Big Trouble in Flix Brewhouse: Should I Feel Used?

I guess I'm a sucker for good marketing. From flixbrewhouse.com:

"We love movies at Flix! There are hundreds of great movies that we grew up watching over and over. If you're like us, you want to see those movies on the big screen. With our Flix Picks, that's what we do! Every month, we pick some of our favorite movies that left theaters years ago and bring them back for one night!"

I was excited to see that Flix was going to show Big Trouble in Little China on May 14. 

I wasn't the only one. The 6:45 show sold out so quickly they opened another theater for a 7:30 show. That sold out, too, and they added another showing at 6:00.

Three screens showing Big Trouble in Little China at the same time? Holy cow! I bet that hasn't happened since it was originally in theaters back in 1986.

The photo booth had a Jack Burton poster that you could take your picture with. But who would do something cheesy like that?

Me.

I went with a friend who also posed for a picture. Inside the theater, swag was waiting in front of each seat. We got a Fanfest glass, a Lo Pan sticker, and a souvenir movie ticket. 

There was also a specialty drink and a menu item that was offered for that night only. 

The preshow was filled with clips from John Carpenter films and 80s martial arts movies. Then came a chopstick challenge. They're hard to see, but the MCs at the bottom of the picture are dressed up as Jack Burton and his semi truck, the Pork-Chop Express (made of cardboard boxes).

Using only chopsticks, three volunteers battled to see how many marshmallows they could put in a glass in a minute. That was unexpected fun.

Flix recently changed their menu. My go-to was Supreme pizza hold the peperoni. That's gone, so now I get the Bacon Bleu Burger hold the bleu cheese.

How was the movie? The movie was just as good as I expected. I already own it on DVD. I bet over half the people in that theater own a copy of Big Trouble in some form. Seeing the movie wasn't our goal. Seeing the movie on the big screen was our goal.

No matter how good your home theater is, you can't replicate the experience of enjoying a film along with 150 like-minded people - I saw several people wearing Jack Burton shirts. It doesn't matter how big your screen is. You can't create that atmosphere at home. The guy in the cardboard costume isn't coming over to your place, and no one is bringing over a custom glass for one of your favorite films.

Normally, this is where I'd end this inadvertent ad for Flix Brewhouse, but today I have more.

Since the Des Moines Flix web page was not working yesterday, I went to Google to find out more about Flix Fan Fests. I found a business article written by a Flix Marketing Manager called "CRAFTING “FLIXPERIENCE.” 

In the article, she called the swag "social currency." She believes the Lo-Pan sticker is a conversation starter. That souvenir ticket is a reminder for me to check out future Flix Picks. The glass and the photo booth are also "subtle triggers for guests to share their experiences and to become evangelists for our brand."

"Evangelists for our brand"? Yuck. That makes me feel dirty.


Those MCs who dressed up for Big Trouble? They're called "Marketing Troopers," and they're recruited specifically because of their charisma and how they have demonstrated their passion for Flix.

If I look at the evening from a market manager's point of view, I could say that I was manipulated into creating free advertising for Flix. I wasn't given a free glass, I was given subliminal instructions. I paid money to have dinner and watch a movie on Blu-ray during the theater's slowest night of the week, and then I was expected to tell everyone I knew so they would want to do that as well.

BUT, I'm not looking at it from that point of view. 

After he posed for the Big Trouble picture, my friend looked at his phone and said, "They want me to share this on social media. Then I'm just advertising for them." He shook his head,  "Oh well, I want them to stay in business."

He was aware of what was going on, and so am I. 

Daphne took me to Flix Fanfest: Jaws, and I didn't tell anyone about that. I just had fun. I don't consider myself as a brand evangelist. I'm just a guy who wants to see old movies with 150 of my closest friends. 

And then maybe write about it.

Bring on Flix Fanfest: Point Break!