Social Media Leo

Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another opens this coming Friday and the hype is on full blast. My job is to study hype and, sometimes, see through the hype. But even I’m f-cking jacked for this movie. 

You know what really sold me? It was my husband Jacek’s reaction. He doesn’t really pay attention to movie trailers, he’s not a cinephile, and he very rarely initiates going to the movies because he would prefer to stay home with our dogs and watch the baseball game. So when I heard him say yesterday that “that movie looks amazing, I want to see it”, it was a record scratch and the best evidence, in my life, that the way they’re promoting it is hitting with multiple demographics. And I don’t just mean with reach, I mean with impact. Jacek is extremely uncool, he doesn’t chase what’s cool, he’s into what he’s into and that’s it, which normally doesn’t include Leonardo DiCaprio or any of the actors in the film, really. But something about this story is connecting with him enough to want to get up off the couch, put on some real clothes, and leave the house. Really curious to see how this movie performs. 

To go back to the marketing though, I mentioned last week that the Warner Bros social media team and Chase Infiniti were able to get Leo in a TikTok about The Summer I Turned Pretty, lol. And since then, the socials have continued. And it’s not like they’re getting Leo to do a dance challenge or anything but it’s more about his presence and participation. This, by his standards, is doing the most. I wish we could get a documentary about this. 

If you watch Hacks you’ll recall how they made this comedy with the character “Social Media Girlie” played by Jake Shane. In several scenes during this past season, Social Media Girlie would get right into Deborah’s face and ask her to film something inane. 

@hbomax

Taking notes. @Jake Shane #Hacks #JakeShane #DeborahVance #JeanSmart

♬ original sound - HBO Max

Is there a Social Media Girlie following Leo around? Of course a lot of it is led by Chase Infiniti, but Leo is around. He was around when they asked Chase to pose with a classic Kim Kardashian sound the other day: 

Like I said, there is someone coming up with these ideas, and they’re responsible for getting the talent to do it during the tour. We’re seeing the ones that Leo is saying “yes” to. I would love to know the ones he rejected. 

But also, his character, “Bob”, is a main focus for the marketing and promotion too. Bob’s costume is becoming a thing. There will be a lot of “Bobs” for Halloween. 

Bonus if you can secure a payphone. 

 

Attached - Leo and the One Battle cast at a screening in New York on the weekend.