Maybe you'll get a text like "Listen up clowns, time to stop fooling around." then something about breaking him out of jail, in order to start the viral for the next film? or atleast maybe to show that there will be a next film, and it will involve the joker?
I think that would be cool, but virals and ARGs these days seem to be pretty retroactive, probably thanks to the fact that The Matrix sort of tried the multi-platform thing and it didn't really work. I mean that the ARG appears to be created after the fact, and is usually only barely affiliated with the movie, or game, or TV show at all--so, while the ARG has its own storyline that complements the movie, they don't really (although who knows, they may in the future) use an ARG to convey information as important as that because the general public doesn't really know all of that. So unfortunately, I don't think it's likely...nor would I really be that fond of it, considering. I'd rather there be some sort of explanation in the next movie, but I'm sure figuring out how to handle that is probably the biggest concern they have.
Anyway, the Joker can never stay locked in prison. I mean seriously, he's been to various forms of prison like 900 times, and the only reason he ever gets put there is because he intends to (or sometimes just because he decides to humor them and stick around for a few days). And Batman can never kill the Joker. It's a vicious cycle but it's why they're so awesome to see in any medium.
There will be a DVD release of the Movie. No or no ? DVD Viral 42 ? I'd keep it just in case. That and with the amount they are going to make in the next 2 days. Bonus Virals.
You never know. I don't think they even partially imagined the response they got to their campaign. So you carry an extra phone for a while. It can always be reactivated by them at any time.
You may be able to do that, conceivably, but I think usually you lose the phone number if you go too long without reactivating a phone with pay-as-you-go. I may be wrong but I was shopping around for one and they all seem to have that problem. But then again, it's probably possible that 42e could reactivate the phones even if the numbers WERE lost. But further...I think they'd wipe the slate for a next viral. I don't doubt that if 42e does it we'll see some threads of this one, but it would quite simply attract a larger following (which is the idea, unfortunately for those of us who played this one) if that following didn't feel like they already had to be in the club to enjoy the game.
And I think...that no matter what they say...the viral marketing probably DID have a huge impact on box office revenue, regardless of whether or not people were playing it. The fact is I bet that I, myself, have sold at LEAST 20 tickets and I'm probably understimating my reach. It's the same for all of us--we've been playing this game that's so massive that even a lot of people who aren't playing it know about it, and even if they only see a bit, it influences their perception. If you show a casual Batman fan a Jokerized website, he'll probably love it. I don't know if they're going to have any solid way of coming up with numbers that they can attribute to this ARG, but I do think it was, as you say, way, way, way larger than anybody had anticipated. I mean it sounds kind of ridiculous, but this game really changed the way marketing works in Hollywood. I mean the genre of advertising itself was already expanding pretty quickly, but I suspect that a lot of the naysayers will be won over by the success of this game.
But as for the phone...I'd keep it and use it as an actual phone. Or, I'd sell it to one of my fellow nerds. I mean...I wouldn't...but I would BUY it from one of my fellow nerds...
I only want Joker to be played by Heath Ledger, but he's dead, but it's gonna ruin the franchise if it isn't played by Ledger
