With the rise of online piracy, the film industry's annual ticket sales have been on a downward trend for the past decade. Yet, the silver screen has managed to stay afloat because of the very thing that undermined it in the first place: the Internet.
An infographic by law firm Allmand Law reveals how Hollywood is using social media and viral marketing to compensate for declining ticket sales. For example, cloud computing -- when combined with digital films -- saves the industry money on shipping costs by eliminating the need to transport physical copies of films between studios, theaters, distributors or advertisers.
What's more, the movie business is no longer exclusively in the business of movies, with tie-in products such as video games and toys generating profits for studios.
Viral marketing has also proven to be a useful tool for filling theater seats. For example, a flight-safety video promoting Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey garnered around 2 million views before its release.
Do you think social media and other online activities have helped or hindered the film industry? Tell us in the comments below.
