Twitter has launched a first-of-its-kind like animation as part of a promotion for the latest ‘Scream’ film, which is released in cinemas this week, and brings together a mix of the original series actors and new stars, as it seeks to connect the franchise with a broad range of fans.

As you can see here, the new Scream animation will display differently in dark and light mode, a first for the app. The animation will be triggered when users who follow @ScreamMovies like tweets that include the #ScreamMovie hashtag, an expanded set of actions that could help to boost engagement around the movie.

It’s the latest social media activation for the film, with the Scream team also releasing a range of AR filters across Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram.

As well as custom ‘hashflag’ characters linked to the #12ScreamsForTheHolidays and #ScreamMovie hashtags.

And a dedicated Q and A experience on Messenger, via Movie Mate.

With a strong retro vibe, the latest film in the ‘Scream’ franchise looks set to be a pop culture sensation, sparking all new trends, which could engage a broad range of viewers both young and old.

And with cinema attendances still impacted by the pandemic, that could be the best way forward for film promotion in the current age, working to build up hype, and tap into social media trends, as a means to maximize interest and chatter around the release.

Which is why these new activations are interesting to observe, with the Scream PR department going all-in on social media promotion, across various apps, as it looks to hook into digital consciousness – i.e. where modern consumers are active.

From afar, it’ll be interesting to see whether these more participatory, engaging social media activations end up driving stronger results for the film’s promotion, as they could well highlight the best way forward for promotional spend, if they end up driving more people to the cinema as a result.

Clearly, a lot of the film’s promotional budget has gone into these activations. Will that shift the balance in future promotional approaches – and will that have any impact on consumer habits and expectations moving forward?

Either way, it’s a new experience on Twitter, which could pave the way for new promotional opportunities in the app.