10 Most Bizarre DVD Easter Eggs
3. National Treasure
Long story short, the answer is "405". You're welcome.
If there isn't a place in your heart for National Treasure, then lighten up, jaded youth. There was a time and a place for severely wacky, family-friendly entertainment done well, and for those of us who grew up with the likes of The Rocketeer and Young Indiana Jones, National Treasure was a logical extension.
We had grown up wanting to be contestants on Where in the World is Carmen San Diego? and win a trip to anywhere in the U.S. (except Alaska and Hawaii), a treasure for learning history was right up our alley.
Unfortunately, National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets drained all the goofiness out, turning the franchise deadly serious when it should have embraced its "There's a treasure map on the Declaration of Independence" goofiness.
The DVD is kind of a mixed treat, and it depends on just how much patience you have with Easter Eggs. It's difficult to explain, but after watching the special features available, hidden letters begin appearing. Selecting them leads you to other screens, that essentially sent you down the same rabbit-hole treasure hunt that Cage and crew find themselves in, only the payoff is far less satisfying.
You're really better off just looking up the answers online, as there are too many hidden features to list. It's admittedly obnoxious, but there wasn't a better film with which to test this sort of marketing.
Given their less common today, it's safe to say it didn't pay off.