Lionsgate announced a campaign Wednesday for fans of The Hunger Games to unlock free advanced screenings of the upcoming film by tweeting specific hashtags related to their nearby cities.
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To generate buzz for the upcoming film, the studio launched the campaign 24 days before the film's March 23 release. Mirroring the 24 "tributes" that fight to the death in the story, Lionsgate will give away tickets to 24 advanced screenings. Starting Thursday, the top four cities with the most tweets will be revealed each day, and fans will then be able to enter to win tickets to those locations, the company said.
The film is adapted from the successful young adult trilogy written by Suzanne Collins. It depicts an annual event where one boy and one girl from the fictional post-apocalyptic nation of Panem and its 12 districts are selected to fight to the death in a televised battle. The story follows young protagonist Katniss (played by Jennifer Lawrence).
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To find out which hashtag is related to certain cities -- such as Philadelphia (#HungerGames24PHI), Boston (#HungerGamesBOS), Salt Lake City (#HungerGamesSLC) and San Francisco (#HungerGamesSF) -- visit screens.thehungergamesmovie.com.
People not located near a city with an advanced screening may be able to meet and greet the cast at their local mall during the National Mall Tour beginning in March.
Although this is the latest marketing initiative from The Hunger Games, the franchise has been covering its social media bases for months. It recently released a high-fashion site called Capitol Couture, dedicated to Panem's capitol city.
Meanwhile, Twitter account @TheCapitolPN has been tweeting updates about the characters and the plot's annual Hunger Games ceremonies and event. It also references themed merchandise for sale, such as the line of Hunger Games nail polishes. It's been tweeting links to its various Facebook pages -- each of the 12 districts featured in The Hunger Games has its own page, in addition to the main Facebook page for the film. The most influential sharer on a District page can become the "mayor," with access to more news and prizes.
Lionsgate has also been posting movie trailers, posters and behind-the-scenes content to build anticipation for the film.
In addition, Barnes & Noble announced this week that it is also giving fans in select cities the opportunity to see the film before its official theatrical debut. On March 10, the first customers to purchase any Nook device such as the Nook Tablet, Color and Simple Touch will receive two tickets to an advanced screening on March 21.
Are you impressed with The Hunger Games campaign? Are you looking forward to the film? Let us know in the comments.
1. Capitol Couture
The newly launched Capitol Couture blog is dedicated to the styles featured in the upcoming film. The site almost serves as a magazine, hinting at future installments, and features cover stories, profiles, style tips and even a place to become "your district's next stylist."
Click here to view this gallery.
This story originally published on Mashable here.
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