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Releasing “Nosferatu” on Christmas Day might seem like a marketing stunt, but Northeastern experts say it makes more sense than you might think.
‘Tis the season to be scary.
The holiday season is here and while most people will be celebrating with lights, merry music and laughter, those looking to bring some darkness to the season of cheer have reason to celebrate: Robert Eggers’ Gothic horror movie “Nosferatu” arrives on Christmas Day.
At first glance, putting out a horror movie on Christmas might seem like a marketing stunt, but experts say it’s a smart, strategic move that could help the movie at the box office.
Alex DePaoli, an associate teaching professor of marketing at Northeastern University, says contrast is a powerful marketing tool. A Christmas release date for a literally and figuratively dark movie like “Nosferatu” is a great way for a movie to generate a certain amount of interest, especially if the studio can’t afford the $150 million marketing blitz that Universal summoned around “Wicked.”
“Evolutionarily, human beings are very attentive to sharp differences because we’re just designed to pay attention to things in our environment that are changing, that are different,” says DePaoli. “So, if you put two very different things next to each other, it draws our interest. … From a marketing perspective, it’s a good way just to generate buzz.”
Call it the Barbenheimer effect, where movie studios have increasingly tried to create irony-filled odd couple pairings. Whether that buzz translates to box office success is another question, DePaoli says. Attempts to replicate the massive success of that cinematic event –– like the simultaneous release of “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” –– have failed to capture lightning in a bottle.
However, there is something deeper at play with Focus Features’ release strategy, and it has to do with how people celebrate the holidays, says Sean Gallagher, who teaches marketing at Northeastern.
Gallagher observes that there is an increasing amount of buildup ahead of the holidays –– more seasonal movies are released in November, people are listening to Christmas music earlier –– but the moment the holidays are over, people are ready to move on.
“The data shows that as soon as the paper is unwrapped off that last gift, it’s ‘What’s next? What are we going to do?’” Gallagher says. “Although horror is not the largest genre and its busiest time of year is September and October, because this is a really important week [for movies] –– Christmas to New Year’s –– it’s strategic.”
Most Christmas movies come out in the weeks –– and even months –– leading up to the holiday because studios want to capitalize on the spirit of the season as much as possible, Gallagher notes. “It’s a Wonderful Life” came out on Dec. 20, 1945, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” on Dec. 6, 1964, and “Elf” all the way on Nov. 7, 2003.
Instead, the kind of movies that actually release on Christmas or immediately after might be surprising. “The Exorcist” shocked audiences on Dec. 26, 1973, while dark, violence-filled Oscar contenders like “The Revenant” and “Django Unchained” brought a different kind of holiday cheer on Christmas Day when they were released in 2016 and 2012, respectively.
Most horror movies in the last five years, around 32%, came out in September and October. For a movie studio looking to escape the spooky season rush, it makes sense to release their movie at a time when they can stand apart from the competition, Gallagher says. Some have already made that decision: Between 2019 and 2023, 5.3% of horror movies were released in December.
Gallagher says it shouldn’t be surprising that Nosferatu’s shadow is on theater marquees. Horror movies are more appropriate for the holiday season than you might think for one particular reason: stress.
The majority of U.S. adults, 89%, say they experience some kind of stress during the holiday season, whether it’s caused by family, travel or just the need to find all the right gifts, according to the American Psychological Association.
“So, to release all that stress, we seek a transformative cinematic experience,” Gallagher says.
Horror movies, oddly enough, are great at offering an outlet for anxiety and stress and have some unique psychological benefits.
“It’s just something that our brains are programmed to crave, and then afterwards we feel relief, we feel better, we feel lighter,” Gallagher adds. “It helps us release some of that stress that had built up in the day or the season.”