At this point, the premiere party has practically become synonymous with the word ‘Hollywood.’ But for the global premiere of HBO’s “Dune: Prophecy,” the company wanted to do something a bit different. Knowing the passion around the Frank Herbert novels and the Denis Villeneuve adaptations, HBO wanted to bring the fans in on the experience.
“I was talking to Sarah Aubrey, who’s the head of Max content, and we were like, ‘What could we do that would really give something to the fans that’s different than what we would do for a normal premiere?’ That was the inception of this,” Jen Weinberg, SVP of Talent Relations, Events & Awards for HBO and Max, told TheWrap. “This is a tentpole show for our company. We have a lot of resources going into it. We’ve all identified that we love [this show], and we want the world to love it as much as we do.”
The result was a global premiere that included roughly 450 fans in addition to the cast, crew, press and notable influential people who are always invited to events such as these. Everyone present was able to experience a customized exhibition that did everything from showcasing costumes and props used in the series to allowing attendees to create their own special edition and spice-inspired perfume. Instead of keeping the worlds of fandom-fueled events and press parties separate, HBO found a way to combine them without sacrificing the experience for either group.
It was easy enough to determine who to invite on the cast, crew and press side. However, recruiting fans proved to be an interesting challenge, one that HBO used its panel at New York Comic Con to solve. During the panel for “Dune: Prophecy,” which was filled to capacity by 4,000 people, a select group of people found golden tickets under their seats, inviting them to the premiere. Fans were also given the opportunity to receive a ticket as part of the NYCC “Wear Your Allegiance” promotion, which asked attendees to come dressed to the Comic Con activation in their best “Dune” cosplay.
“Usually, it stops at [Comic Con], and then everything else is for the masses. In this instance, we said, ‘Let’s take a group from Comic Con and actually carry them through a continued activation.’ This is kind of our part two of that,” Weinberg said. “Not everybody gets to participate, but the ones who do are really lucky.”
To ensure the experience felt intimate, the team utilized a timed entry system. Certain influential guests were allowed in first. They were then followed by members of the cast, crew and press. Finally, the invited fans were allowed into the exhibit after the screening.
The premiere event took the form of something akin to an expanded art exhibit. Roughly six weeks before the premiere, HBO consulted with the crew in Budapest to determine what aspects from the show they wanted to highlight. This line of communication resulted in the exhibit showing off the latest props, costumes and VFX images from the upcoming series. Key people who worked on the project, such as series co-developer Alison Schapker, gave quotes that were put on the walls of the reimagined Jazz at Lincoln Center. And because “Dune: Prophecy” tells the origins of the Bene Gesserit, the team knew they wanted to show off some of the costumes worn by the Truthsayers.
Bojana Nikitovic, the costume designer for the series, helped select which pieces would be used in the exhibit. “We try to choose those that are going to represent the Sisterhood and the Corrino family in the best way,” Nikitovic told TheWrap. “It took quite a long time.”
Picking those pieces was a balancing act in and of itself. Not only did Nikitovic have to make sure she didn’t choose any pieces that contained potential spoilers for the series, but she also had to keep in mind that these costumes would be displayed on a mannequin. “There are really good costumes that you cannot show their beauty on the mannequin. You have to put it on,” she explained.
These working costumes were carefully packaged and sent to production designer and founder of Lateral Objects Stefan Beckman in New York. Previously, Beckman worked with Max on its activation for “And Just Like That.” The team also asked Nikitovic to instruct a production manager who would be in New York on how to style the clothes. That way, all the pieces on the mannequins as well as the 10 ushers dressed as Truthsayers for the event looked as accurate as possible.
Though the props, costumes and stills from the series were secured, the team still wanted to bring another dimension to the event. That’s when they started playing with the idea of spice, the psychedelic drug that is paramount to the “Dune” universe. Mocktails composed of interesting flavor combinations were provided at the exhibit, and attendees were encouraged to make their own scent through Olfactory, a custom fragrance company based in New York. Olfactory even introduced two new scent add-ins — cinnamon and pomegranate — specifically for the event. There was even a portrait studio, which allowed guests to create and share a rippling branded video of themselves.
All in all, it was a ton of work. But it happened in the interest of getting fans, members of the press and influential guests excited for the upcoming show. “We’re one page of a 100-page marketing plan that goes out for each one of these projects. But if we’re going to put the resources into it, we want to do it and we want to really make it work for us,” Weinberg said.
Though it’s impossible to know exactly which single factor most leads to increased viewership, there’s reason to think specialized events such as these help raise awareness for shows. HBO held the premiere for “The Penguin” at the same Lincoln Center location earlier this fall. For Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti’s gritty take on Gotham, they outfitted the space with halal stands and hotdog carts as ushers walked around carrying pretzel-adorned umbrellas. That event was more traditional in that it did not include a fan push. So far, the series has been a ratings hit, dominating Samba TV’s Weekly Wrap Report.
“It was a different rollout plan, but obviously we’re looking for the same kind of return to viewership on the platform, and that’s why we do this,” Weinberg noted. “The whole idea of having a party isn’t to just have a party and to celebrate. It’s to let people know that something big is happening and spread that word. Then we hope that that translates to viewership.”
Weinberg came to HBO and Max in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when it was especially difficult to be in the events space. “I started when people were sending boxes to houses because people were stuck at home,” she recalled.
Because of capacity restrictions put in place by the pandemic, Weinberg and her team had to rethink how they approached events overall.
“We rebuilt the whole way that we do things, because people started socializing differently,” Weinberg explained. “Our events started really small and intimate, and then they started to grow. But it gave us a chance to look at them and say, ‘OK, if we’re going to have a party and we’re going to put people in a room, who are the right people to be in that room? Who’s going to help you tell your story?’”
That process has led to several customized events that have happened this year alone. For example, the premiere for “Hacks” Season 3 couldn’t be more different than the “Dune: Prophecy” premiere. Instead of a fan-packed theater that seats 800, the team went with a more intimate approach. Each of the 125 people invited to the event at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles was “a highly thoughtful invitation.” That premiere didn’t even include a screening.
“[The cast and crew’s] network of friends is an incredibly influential group of people. We were like, ‘Let’s tap into that network,’” Weinberg said. “So everything we do is fairly thoughtful.”
Looking ahead, the SVP doesn’t expect each of HBO and Max’s premieres to be as fan-focused as the one for “Dune: Prophecy.” “This wouldn’t make sense for everything,” she said. But if in time this exhibit is dubbed successful and a fan-focused activation makes sense for the property, Weinberg is on board with potentially opening up more premieres to fans.
“In success, we would do it again. But I think it has to really make sense for the IP. We don’t like to rinse and repeat,” Weinberg said.
“Dune: Prophecy” premieres Nov. 17 on HBO.
