Do you remember your first time watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show? For me, it was in college in a basement, and with a bunch of people who were already fans.I was behind the eight ball, but they took me in as one of their own and indoctrinated me.Since then, I've enjoyed seeing it on the big screen and participating with the audience. I love that it's still in theaters all over, making special appearances and bonding with new viewers every year.This is after it kind of bombed when it was initially released, and found its following later.The Rocky Horror Picture Show didn't just create a cult following—it accidentally wrote the blueprint for interactive cinema, teaching us a powerful lesson about what happens when an audience stops watching and starts participating.And we see echoes of it even now with movies like Minecraft.Today, I wanted to dig into that idea.Let's dive in. - YouTubewww.youtube.comFrom Midnight Flop to Cultural PhenomenonWhen The Rocky Horror Picture Show premiered in 1975, it was met with critical confusion and low box office numbers. 20th Century Fox pulled it from most theaters to try to figure out what to do.Lucky for them, a marketing executive convinced the studio to try a different strategy: midnight screenings. The film found a home at the Waverly Theater in New York's Greenwich Village. At first, the same small group of fans came back week after week. They knew the songs, they loved the camp, and they felt a kinship with its...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - 2 days ago