Comic-Con is starting in San Diego this week, and The Walt Disney Company has already started the viral marketing campaign that Warner Bros. The Dark Knight enjoyed a while back. So far, from what I have observed, they are doing a pretty good job.
It’s amazing to see a film like “Tron”,that was generally considered a failure when it was released in 1982 now getting it’s due. Especially considering what out grossed it at the box office back then. It’s sad when the 1982 dud “Best Friends” with Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn out earned it. You see, the reason that Tron didn’t fare better at the box office is because it didn’t have the core audience it needed to succeed. “The Geeks”. Oh sure, they were out there in 1982, but not the way they are today. Back then they were aging men building Heathkits on their dining room tables. They weren’t going to the movies. Another problem was when the film was released. The Summer of ‘82 was an amazing year in pop culture film releases. That summer we saw E.T. , Star Trek II, Blade Runner, Poltergeist, just to name a few. Poor Tron was buried in the competition. Disney had such high hopes for the film that they actually altered the marketing campaign and reissued the film during the 1982 Christmas holiday in hopes that it would fare better. It didn’t.
So here we are, counting down to the release in 2011 which will be almost 30 years since the release of the original film. Back in ‘82, words such as “User”, “Microcycles” and other PC lexicon were basically unknown. Now these words are common place. I think when it was made, “Tron” was just a little too ahead of it’s time for audiences back then.
So now the pre-awareness campaign begins in the on-line world. Disney is posting several websites to help promote the film. There are two that have popped up so far. “FlynnLives.com” and “HomeOfTron.com” and there are many more surprises this weekend in San Diego still to be revealed…
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I couldn’t agree more with your analysis of Tron’s premature emergence on the geek scene. I would love to see the original on the big screen. Wonder if anyone over at Disney has considered a re-release for publicity’s sake. Any chance you can use your shareholder status to get Iger moving on a re-release? I’ll buy your ticket & some popcorn!