Weekly Best in Movie Marketing: ‘M3GAN 2.0’
Hello! Welcome to the seventh blog post in my series, ‘Weekly Best in Movie Marketing‘ (My sixth post of the series is a vlog). In this series, I highlight my favourite movie marketing initiatives from the week in my book. I also explain why they stand out to me.
In this article, I’ll share about the American independent film and television production company, Blumhouse Productions‘s second annual ‘Halfway to Halloween‘ film festival and the innovation that the company ushers in the fest to promote its upcoming sci-fi horror film, ‘M3GAN 2.0‘.
About ‘Halfway to Halloween‘ Film Fest…
Halloween is celebrated every year on 31st October in many countries. Each year, around the end of April or the beginning of May, the Halloween community marks the halfway point to October 31. As the film festival’s title indicates, Blumhouse screens horror movies from its library for this occasion. Festival attendees have a chance to win giveaways, get sneak peeks at upcoming titles, and access recorded messages from Blumhouse directors and talent.
In 2024, Blumhouse partnered with AMC Theatres to showcase several films: ‘Split’, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, on March 29, ‘The Purge’ on March 30, ‘Ouija: Origin of Evil’, directed by Mike Flanagan, on March 31, and ‘The Invisible Man’, directed by Leigh Whannell, on April 2. Following this, in 2025, Blumhouse plans to feature ‘M3GAN‘ on April 30, ‘Annabelle’ on May 7 and ‘MA’ on May 14 to celebrate the second edition of the ‘Halfway to Halloween‘ film festival for one night only. Last year, it was a limited release. This year, it’s happening USA-wide.
However, there’s more to look forward to at the festival.
On The Launch of Meta‘s ‘Movie Mate’ Technology…
The screening for ‘M3GAN‘ will allow fans in the theatre to engage with the killer, evil doll featured in the movie. They can do this by starting a Direct Message conversation with the Instagram account @M3GAN. Meta, in partnership with Universal Pictures and Blumhouse, is launching its ‘Movie Mate‘ technology. This technology will enable viewers to use second screen functionality while watching the movie. This technology will provide access to exclusive content, trivia and behind-the-scenes information in real time. So, what’s a Second screen technology? It’s a technology that refers to the use of a secondary device, such as a phone or tablet, alongside a primary screen, such as a TV or computer, during content viewing. The aim of this technology is to enhance the viewer experience by enabling the user’s access to supplementary information. It also facilitates social media discussions and allows interaction with related apps.
The inclusion of this technology at the film festival serves as an opportunity to experiment with innovations. Additionally, it aims to generate excitement for ‘M3GAN 2.0‘, the sequel to ‘M3GAN‘. The film is set to be released on June 27, 2025.
Check out the trailer for ‘M3GAN 2.0‘ below.