Social media and its effect on cinema audiences

Most mainstream film studios and distributors have embraced social media, but what are they gaining from it?

Watching movies at the cinema is an inherently social experience increasingly reflected across platforms and sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Even US trade magazine Box Office Magazine has anticipation and appreciation indexes based on Facebook likes and tweets. The principal reason is to raise awareness as part of a marketing campaign, but looking at two different types of releases use social media can be revealing.