So, it’s the early 2000s, MySpace is all the rage, and most leaks come via grainy flip phone videos. The internet was still a brand-new territory in terms of marketing. Any leaks about projects, big or small, were issued takedown notices with extreme prejudice.
That is, until Snakes on a Plane changed the game in 2006. That’s right, the goofy horror action comedy was not only an innovator for embracing an online buzz. It was one of the first to use internet feedback to change the movie to better fit audience expectations.
Why Snakes on a Plane?
In 2000, Ain’t It Cool News posted a report from a now-lost Variety article about the sale of a John Heffernan script called Snakes on a Plane.
“‘Snakes’ is a thriller in which a ruthless assassin releases a crate filled with lethal snakes aboard a packed commercial airliner high above the Pacific Ocean. Paramount will handle distribution duties,” it reads.
The title alone was enough to start the rumor mill turning. Closer to the film’s release, it was confirmed that Samuel L. Jackson would be starring in the movie. That’s it, no co-stars, no plot points, or no set leaked photos. In terms of information, this was all pretty small, albeit funny breadcrumbs.
So New Line Cinema fundamentally changed everything by doing little to nothing by design. Studios really had no idea what they were dealing with in terms of online fandoms. Take-down notices and lawsuits for fan-made content were still the norm in most situations.
Then, the now-defunct Snakes on a Blog was launched as a way for the creator Brian Finkelstein to try to get invited to the premiere. It became a central hub for all the rumors about the film and fan activity, at one point clocking in over a million hits.
Within 3 weeks, New Line reached out effectively, saying that the company didn’t want to step in because they knew it would kill all the online buzz. Something Finkelstein agreed was a smart choice.
The Online Reaction
The internet went nuts! Without any studios scolding them, fans created websites, parody videos, and early memes.
Bringing us to the next place, where Snakes on a Plane was way ahead of the curve, it embraced the jokes and took some as feedback. Since Jackson had become known for his frequent use of the word “mother fucker” many jokes centered around how it might be used in the film. Here’s the thing: it originally wasn’t.
That’s right, the iconic line “I have had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane!” was done via reshoots. New Line did 5 days’ worth of reshoots to add the line, more gore, and more nudity. After it became clear that audiences pretty much expected it, moving it from a PG-13 to an R rating. The studio even invited the online bloggers behind all the hype to the premiere as a thank you for helping with its success.
This may not seem like such a big deal after wins like the Sonic the Hedgehog movie redesign. But studios listening to fans like that wouldn’t be the norm if it weren’t for the success of innovators like Snake on a Plane.
That’s right, these mother fucking snakes slithered so Sonic could run!
To learn more about the marketing for Snakes on a Plane, please refer to the Snakes on a Blog documentary found on the physical media releases.
