Snapchat is partnering with Sony Pictures, launching a brand new AR Lens for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire as the film hits theatres on March 22.
The Snapchat AR Lens lets users transform themselves into Slimer, the iconic green ghost the franchise. The features is now available in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. To celebrate, Snapchat and Sony Pictures released a short video featuring Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire stars McKenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard.
The Snapchat AR Lens is also a playful nod to Ghostbusters‘ “Who you gonna call?” phrase. Users are prompted to quite literally answer the call before they are transformed into Slimer.
“Ghostbusters is a beloved franchise and we were thrilled to collaborate with Sony Pictures to create something that references the nostalgic “Who you gonna call?” line but also feels fresh and imaginative for the newest film,” Elana Sulzer, U.S. head of entertainment at Snapchat says. “By bringing the iconic Slimer character to life with AR and tapping three of the film’s stars to do a Snapchat video call, it was the perfect way to immerse our audience in this supernatural world. And featuring our iconic ghosts, Slimer and Snapchat’s Ghostface Chillah, was such a fun way to top off our work together.”
Snapchat also reports that it has 14 million daily active users and over 800 million monthly active users. It’s also claimed that over 300 million Snapchatters engage with AR experiences on the platform daily. Over six billion AR Lens plays each day on average. A 2021 report from NRG claimed that Snapchatters were 1.7x more likely to see a movie on premiere weekend compared to non-Snapchatters.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is in theatres now. The film marks the second outing for the next-generation Ghostbusters team, which includes Paul Rudd. However, it also reunites the original Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts.
