Train a virtual dragon? Film studios turn to Roblox and other games to reach young fans

Surrounded by virtual cliffs and a cascading waterfall, dragon riders connected Roblox’s monolithic online gaming level immerse themselves successful a memorable country from “How to Train Your Dragon.”

In the sequence, the young Viking Hiccup reaches retired his manus to interaction Toothless, the black, green-eyed dragon helium erstwhile feared.

After players provender Toothless capable integer fish, their avatars scope retired to favored the dragon, mimicking the clip from the Universal Pictures movie — a remake of the DreamWorks Animation container bureau hit. Then they hop connected and alert connected the dragon to an land wherever they tin ticker the trailer.

For 21-year-old Annabelle Barone, grooming a virtual dragon is an acquisition she’ll remember.

“It conscionable makes maine privation to spot [the caller movie] adjacent more,” said Barone, who plans to spot the movie with friends.

The Southern California assemblage pupil expressed her excitement for the franchise connected societal media tract X by sharing images of her avatar petting and flying the dragon successful Roblox. Barone, known by the sanction Robuilds online, creates YouTube videos astir her Roblox experiences and has amassed a large pursuing crossed assorted societal media platforms and Roblox.

The crippled connected Roblox, an online level wherever radical tin play and make their ain virtual experiences, is conscionable 1 mode movie studios specified arsenic Universal Pictures, Lionsgate and Warner Bros. are reaching young radical specified arsenic Barone earlier a movie hits theaters. By creating immersive experiences and selling movie tickets bundled with exclusive merchandise, studios are tapping into places wherever teens and young adults bent retired online.

The “How to Train Your Dragon” crippled connected Roblox has much than 28 cardinal visits. Over the weekend, the movie raked successful $83.7 cardinal successful summons income successful the U.S. and Canada, surpassing expectations. Globally, the movie has grossed $197.8 million.

“You person to harvester the tactile, the affectional and the virtual,” said Paul Dergarabedian, elder media expert astatine amusement information steadfast Comscore. “That’s what astute selling is doing contiguous to marque the movie theatre arsenic relevant, oregon much applicable to young radical than ever before.”

Film studios and movie theaters person faced hurdles successful caller years including the Hollywood strikes, the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of streaming services specified arsenic Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Added to that is the increasing magnitude of consumers’ attraction taken up by TikTok, YouTube and video games, including from San Mateo, Calif.-based Roblox.

The expanding magnitude of videos posted online and different amusement options means it’s tougher than ever to drawback people’s attention.

And yet, Gen Z is driving momentum successful the container bureau and has been a “critical assemblage for moviegoing successful the past 3 years,” according to a study from the National Research Group, a marketplace probe company.

Roughly 37% of Gen Z person seen much than six movies astatine the theatre during the past year, compared with 29% successful 2023, a February survey of much than 3,200 Americans showed. The radical defines Gen Z arsenic radical betwixt the ages of 12 and 27.

Barone, the Roblox player, is connected way to spot astir 10 movies successful theaters this year, she said.

“I person gone alone, but it is much amusive to person a person with you,” she said.

Roughly 51% of the assemblage for “How to Train Your Dragon” were household groups, and 27% of moviegoers were younger than 13, according to information from EntTelligence.

Gaming is the “new halfway of younker culture,” offering studios a mode to immerse fans successful films earlier they’re released successful the theater, said Todd Lichten, caput of amusement partnerships astatine Roblox. On average, Roblox users walk 2 1/2 hours connected the level a day. Roblox, a level fashionable among kids and teens, has 97.8 cardinal users who sojourn it daily.

“They’re not conscionable looking to make this passive acquisition that they tin re-create successful different platforms,” Lichten said. “They’re looking to bring our players unneurotic successful a mode that’s going to beryllium authentic to the [intellectual property], but besides rally them astir thing that has a existent assemblage extremity to it.”

Sawhorse Productions, a originative bureau and accumulation institution successful Los Angeles, has created games for “How to Train Your Dragon,” “Wicked,” “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and others successful Roblox. It besides worked connected “Sinners: Survive the Night,” a crippled wrong Fortnite, different monolithic online gaming platform, that’s based disconnected of the deed fearfulness movie.

Roblox said it’s seen occurrence with reaching young movie fans. The Roblox crippled based disconnected of 2024’s “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” which included a virtual Fandango container bureau wherever players could acquisition movie tickets, lifted theatre merchandise consciousness and intent to sojourn the theater, a lawsuit survey from Roblox said.

Nic Hill, co-founder and main innovation serviceman astatine Sawhorse Productions, said developers plan games successful ways that support users coming back. In the “How to Train Your Dragon” Roblox game, caller challenges, dragons and virtual items including Viking hats popular up earlier the movie’s release.

“You get that longer engagement and reasons to support visiting and engaging further than conscionable playing it once,” helium said.

Universal Pictures declined to comment.

Days earlier “How to Train Your Dragon” deed theaters, the gaming level Minecraft promoted a virtual acquisition based connected the movie too.

PG-rated household flicks person been smash hits this year, fueling container bureau income worldwide. “A Minecraft Movie,” based connected the fashionable video game, has surpassed $951 cardinal astatine the planetary container office. Viral moments connected societal media helped thrust fandom for the film. Videos of young moviegoers cheering and throwing popcorn successful theaters erstwhile the word “Chicken Jockey” is yelled retired successful the movie racked up millions of views connected TikTok.

Film studios are turning to TikTok for selling purposes. Ahead of the merchandise of “John Wick” spinoff “Ballerina,” Lionsgate teamed up with the societal media level to merchantability tickets to the movie connected TikTok Shop. Lionsgate bundled movie tickets with posters and Continental coins, promoting income by livestreaming a “Ballerina” premiere lawsuit connected the societal media app.

“TikTok is location to a dynamic assemblage of moviegoers and movie enthusiasts who observe and prosecute with caller titles and taste moments,” Reia Davidson, vertical manager of media and amusement astatine TikTok, said successful a statement.

TikTok users are much than 44% much apt to spell to movie theaters than nonusers, making it different invaluable spot for movie studios to make buzz astir a film, the societal media level said past year.

It’s not conscionable caller releases movie studios are trying to beforehand crossed games and societal media. Lionsgate worked with Roblox to merchantability virtual movie merchandise for 1 of its biggest franchises, “Twilight.” Roblox users tin bargain a bundle that includes a codification to download the 2008 “Twilight” movie, a integer movie T-shirt and different item, specified arsenic a virtual amulet.

Jen Brown, Lionsgate’s enforcement vice president and caput of planetary products and experiences, said young fans privation to prosecute with movies successful antithetic ways. Games and societal media are wherever they socialize.

“As we deliberation astir however we privation to widen our contented into the world, it’s truly important that we’re portion of that assemblage gathering process, and we’re letting fans person amusive with it,” she said.