In an unusual promotional partnership that starts on May 18, customers at 3,718 Walmart stores in the United States will be able to buy tickets to early screenings of “Man of Steel,” the coming Superman movie from Warner Brothers.
About one million tickets will be put aside. Sellouts are expected. Prices will vary but will generally stay in line with the cost of tickets at the local theaters.
The promotion is designed to fill seats on opening weekend; Warner is counting on extensive in-store advertising and a burst of chatter on social media. Simultaneously, the goal is to send shoppers cascading into the arms of the world’s largest retailer. Warner and Walmart billed the partnership as a Hollywood first.
“You hear these staggering numbers of how many people walk through a Walmart every day, and that gives us an exposure that we really can’t put a dollar number on,” said Dan Fellman, Warner’s president of domestic distribution.
At the same time, Chris Nagelson, Walmart’s vice president of domestic entertainment merchandising, said, “These movies create a lot of energy in our stores.”
Walmart added that the unusual deal showcased its ambition and the depth of its studio relationships. (Studios want to make it happy: Walmart is one of the world’s last volume sellers of DVDs.)
Walmart shoppers will be able to buy up to four tickets a visit, choosing between traditional and 3-D viewing formats (where available), for a local screening on June 13. “Man of Steel,” perhaps the most anticipated movie of summer, arrives nationwide on June 14 and stars Henry Cavill.
About 100 Walmart stores will not participate because there is not a suitable movie theater within 30 miles, Mr. Fellman said. People who buy the advance tickets will also be able to pre-order the movie on DVD or Blu-ray disc. They will also receive a free digital comic book written by the “Man of Steel” screenwriter, David Goyer.
Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/business/media/warner-bros-enlists-walmart-stores-to-promote-man-of-steel.html?partner=rss&emc=rss