With 2017 underway, now is the perfect time to look back at the great films that made their mark on cinema history in 2016. We know which movies performed well on-screen, but what about on social media?
To find out who came out on top, and uncover best blockbuster practices, Socialbakers have rounded up the five most engaging movies on Facebook from 2016 (hint: Star Wars came out on top, closely followed by Suicide Squad in second place) in terms of performance and creative content strategies. Here’s the list of the top five:
1. Star Wars: At a Galaxy Near You – The official Facebook Page for the Star Wars franchise gained nearly 11 million interactions. They built hype around their latest film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, counting down the number of days left until the movie’s release. Star War’s Facebook content was successful because it included variety. Fans were given everything from nostalgic photos of the original crew, to exclusive articles about Easter eggs (messages with a hidden meaning) in the new movie.
http://www.starwars.com/news/the-star-wars-rebels-easter-eggs-and-connections-in-rogue-one
One of their most interactive posts was a Facebook 360 video of the Millennium Falcon which received nearly 90,000 shares and was viewed more than 3 million times! Community members were able to explore the cockpit of one of the most famous spaceships in the galaxy – for some, their dream became a (virtual) reality. Star Wars regularly provided their passionate community with one-of-a-kind content that kept them coming back for more.
2. Suicide Squad: Not So Rotten After All – Suicide Squad is proof that movie reviews have nothing to do with success on social media. Though critics on Rotten Tomatoes rated Suicide Squad 26%, the film excelled on Facebook earning more than 8 million interactions. Despite the film’s negative reviews from critics, true Suicide Squad fans turned to social media to show their support and get informed about the movie.
To take their viewers behind the scenes, Suicide Squad created themed videos with the hashtag #squadtroductions. The series introduced characters in the film, providing context about their comic book origins. This was a great way to include their comic book community and update film fans about the character’s evolution from their first comic book entrance to their stardom on the silver screen.
FUN FACT: Horror movies are shared on Facebook the most. We found that 31% of the genre’s interactions consisted of shares – to put that into perspective, that’s 2x more than romance movies.
3. Disney’s Alice in Fashionland – The official Facebook Page for the Alice in Wonderland series earned nearly 7 million interactions. The profile frequently posts a rich supply of content from wishing their community a ‘Happy Caturday’ to publishing Cheshire Cat Cupcake recipes.This shows how even movies can tap into popular conversation and provide valuable content.
One of their most interesting posts featured three-time-Oscar-winner costume designer, Colleen Atwood. The post informed their Facebook community about a live Q&A on Reddit, and a link where they could submit their questions. Disney’s Alice used Reddit to expand their content’s reach on different platforms and engage new audiences.
FUN FACT: Movies get more interactions before they are released. Posting exclusive behind the scenes content is a great way to advertise the film and get audiences interested.
4. Deadpool: Viewer Discretion Is Advised – Deadpool’s Facebook Page is just like the movie, Rated-R. The film garnered nearly 6 million interactions. Deadpool’s page stayed true to the character’s inappropriate humor – and their community loved it. Out of the all movies we looked at, Deadpool had one of the highest Fan Growth rates with an average of more than 200,000 Fans per month.
This page received the most amount of Haha Reactions, which added up to nearly 200,000 for the year. The majority of their content revolved around the Marvel character and used his signature humor to entertain fans.
There was never a dull post. Even content that promoted their Blu-Ray and DVD release were highly shared. Instead of using clips from the film, exclusive videos were created to entertain Deadpool fans on social media. The video parodied pharmaceutical commercials, by discussing the side effects of watching the film. For example, the post above was shared from actor Ryan Reynolds’s account, which was a great way to get the word out and leverage the actor’s influence.
5. The Secret Life of Pets: Animating Your Furry Pal – Last on our list is The Secret Life of Pets. The animated movie received 5 million interactions and kept their fans engaged with posts featuring characters from the film.
The movie used their Facebook content to unite animals lovers. Their most creative post directed their community to a webpage where they could make their own ‘petmoji’. This was a fun way to promote their movie and get people sharing their cartoon pet on social media, earning over 11,00 shares. Fans were so enthusiastic they even uploaded their pet portraits in the comments section.
Key takeaways:
· Social media has given films the ability to communicate with audiences outside of the theatre – now any movie can expand their marketing practices to spark buzz before their release date to increase ticket sales
· Films continue to generate interactions long after their release; franchises and production companies can use the movie pages to engage their fans, alerting them about merchandise, sequels, and related upcoming movies. Social media has opened up a space for movie fans, giving them access to exclusive off-screen content – and movie pages know just how to keep their online audiences entertained
Source: https://www.socialbakers.com/