Did you know that over 1.2 million people tuned in to Disney's D23 live stream on Fortnite this weekend? The metaverse is a valuable place to engage fans from different genres of entertainment. And gamers and movie-goers go hand in hand, read on for more details:
MOVIES IN THE METAVERSE
Movie studios have been promoting films on Roblox and Fortnite a lot over the years. Campaigns have ranged from things like character skins to UGC items. For example, Fortnite offered skins from the movie Dune when it came out in 2021. Beyond that, there have been full-blown experiences built off IP like Jaws on Roblox.
It’s a great way to bring awareness to an upcoming movie… Or even to celebrate a classic, like the Elf 20th anniversary experience on Roblox last year. Movie studios keep building on these platforms because they see the value but let’s take a look at some companies that took it to the next level!
ROBLOX SAYS BEETLEJUICE
Everyone’s pretty excited that after three decades there’s finally a sequel to Beetlejuice! And Warner Bros made a smart move allowing players to buy their actual theater tickets for the movie in Roblox.
This is part of a series of e-commerce tests Roblox has been running on the platform. Previous tests include Walmart and e.l.f Beauty, however, those involved physical items. This time, players are buying digital tickets for immediate use. After this test is completed, we’ll have to see how the numbers differ. Our guess is these digital tickets will be flying off the proverbial shelves.
On top of that, the experience itself is pretty exciting. Players can summon Beetlejuice in-game to help save Lydia’s daughter, Astrid. This is definitely a step up from previous film promotions on Roblox, taking players' interest in a film and converting it to real ticket sales!
D23 LIVE STREAMED ON FORTNITE
On the flip side, Fortnite brought a real world event to the digital realm. Disney’s D23 fan event live streamed in Fortnite. On Saturday, August 10th, it live streamed the “Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase”. For those that missed it, the stream is replaying on loop until August 16th!
Some key highlights included a collaboration with Marvel for the next season called Absolute Doom, featuring the much-awaited Doctor Doom! Outside of Marvel, Disney will bring some of its animated villains to the game, as well as Star Wars characters from The Mandalorian! Yes, Baby Yoda will be there. Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios, shared an interesting point about Fortnite’s player base: he said that a lot of them learn about the above characters first through Fortnite. That’s a pretty strong incentive to place IP into the game.
While the in-person D23 event typically sees over 100,000 attendees, the Fortnite stream attracted over 1.2 million at its peak! There have been more still in the following days. The point is, festivals and conventions in the future that include a virtual component will have a real edge over those that don’t.
This week, we explored the relationship that big movie properties like Disney, Marvel, and Warner Brothers have with metaverse platforms like Roblox and Fortnite. With strong evidence that tie-ins with both mediums can vastly increase engagement and popularity with consumers. Come back next week for more news from the metaverse!
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