Director David Ayer, actor Will Smith, actress Margot Robbie and Toronto Mayor John Tory attends the grand opening of the “Suicide Squad” Toronto Belle Reve Penitentiary Fan Experience co-sponsored by Audi at the Fermenting Cellar in the Distillery District on July 26, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by George Pimentel/WireImage)
The Brief
To celebrate the release of Suicide Squad, Warner Bros. Pictures Canada recreated the infamous Belle Reve Penitentiary in Toronto. But what’s a penitentiary without its inmates? An integrated program was needed to get the word out and promote this unique experience to Canadian fans, offering them the chance to “feel good being bad.”
Actress Margot Robbie attends the grand opening of the “Suicide Squad” Toronto Belle Reve Penitentiary Fan Experience co-sponsored by Audi at the Fermenting Cellar in the Distillery District on July 26, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by George Pimentel/WireImage)
Actor Will Smith attends the grand opening of the “Suicide Squad” Toronto Belle Reve Penitentiary Fan Experience co-sponsored by Audi at the Fermenting Cellar in the Distillery District on July 26, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by George Pimentel/WireImage)
The Solution
We opened the gates to the public by organizing a special red-carpet event that brought Toronto’s mayor, members of the squad, and fans of the film under one roof. Through exclusive social media content in the form of teaser posts, behind-the-scenes Facebook LIVE coverage, and sweepstakes, the fan experience was brought online using #BelleReveTO.
Results
#BelleReveTO trended nationally, with close to 5,000 social media mentions in three days.
The fan experience garnered over 25,000,000 impressions.
Suicide Squad finished strong at the box office as one of the year’s top grossing films in Canada.
