with the Esquire IMAX on most openings.
We also employed creative marketing outreach after the opening to make sure the momentum continued. Once the milestones of AVATAR’s success at the Esquire IMAX Theatre began to seep into the media, we went to our local media to share our own milestones of success to show our contribution to the overall numbers.
Results:
- The Esquire IMAX Theatre experienced the most successful film run in its 10 ½year history with dozens of sold out shows
- Esquire IMAX Theatre listed as 5th highest attendance for a single screen on opening weekend in North America
- Media coverage was extensive upon opening with reviewers and entertainment media, but media coverage continued in the business media as the film and the local theatre continued to hit milestones
