10 Creative Ways Movies Got You To See Them

There was a nigh-impenetrable mass of Deadpool marketing around the first film’s release, building on long-time fan interest and general superhero hype with some niche creative ideas that captured the spirit of the movie, introduced the character and made everyone deeply curious about what was to come. And while any one example of this film’s marketing would be worthy of this article, the most creative - and amusing - is surely the valentine’s prank approach.

Opening over Valentine's Day weekend, Deadpool was intentionally pitched to clash with the typical romantic flicks that permeate screens during this time, but rather than just be content for it to be an anti-valentine movie, the movie’s marketing team decided to go one step further. Taking full advantage of the typical Valentine's Day opportunities, the team managed to erect several prominent billboards in New York and LA that made the film look more like a classic Ryan Reynolds rom-com than a meta, gory, 15-rated anti-superhero movie.

By marketing Deadpool as a romantic date movie, it provide access to a whole audience demographic who otherwise would have avoided the film like the plague, while also providing dedicated Poolheads with the opportunity to trick their significant others into seeing what they wanted on the big day. 

In 32 days, let's cuddle like koala bears from hell. #deadpool pic.twitter.com/RFEsaGtaix

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) January 11, 2016