Longlegs, the horror film starring Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage, hit theaters last Friday, and it’s already proving to be a runaway summer hit – though perhaps an unlikely one.
While its legs (no pun intended) remain to be seen, its all-important opening weekend saw a stellar global gross of $25.7 million, according to Comscore. That’s an impressive result for an atmospheric horror movie from an indie distributor, pulling ahead of the likes of Inside Out 2 to claim the #2 spot over the July 12 weekend.
So, what’s behind that strong opening? While critic reviews and early word-of-mouth were positive, the success of Oz Perkins' latest horror film likely has its eerie and viral marketing campaign to thank for its early success, analysts who spoke to IGN say.
A cryptic, less is more’ approach
In an interview with IndieWire last month, Perkins revealed he gave Neon, the distributor known for movies like the Oscar Best Picture winner Parasite, free rein to get creative with the marketing campaign. "[Neon] really responded strongly to the movie, the raw materials of the movie really excited them, the way it looks, the way it feels, the way it sounds," Perkins explained. "They asked me early on, 'Do we have your permission to kind of go nuts?' And I said, 'What else are we doing here? Go for it. Do your thing.' "
Neon would go on to make waves with an eerie and eye-catching marketing campaign, using both conventional promotional material and more uncommon approaches. Though the film was announced in November 2022, marketing would kick off in earnest in January, six months before the film's July 12 release. The marketing started with three cryptic teaser trailers accompanied by coded messages. A few more teasers trickled out in the coming months before a proper reveal trailer was released last month, keeping much of Longlegs’ plot under wraps for much of its pre-release cycle.
Take a nice, long look.
— ↃL⊥\\Ↄ—\\ᘰ (@LonglegsFilm) June 14, 2024
6.14.24. The Seattle Times. pic.twitter.com/b2D5qCUNbB
In addition to trailers, Longlegs utilized some guerilla marketing tactics, which is a long tradition in the horror genre. For instance, on June 14, Neon took out an ad in The Seattle Times which read like a cipher published by the movie’s titular killer. Those that decrypted it would reveal that readers should visit an in-universe website called TheBirthdayMurders.net, which broke down several murder-suicides, all of which were allegedly Longlegs' victims. Not only did this pique curiosity, but it gave potential theater-goers an interactive component to chat with friends about.
An even creepier strategy was a billboard that displayed a phone number with a 458 area code. Those bold enough to call the number were met with a pre-recording of what sounded like the Longlegs killer himself. This led to countless viral moments, as those who called the number would post their reactions on social media platforms like TikTok.
According to analysts, this unconventional marketing — and the viral moments it inspired — brought horror fans into theaters.
"Longlegs' success was tied directly to an innovative marketing campaign that harnessed the power of social media that took the film from an 'unknown' to a 'must see' in an incredibly short amount of time," Comscore Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian told IGN.
Of course, this isn’t an entirely novel approach. Guerilla marketing in horror dates all the way back to the 1999 megahit The Blair Witch Project, and Neon clearly took some inspiration from that campaign in its marketing for Longlegs. But there are some key differences here, and it all has to do with adjusting to the times.
@j.sanlirgo #fyp #foryou #longlegs #movies #movietok #nicholascage ♬ original sound - Justin
The Blair Witch Project, by the very nature of the era, leaned heavily into the early years of the internet and the lack of verification and certainty that came with it, convincing the public that the film was a true story and that its stars were actually dead.
That, of course, wouldn’t fly nearly as easily in 2024. In contrast, Longlegs leaned more into the viral nature of the internet and the hunger to share intriguing moments online. In an era where movie trailers frequently reveal entire movie plots, the pure mystery of Longlegs caught the eye of horror fans.
Keeping Nicolas Cage caged
In another twist: despite having an A-list name in Cage as one of its stars, Neon kept the actor’s transformation from being revealed in its marketing materials. That, of course, was intentional, as Cage himself left breadcrumbs in pre-release interviews.
“He is going to change your reality.,” Cage teased in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “Your doors of perception are going to open, and your life is not going to be the same."
It helped that reviews for Longlegs were published roughly a month before the film's release, with the general consensus being wildly positive. And while Neon itself can’t assure positive reviews, its early review embargo showed its confidence.
“‘LONGLEGS’ could very well be the most unsettling horror film of the year, partially thanks to Nicolas Cage’s sinister performance,” DiscussingFilm said in its review of the film. Other early reviews were similarly hyperbolic, such as Bloody Disgusting, which said the film would get “under your skin.” IGN, for its part, wrote in its review that it "combines the grisly realism of a crime-scene photograph with the startling surreality of a nightmare."
All this combined was intended to give potential moviegoers immense fear of missing out if they did not see it as soon as possible, analysts say.
I WANNA SEE LONGLEGS SO BAD pic.twitter.com/3ZVmCYrEmG
— meg. (@wondermeg_) July 3, 2024
STOP SEEING LONGLEGS BEFORE ME pic.twitter.com/PmHNByWkco
— ꩜ ????????? ! (LONGLEGS MOVIE BRAINROT) (@theseventhshe) July 9, 2024
"Social media was a boon for this release, and Neon smartly leaned into that engagement from curious moviegoers, eschewing a traditional marketing campaign and the expenses that arise from that," Box Office Theory Founder and Owner Shawn Robbins explained to IGN. "By the time pre-sales really started to pop, a few days before opening, it was clear this release could set a new benchmark for the studio thanks to grassroots interest and awareness."
As Longlegs enters its first full week of theatrical run, we’ll have to wait and see if the momentum will continue. But Robbins tells IGN that Longlegs' early performance is "already above and beyond what similar films and release strategies" have obtained in the past.
And, given that the film is already becoming Neon's most successful opening weekend, it’s already primed to be an indie horror hit.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
