Distributor A24 has worked incredibly hard to make this summer the one of MIDSOMMAR, the highly discussed horror film from director Ari Aster. For starters, after a solid theatrical release, they put the movie back in theaters over Labor Day weekend with the impressive Director’s Cut. Now with the movie becoming available on Digital as we head into fall, A24 is driving home the marketing campaign by teaming with online therapy company Talkspace to give away three months of free couples therapy to three “lucky” couples.
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While it’s easy to be swept up on all the pagan rituals and atmospheric terror, all of that is wrapped up in what is surely the most unsettling and horrifying breakup movie ever. From the start, we’re sucked into the teetering relationship between Dani (Florence Pugh) and Chrisitan (Jack Reynor), and things just get worse as they travel to Hälsinglan for a midsummer festival. In a new spot marketing the movie’s Digital release and the contest, director Ari Aster says that it’s probably not the best movie to watch on a date.
“I’m not sure if it’s a great date night movie,” he says. “It might like a good ‘Shit or get off the pot’ movie.”
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So, if you and a loved one let a lot of emotions out of the closet after seeing this nightmarish movie, then maybe you’re owed some of that free therapy. To enter for a chance to get it, all you have to do is comment on the video on the movie’s Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook page and tag a friend (or significant other).
Starring Pugh, Reynor, William Jackson Harper, Will Poulter, and Vilhelm Blomgren, the movie made over $30 million worldwide off a $10 million budget, so while it made less than half of Aster's first movie, HEREDITARY, it still came out a modest success, winning critical acclaim in the process. The director's cut also received praise, with the added 24 minutes expanding on the volatile nature of Dani and Christian's failing relationship and adding some more to the eerie rituals.
MIDSOMMAR has been one of the most talked-about movies of the year, so A24 doesn't exactly need to go to such lengths to plug it, but damn if this isn't one of the more brilliant marketing campaigns for a home release I've ever seen. Think about: You watch the movie, realize your own relationship is a mess, you enter, you win, and then you get to talk about it with professionals, watch the movie again, talk about it again, etc. It's the package you didn't know you needed, but may in fact definitely need.
MIDSOMMAR is on Digital now and on Blu-ray October 8.