The premiere of SyFy's TV movie "Sharknado," about a tornado full of sharks, took a major bite out of social media.
Twitter blew up with joy — and jokes — in response to Thursday night's thriller with the ridiculous premise and a cast that includes Ian Ziering and Tara Reid. At 5,000 tweets per minute, it was the "most social" program of the night and Syfy's most social telecast ever, the network said.
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How popular was it? Here's a look at how the terms "sharknado," "shark" and "Tara Reid" performed over the last week and the past 24 hours, according to social analytics tracker Topsy.
Note that we approach peak "Sharknado" just before 8 p.m. ET, with 94,417 mentions of the three terms combined (click on images to see a larger version):
See video: Ian Ziering Has a Fist Full of Shark's Teeth in 'Sharknado' Trailer
And here's what Hollywood and the media had to say:
I'm afraid that now when we have a real sharknado everyone's going to treat it like a joke
– B.J. Novak (@bjnovak) July 12, 2013
Well, there goes my Emmy. RT @Syfy: . @oliviawilde @MiaFarrow We have roles for you both in the #Sharknado sequel @DamonLindelof is writing
– Elizabeth Banks (@ElizabethBanks) July 12, 2013
Just got a call from the 2nd A.D. on the movie I'm filming. Call time canceled tomorrow. ALL movies canceled. It's done. #SharkNado
– Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) July 12, 2013
I am going to write the Sharknado sequel and I am going to do it before Shaknado is over.
– Damon Lindelof (@DamonLindelof) July 12, 2013
Oh, this is just the best coincidence of all time. #SHARKNADO
– Alan Sepinwall (@sepinwall) July 12, 2013
If your house is hit by a #SharkNado it is classified as an act of cod.
– emily bell (@emilybell) July 12, 2013
#SharkNado was more entertaining than #SharkNATO. No action ever since North Atlantic sharks signed a treaty & stopped attacking each other.
– Not Bill Walton (@NotBillWalton) July 12, 2013
I'm surprised that Ian Ziering didn't reach back into that shark's guts and pull out an Oscar for Best Picture. #SharkNado.
– Casey Pratt (@CaseyPrattCSN) July 12, 2013
I think I liked it better when producers of movies like "Sharknado" were embarrassed.
– Scott Weinberg (@scottEweinberg) July 12, 2013
If Spielberg could go back in time and stop Jaws from happening to prevent 2013's #SharkNado, I believe he would.
– Josh Gad (@joshgad) July 12, 2013
As of this writing, #Sharknado is still getting a lot of play on the social media site.