Viral video site YouTube is partnering with the Weinstein Co. to feature the first eight minutes of the thriller "Lucky Number Slevin" on its video-sharing site. The collaboration marks the first time a studio has given the opening segment of one of its films to YouTube.com.

Calling the online destination "the number one word-of-mouth Web site out there today," Gary Faber, executive vp of TWC, said there wasn't a better way to help fuel positive buzz for the film.
Previously, a film trailer posted to the site promoting "Scary Movie 4" had been viewed 1.5 million times while a separate trailer for the upcoming "Clerks II" has received more than 200,000 video views to date.

Since it was founded in February 2005, YouTube has grown exponentially and stands as one of the leading video destinations on the Web. The site currently delivers more than 40 million video views per day with 35,000 new videos uploaded daily.