Source: Rooster Teeth
AUSTIN, TX – January 27, 2016 – Lazer Team, the first feature film created by Fullscreen’s pioneering production company Rooster Teeth, has sold over 100,000 tickets in pre-sale grossing over $1 Million USD worldwide to date for the release of the science fiction action comedy, facilitated via the international cinema on-demand distribution platform Tugg. This success has led to Lazer Team becoming the largest worldwide campaign in cinema on-demand history – as well as the platform’s highest-grossing film – with screenings across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. The film opened worldwide today, January 27th.
With more than 25 million subscribers across its network of channels, Rooster Teeth is one of the most prolific online entertainment companies in the world. The release of the company’s original film Lazer Team marks the first time a movie created by online stars has garnered this much success theatrically among today’s young audience. Lazer Team is a YouTube Red Original Movie and will debut on YouTube Red in early February.
“Lazer Team’s success is a testament to the power of the Rooster Teeth community,” said George Strompolos, Founder and CEO of Fullscreen, and Executive Producer on Lazer Team. “We are reimagining what a modern studio can achieve and look forward to bringing more great content like Lazer Team directly to fans worldwide.”
Lazer Team is the result of a strategy where fans were integral to the production, promotion, and distribution of the movie. Rooster Teeth’s 2014 Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for the film raised over $2.48M from 37,493 passionate supporters; four times Rooster Teeth’s goal, setting the record for the Most Funded Film of all time based on original IP in Indiegogo’s history. Additionally, there have been over two times more ticket buyers for Lazer Team than there were Indiegogo backers who crowdfunded its production.
“In making Lazer Team it was always important to us that our fans all around the world would be able to see it as one big community and we are thankful our partnership with Tugg has given them the opportunity to view the film together on the big screen,” said Matt Hullum, Rooster Teeth CEO and Director of Lazer Team.
In response to the success of Tugg screenings in the U.K., Lazer Team expanded into over 60 theaters in the U.K. and Ireland through a collaboration between National Amusements, ODEON, Empire, and Vue cinemas. Similarly in the U.S., in conjunction with Amplify Releasing, data-driven weeklong runs of the film were scheduled in cities where Tugg events sold out the fastest. Based on demand, Tugg also added over 150 encore showtimes in February.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Rooster Teeth, and Lazer Team’s successproves the power of cinema on-demand – a loyal audience really getting behind a movie and making it a box office success,” said Nicolas Gonda, CEO of Tugg, Inc. “This is the new blueprint for how the small screen can crossover to the big screen. We salute Matt, Fullscreen and the entire Rooster Teeth team for modeling how creators can embrace Event Cinema and empower their community. We look forward to replicating this success with other creators and video platforms.”
As a special incentive, attendees of January 27 and January 28 Tugg screenings received a code for a 25% merchandise discount in the Rooster Teeth store and saw exclusive bonus screening material following the film.
Lazer Team’s success shatters Tugg’s previous theatrical release record set by Touch the Wall, the documentary about Olympic swimmer Missy Franklin. During the documentary’s first seven months of theatrical release, there were a total of 371 screenings and 47,100 tickets sold, a landmark Lazer Team surpassed in under a month.
ABOUT LAZER TEAM
Produced by Rooster Teeth, Lazer Team is a science fiction action comedy directed by Matt Hullum and written by Burnie Burns, Chris Demarais, Josh Flanagan, and Matt Hullum. The film stars English actor and The Slow Mo Guys creator Gavin Free, along with Burnie Burns, Michael Jones, Colton Dunn, Allie DeBerry, and features Alan Ritchson. In the film, four small-town losers stumble across an alien crash site containing an incredible battle suit. One round of bickering and a quick scuffle later, they each find themselves wearing a piece of the suit, which has genetically bound itself to them. Now, they must work together as one to save humanity. With the government chasing after them and desperate to remove their new equipment at any cost, the foursome must learn to use a strange alien device meant for only one person, train for a battle against an omnipotent enemy, and not kill each other in the process. They may not be strong, smart, or talented… but they’re Lazer Team.
ABOUT ROOSTER TEETH
Rooster Teeth is a pioneering studio responsible for some of the biggest online series in history, such as the award-winning, longest-running web series in history, “Red vs. Blue.” Rooster Teeth also produces the globally acclaimed animated series “RWBY,” the first western anime series to be distributed in Japan, the comedy gamer series “The Gauntlet,” and “Immersion,” a reality format that brings video game theory to the real world. With a massive global footprint of more than 25 million subscribers to its YouTube Network, 3 million unique monthly visitors to its RoosterTeeth.com hub and 1.8 million registered community members, Rooster Teeth was founded by Matt Hullum and Burnie Burns in 2003, and is now a subsidiary of Fullscreen, Inc., a global youth media company that develops online creators and produces multi-platform entertainment experiences. Discover more at http://www.roosterteeth.com.
ABOUT TUGG, INC.
Tugg, Inc. (“Tugg”) is a platform that enables individuals, content owners, and brands to turn their passion for movies into action by choosing the films that play in their local theaters and community venues. These individually curated events showcase Tugg’s growing library of 1800+ studio and independent films. Users choose the film, date, time, and location for their screening, and then spread the word to their immediate and online community. For additional information visit http://www.tugg.com.