New 'Exorcist' film taps Aptos to help scare up web3 fan experience

Quick Take

Universal Pictures and Aptos Labs team up to offer a web3 fan experience for upcoming horror flick “The Exorcist: Believer.”
The immersive experience will allows consumers to engage with exclusive digital art, behind-the-scenes footage and AR filters, while also getting the chance to win physical prizes,

Once upon a time in Hollywood web3 was all the rage, with studios experimenting with an array of blockchain-enabled promotional campaigns designed to service super fans.

While things have cooled during crypto winter, Universal Pictures is showing that it hasn't given up on web3, announcing today that, in conjunction with Aptos Labs, it is rolling out a blockchain-powered promotional campaign for its latest horror film, "The Exorcist: Believer."

“Our ultimate goal with web3 is to craft interconnected digital experiences across all our platforms,” said Greg Reed, vice president of technology partnerships at Universal Pictures.

“If we plan to create digital collectibles for every movie ticket or product we sell ... we need technology that can handle that scale," he continued. "Aptos is built to handle the volume and performance to truly, and reliably, change how fans experience movies.”

The 'Exorcist' fan experience

The 'Exorcist' fan experience aims to allow consumers to engage with exclusive digital art, behind-the-scenes footage and AR filters while also getting the chance to win physical prizes, the companies said in a statement.

The immersive digital campaign utilizes Aptos' Move programming language, which was originally developed inside Meta. Aptos Labs was co-founded by Mo Shaikh and Avery Ching and has secured funding from high-profile crypto investors like a16z.