Short-form film memes fuel buzz but raise box-office doubts

Meme culture and short-form videos have overtaken the film marketing industry as marketers increasingly bypass traditional reviews and ratings, opting instead to connect with audiences organically through online challenges.

This digital strategy generates immediate visibility and rapid traction. However, because audiences consume short-form videos so quickly, industry watchers worry the viral attention burns out before driving actual interest in the films.

Film marketers are consistently experimenting with social media to engage audiences. Cast members act out comedic challenges tailored to a film's concept or join viral dance trends.

Recently, the cast of "Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub" generated online buzz with short-form videos that showcased their off-screen personas. By showing a stark contrast to their on-screen characters, the actors easily captured attention and encouraged social media users to join in. Instead of directly asking audiences to buy tickets, this attention-grabbing format effectively draws public interest.

The trend extends to YouTube. While actors appear on various online talk shows to promote a movie, the conversations center almost entirely on personal anecdotes, life updates and unscripted comedic moments. The film itself receives only a brief mention. As users clip and share these entertaining segments, the actors' personal stories completely overshadow the actual cinematic work.

This shift caters to an era dominated by short-form videos and meme culture. Marketers package the film as shareable online content across multiple platforms to turn that exposure into theater attendance. Using diverse channels, from digital magazines to YouTube, is now essential.

The dilemma is whether this online buzz actually translates into ticket sales. When campaigns rely heavily on an actor's star power or memes completely unrelated to the story, a disconnect arises between promotional goals and box-office reality. The feature film risks being consumed merely as another piece of actor-centric content rather than a work in its own right. Film promotion aims to draw audiences into theaters, but if only unrelated buzz remains, marketers question whether the campaign genuinely drove box-office success.

If audiences remember the memes longer than the film, executives must question the campaign's true impact. View counts and viral metrics alone cannot accurately measure promotional effectiveness.

"This promotional approach enhances positive sentiment toward both the film and its cast," an industry insider said. "However, marketers still struggle to translate that viral attention into ticket sales or box-office hits. We need methods that connect current trends to a film's distinctive appeal, directly linking that engagement to genuine interest in the movie."

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.