Netflix and Amazon face off on “Fallout” and “Three Body Problem” at SXSW

• I went to Austin for the opening weekend of the annual music, film, television, and technology festival South by Southwest.
• Netflix, Amazon, Paramount+, and Disney all competed for attention with premieres and eye-catching installations.
• My tooth was “pulled out” during Amazon installation work, and I received a lollipop with a scorpion in it in return.

I flew to Austin on Friday for the premiere of a Business Insider documentary about the rise and fall (and re-rise) of MoviePass, the movie ticket subscription service that became a cultural phenomenon in 2017. Ticket subscription services have led some movie companies to bankruptcy and securities fraud charges. Those executives.

It’s set to air on HBO and stream on Max later this year (check out reviews from The Hollywood Reporter and Slash Film).

While there, I got to witness South by Southwest’s opening weekend, dominated by streaming giants Netflix, Amazon, and Paramount+, with a cameo from Disney.

Netflix and Amazon kicked off the festival by promoting their upcoming sci-fi series. Netflix held the premiere of “3 Body Problems,” and Amazon built an interactive post-apocalyptic world to promote “Fallout.”

Netflix competed with Amazon to see who could make the biggest sci-fi movie

On the way to Netflix’s Friday night premiere of “Three Body Problem” (released March 21), created by former “Game of Thrones” showrunners David Benioff, DB Weiss, and Alexander Wu. , I walked past a terrifying 3D projection. It was advertised and stopped passersby. When I arrived at the screening venue, the Paramount Theater, the premiere of rival Amazon’s “Road House” was showing for a long time.

Despite his well-known conflict with Amazon over its release, director Doug Liman appeared at the premiere of Road House. The crowd was buzzing and in high spirits as they left.

Later, as the premiere of Three Body Problem begins, Game of Thrones alum John Bradley (of Samwell Tarly fame) can be heard anxiously muttering, “Oh my god.” I heard it. We also saw Weiss rushing toward the back of the house in the first few minutes of the episode. After a while, the volume of the program increased.

Bradley showed great range in this new role, so I didn’t have to be too nervous, and his performance was the highlight of the episode for me. But, as my colleague Palmer Hirsch rightly points out in his review of the series, the 1960s storyline is the most engaging part, and Zine Tseng’s performance is outstanding (this show is his It has earned him a score of 75% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes).

The next evening, I saw Bradley and some of his co-stars hanging out with basketball star Blake Griffin at the Four Seasons. Blake Griffin is gaining attention in Hollywood with his company Mortal Media (Apple TV+’s Hello Tomorrow!, Hulu’s White Men Can). (Restart “Jump”).

Amazon took a different approach than Netflix when promoting its show “Fallout,” the film adaptation of the hit video game series that begins streaming on April 11. A two-headed bull that can be bartered with actors and lassos in a real-life recreation of the show’s post-apocalyptic world. My tooth was “pulled out” by a barber and in return I was given a lollipop with a scorpion in it. The crowd enjoyed the ball, and the festival goers I spoke to considered it a must-see.

We want you to know that Paramount+ has tons of shows and movies.

Another big marketing gambit came from Paramount, which promoted everything on Paramount+, from “Halo” to “Law Men: Bass Reeves” to a new musical version of “Mean Girls.”

The strategy is aimed at introducing Paramount+ to festival-goers and appears to highlight the gap it needs to bridge with streaming leaders Netflix, Disney and Amazon.

The streamer built a three-story installation and installed a different bar for each show. I got a SpongeBob spray tattoo, which I’ve heard is very popular and a bit of a basic choice. I have no choice!

On a smaller scale, Disney’s 20th Century Studios has created an eye-catching confessional, complete with creepy priests and nuns, for its new horror film The First Omen (released April 5). Several booths were set up on the street.

Everyone was waiting for “Civil War”

A common lament among those attending TV and movie events all weekend was the March 14th world premiere of Alex Garland’s Civil War, A24’s new action movie about the collapse of the United States. They weren’t able to stay in Austin long enough to make it. As you might have guessed, a civil war erupted.

Despite Austin’s generally blue personality, signs of real political discord emerged in some areas. In one bathroom, he found “Liberate Palestine” graffiti crossed out. In another incident, a “President Trump” sticker was smeared with what appeared to be human feces at the Austin Convention Center. I tried to take a picture of the evidence, but it’s so sneaky that you’ll have to trust me on this one.