In film history, Marty McFly went to Wednesday 21st October 2015 in the 1989 film Back to the Future Part II.
The internet, after many a fake post about previous dates he went to, finally got excited for the date to become reality. No more so was this noticeable than on the internet, the build up was fantastic!
Pepsi revealed they were going to make and release the branded bottle Pepsi Perfect; Cinemas announced they would be showing the trilogy; Every news channel was releasing stories about real hoverboards, as well as articles about the actual possibility of flying cars etc!
Universal studios, who released the film, released a new Bluray set of the films. They then made our day for making an actual Jaws 19 trailer, which told us what happened in the films since Jaws: The Revenge.
The day itself was just brilliant for us as fans of the trilogy! Every other post on the internet appeared to be Back to the Future related, from interviews with just about everyone in the film, to facts and trivia about the film. The day was also Hashtag crazy: #BTTT2015 #Backtothefutureday and just #Backtothefuture being the most popular!
Super fans were interviewed about their collection, memories and even BTTF related tatoos and of course, their DeLorean Car lookalike BTTF time machines!
The corporate brands were quick to join in too, Nike released a pair of power laced shoes from the film , USA today recreated the paper from the film’s front page, even the Cubs had a bit of a winning streak.
Numerous fun tweets went out to the likes of Pizza Hut, telling them to get a move on with making hydrated pizzas; People gathered at the DeLorean head office; Police in Michigan tweeted that they had spotted a Delorean doing 88mph and Toyota got Marty and the Doc (Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd) together for an ad campaign.
This was all shared with the world thanks to Social Media, which now can help a film, almost as much as a multi million promotional budget! A case that was shown to such great effect with the original Sharknado movie. This has now grown to the extent that the studio asked the audience, using social media, choose what they want to happen in Sharknado 4!
Social Media had great fun with the day, mock Ikea templates of Hoverboards were shared; Empire magazine posted trouble at their cinema as Jaws 19 was not showing; Posts made fun of the film’s idea of 2015 fashion and people even suggested what day to celebrate next, with mention being made to Arnold Shwarzenegger film, the Running Man being next as set in 2017.
Corporate firms also took over the # as a bakers suggested the flux capacitor was run on their sausage rolls; Target tweeted they had a jigowatt light bulb; a shopping centre posted no Hoverboards; a Florist suggests Rose, you don’t need Rose, even Airplane brands played with the we don’t need roads line too!
The day also was a great help to many charities, who put on their own versions of the Enchantment under the sea dance, as a fun event to raise much-needed funds. The World Wildlife Foundation suggested we can’t go back but we can change the future. Many encouraged those enjoying the film to make a donation to Michael J Fox’s own charity, helping him and others dealing with Parkinsons disease.
Of course, this day and the social media frenzy that happened, only happened because Back to the Future was a box office smash, despite being rejected by studios over 40 times! They hold a place in many peoples hearts, not just as part of the 80’s, but because they are great films.
I was once sick and off work, so whilst stuck in bed, it was great excuse to watch all 3 films together. Here, you really get to see so many sequences re-created in all the films. They really have stood the test of time because of its script, how many films with sequels can you say that about?
On the actual day, having work we got up early to watch Back to the Future Part 2. Had to be done really, the only thing is that we now want to watch Parts 1 and 3 now! Luckily no reboot or sequel, at this time is proposed or planned, so if you really do want more, Universal studios have released the spin off show: Back to the Future: The Animated series along with the new released trilogy boxset.
How did you celebrate Back to the Future day, October 21st 2015? Are you a BTTF fan, what was your favourite post of the day? We would love to hear from you!
If you are looking for just some of the content from the Back to the future day, we shared some on our Facebook page so why not like us today www.facebook.com/barkingmadaboutfilms