THE DARK KNIGHT RISES 9
Tweets such as“ still seeing Dark Knight Rises” which yielded some excellent results because it was a combination of words used often in regards to this issue( Appendix D). This same tweet led to several entertainment sites that had asked their followers to weigh in, which gave us some great material. By starting the investigation there, we were able to detect trends in the wording of tweets so that the searches became more specific and we were able to focus on separate tangents. For example, we discovered the hashtag“# theatershooting” which we had not previously heard of and when paired with“ batman” or“ Dark Knight Rises”, the searches yielded even more results for the type of tweets we were looking for.
The most successful search phrase, in terms of number of tweets and useful content, was“ fuck James Holmes”, which reflects the most prominent theme that was discovered. In earlier searches, we noticed that a few people would use that term and then proclaim their allegiance to the film. In some cases, people expressed their desire to see the film despite the shooting to show solidarity, and out of refusal to glorify the crimes and therefore deny the killer the celebrity status he seeked. Vengeanceseeking rage or just outright anger was the most popular theme by far. Most of these people were disgusted that this monster of a person had tried to ruin such a positive event. In our discourse analysis we also included tweets tracking the movie ‟ s success which popped up throughout these searches, because people used successful box office results to show that people were still seeing the movie despite the tragic events on July 20, 2012.
These results show that the film beat Nolan ‟ s 2008 production of The Dark Knight and despite some concerns that it could have been even more successful if the shooting had not occurred, The Dark Knight Rises was still an overwhelming monetary hit. Consumers still went to see the film, and as clearly shown by some of the tweets included( as well as hundreds, perhaps thousands, saw throughout our research) many fans saw it more than once, which shows the triumph of the viral marketing campaign. This was perhaps the toughest possible obstacle for an opening film to overcome, and it was able to do so thanks to its devout fanbase. In addition, this time around Warner Bros. put more emphasis on a global campaign, such as including over 300 cities worldwide in the scavenger hunt. The campaign had generated so much buzz internationally, that a domestic tragedy of this magnitude had marginal effect, and the film even became a domestic hit showing the strength of the loyalty to this franchise.
The uses and gratifications theory revolves around the idea that people actively seek what they want to receive from the media. This theory states that people select media that will satisfy their needs and expectations. In terms of the film, TDKR fans were active interpreters of the social media drip-dripdrip releases. Ultimately, the fan community played a role in making a meaning of the campaign as a whole, as well as the film. When the Aurora shooting occurred and people took to social media, as well as other mediums to share their opinions, there was a thought that this have a negative on ticket sales. However, this theory states that audiences, in this case, TDKR fan base, select certain media options, the film, to satisfy their needs. There are a variety of reason why people were interested in the film, such as excitement, feeling of community and love of the actors. When we set out to answer the question of what people ‟ s reactions on Twitter as a result of the Aurora midnight premier theatre shooting, we were interested in looking at the effect that the movie would cause on movie. Although people expressed concern on Twitter, there also a lot of people who continued to show excitement of the film. The midnight shooting occurred and has an extreme effect on the community as a whole, the bond between fans and the different elements of the movie did not hinder the use of the movie for emotional gratification.