‘The Social Network’ Screenings Add to Pre-Opening Frenzy

For the past couple of weeks, it’s been impossible to boot up your computer without tripping over half a dozen stories about The Social Network. (I guess you can add PRNewser to the list of media contributing to the hoopla.)

The pre-release buzz was also facilitated by an outreach campaign by Sony Pictures, which set up 350 screenings and stopped at 25 college campuses nationwide to build interest in the movie.

“We also showed it to people who would be obviously interested in the subject, entrepreneurship, and innovation. We showed it at business schools, hedge funds, anyone involved in the financial business,” one of the film’s producers, Sony Pictures‘ Scott Rudin, told the New York Times.

The studio also worked with Mashable and the organization Girls in Tech for screenings. Members of the tech community have been particularly open about their skepticism and/or indifference to the film, with The Daily Beast publishing a story today about the film’s frenzy-free zone, Silicon Valley.

“When we first heard about The Social Network, I thought it was a ridiculous idea. But it’s come together,” Mashable’s editor-in-chief Adam Ostrow tells the Times.

The movie opens in theaters today. Good luck getting a ticket if you haven’t already.

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