The ways movies have to perform nowadays have changed dramatically since the advent of the "event" movie in the 1970s. A film can have a blockbuster opening weekend, but for it to be a true blockbuster anymore interest has to be maintained so that it performs well over several weeks. Ultimately success or failure rests on the shoulders of the filmmakers, not the marketers. All we can do is try to deliver the biggest opening weekend possible. We control the quality of the marketing campaign, not the film, so we have to assume the opening weekend numbers will be all we get.

The online aspects of marketing a major summer movie have the same goals as the overall campaign: get butts in the theater seats. Viral marketing enables us to create more heat around a title, offer background and expand the story beyond what's covered in the film. Basically we provide movie fans with ample fodder to drool over. But the viral aspects expose us to a lot of tricky pitfalls. Are we using the right tools? Are we speaking to our target audience effectively? Are we stoking the flames of interest, but doing so in a way that ensures we don't run out of wood by the time the movie premieres? It's a delicate balance.

The fact is viral marketing of movies has become a little too literally viral for its own good. The marketing gimmicks themselves have become so relentless, so ubiquitous, so overbearing that in many ways they nullify their ability to rise above the chatter. We are marketers, but we're also moviegoers. And as consumers many of us are growing tired of our own marketing tactics.

Let's take a look at some of the ways the major studios are using new media to market 2008's tent poles, and see how the biggest trend -- audience fatigue -- is being managed.