COLOGNE, Germany – As comedy spy thriller Johnny English Reborn continues to top box office charts in Europe, Universal Pictures is rebooting the first film in the Rowen Atkinson franchise via Facebook.
Universal is offering Johnny English (2003) to rent via Facebook’s Social Cinema App to users in the U.S, U.K. and Australia. This will be the first time Universal has used the Social Cinema application outside the U.S. Previous Facebook releases from the Studio’s back catalog –including The Big Lebowski and Scarface — were restricted to U.S. users.
Universal has timed the move to coincide with the global roll out of Johnny English Reborn. The sequel, which still tops the box office charts in the U.K. and Germany, is closing in on $100 million total take. Universal will bow Johnny English Reborn in the U.S. this Friday.
Fans of the first film will be able to rent it for 30 Facebook Credits for a 48-hour window. Users who rent can pass on a 10 Credit discount to friends.
