The first teaser trailer for Paranormal Activity 2 has just been released. For those who don't remember, the first Paranormal Activity was a smash hit at the box office, grossing more than $100 million despite an original budget of just $15,000.
How did the movie become such a success? Much of it had to do with a successful viral and word-of-mouth campaign that was significantly aided by social media. The film's producers used Facebook to spread the word to college students and then created Eventful campaigns so that would-be watchers could request shows in their home towns. The film was consequently able to create and sustain buzz without having to finance an expensive traditional media campaign -- that came later, after the film was a hit.
The sequel, while not as low-budget as the original, was still produced relatively quickly. Paramount hopes that the film will have the same degree of success as the original, potentially creating a Saw-like franchise for the studio. It comes to theaters this October.