Advertisement

From T-shirts to thongs, how indie film merchandise became a hot commodity

Van Tillian and Kapri Matlock hold up T-shirts they got at an outdoor pop-up merchandise event
Van Tillian, left, and Kapri Matlock hold up T-shirts they got at a pop-up merchandise event for the movie ¡°Anora¡± earlier this month in Los Angeles.
(Richard Vogel / Associated Press)
Share via

On a recent Saturday afternoon, hundreds of ¡°Anora¡± fans lined up for hours on Los Angeles¡¯ Melrose Avenue, hoping to snag exclusive merchandise inspired by Sean Baker¡¯s latest film about a stripper who marries the son of a Russian oligarch.

The one-day-only pop-up from distributor Neon followed the success of a similar event in New York, hosted at the strip club at which the winner of the top prize at this year¡¯s Cannes Film Festival was filmed.

Elated film buffs ¡ª many already wearing clothes inspired by movies like fellow Cannes hit ¡°The Substance¡± and the Nicolas Cage horror flick, ¡°Longlegs¡± ¡ª relished the fruits of their labor at the front of the line, admiring their T-shirt and thong underwear purchases.

Advertisement

¡°Exclusive is a buzzword, but it really is. It¡¯s an exclusive event because we all waited in line,¡± said Nathan Zakim, who arrived at 10 a.m. for the 3 p.m. pop-up. ¡°We all saw the movie. I think the movie merch mania should go on for as long as it can.¡±

Movie-themed merchandise is nothing new. Who can forget the iconic ¡°Vote for Pedro¡± T-shirt from ¡°Napoleon Dynamite¡± that was seemingly everywhere in the early aughts?

But in recent years, movie-inspired streetwear has exploded in popularity among film lovers, thanks in part to viral marketing campaigns put on by independent film studios. The result is clothing, often made in collaboration with popular brands, promoted as trendy and in limited supply.

Advertisement

¡°Being this film buff type of person, I buy Blu-rays, I buy 4Ks. And that¡¯s not something that you can just pop out to someone and be like, ¡®I have this Criterion,¡¯¡± said Natanael Avilez, who drove more than 50 miles for the ¡°Anora¡± pop-up. ¡°Merch is the second-best option of saying like, ¡®I do love movies and this is the way to express that.¡¯ ¡±

T-shirts are by far the most common form of merch, be it for Neon¡¯s Oscar-winning ¡°Parasite¡± (2019) or, more recently, A24¡¯s ¡°We Live in Time,¡± with the infamous carousel horse emblazoned across the front.

Some films, however, lend themselves to a more thematic marketing approach.

¡°First Reformed¡± fans flocked to the sold-out denim hat featured in Paul Schrader¡¯s 2017 film about a pastor¡¯s descent into despair over the environment. The J. Hannah gold locket inspired by Sofia Coppola¡¯s ¡°Priscilla¡± (2023) is still on the market for $1,480.

Advertisement

One catalyst in the trend¡¯s rise can be traced to 2018, when the clothing brand Online Ceramics and A24 joined forces. The brand, founded by artists Elijah Funk and Alix Ross, began with the idea of making bootleg T-shirts inspired by the Grateful Dead. Ross recounted two serendipitous moments in the company¡¯s history: One was watching Pete Davidson wearing a ¡°Good Time¡± T-shirt on ¡°The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon¡± in 2018.

¡°I was really jealous that we didn¡¯t make that,¡± Ross recalled of Davidson¡¯s shirt, adorned with a poster image of Robert Pattinson and co-director Benny Safdie.

The other was knowing, after just seeing the trailer, that Online Ceramics had to make ¡°Hereditary¡± T-shirts ¡ª with or without A24¡¯s permission. Thanks to a mutual friend, they managed to get in touch with the studio just before the film¡¯s release and got A24¡¯s stamp of approval.

Hopeful online shoppers today will be disappointed as they scroll through dozens of Online Ceramics x A24 items, inspired by films like ¡°MaXXXine,¡± ¡°Midsommar¡± and ¡°Love Lies Bleeding,¡± only to find each one sold out.

Watching movies ¡ª following a pandemic and the rise of streaming ¡ª has become less of a collective experience in recent years. For many fans, repping their favorite films in public is a way to combat that.

¡°It¡¯s so fun knowing that everyone loves the movie so much to go stand in line for multiple hours. I got here three hours before it even opened and there¡¯s probably, like, 30 people in front of me,¡± said Sabrina Bratt. ¡°Physical keepsakes are just so cute and fun.¡±

Advertisement

For studios, the benefit is multifaceted. Not only is it an additional revenue source in a time of slowed production in Hollywood, it also is a way to engage with the fans who help keep their films in the zeitgeist long after they leave the theater.

¡°People, and particularly younger people, they want to be a part of something. And wearing a shirt for a movie is no different to wearing a shirt for the band that you just went to see. There¡¯s a cachet to it. There¡¯s a value to it. It¡¯s a sign of who I am,¡± said Neon chief marketing officer Christian Parkes.

Alex Ng is the co-founder and creative director of the Los Angeles-based brand Brain Dead, which also owns a movie theater on Fairfax Avenue. As the film industry continues to evolve out of necessity, Ng contends this intersection of fashion and film will play an increasingly important role.

¡°What people want is like a token or a souvenir. They go to Disneyland and they get a Mickey, right? So, if you go to an art house cinema, there¡¯s not a lot of things or souvenirs you could take away from a film that you love,¡± he said. ¡°I want to connect those pieces. And I think that¡¯s the new era that we¡¯re seeing as a moviegoing experience.¡±

As the demand has grown for merchandise, studios and brands have sought to take advantage for films old and new.

Searchlight Pictures recently released a handful of products to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Alexander Payne¡¯s buddy comedy for oenophiles, ¡°Sideways,¡± including tees, hats and, of course, wine keys.

Advertisement

Brain Dead has done a handful of movie collaborations with studios like A24, Focus Features and, more recently, MUBI and Jordan Peele¡¯s Monkeypaw Productions.

Some products are odes to cult classics, like ¡°Being John Malkovich¡± and ¡°The Big Lebowski,¡± while others commemorate newer releases. Within days of announcing a limited-edition, long-sleeve shirt for ¡°The Substance¡± ¡ª complete with a 30-day trial for MUBI ¡ª Brain Dead had sold out of the product online.

Although Ng bristles at the idea of ¡°hype,¡± arguing it suggests something¡¯s popularity isn¡¯t sincere, he appreciates the ways in which demand for movie merchandise has grown: ¡°I think when we can speak to someone who loves films in that, that¡¯s really cool to me.¡±

Ross, too, is ambivalent about how popular merch has become.

¡°I cringe at seeing how many movie companies are trying to rip off what we did,¡± he said. ¡°But at the same time, it¡¯s just kind of like, ¡®Damn.¡¯ Like I can¡¯t believe it got to this point.¡±

Fauria writes for the Associated Press.

Advertisement
seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com