Anime fans are out here building CULTS. Respectfully, where is your fandom?
What if theaters stopped marketing like organizations… and started behaving like fandoms?
Anime doesn’t just build audiences—it builds communities, ecosystems that create, share, and obsess together. If theaters want to grow in a real, sustainable way, here are four lessons they need to take from fandom culture—immediately.
1. Fandoms build IDENTITY.
With 64% of fans considering their fandom a defining part of their identity, fandom-driven marketing means shifting the mindset from a transactional relationship to a value-driven one.
Oftentimes, theaters go quiet… until it’s time to sell tickets, which is not building community but rather making an announcement. That’s not the way to build fandom OR loyalty.
What this means for theaters:
- Speak to your audience, not at them
- Position your show as something they belong to
- Use language that invites ownership
Stop marketing like you’re selling a product.
Start building something people see themselves in. If your audience only hears from you when tickets go on sale, you’re already behind.
2. Fandoms Are Interactive
Are you selling a ticket, or an experience?
Fandoms don’t just consume content.
They respond to it, shape it, and share it.
They thrive on experiences.
What this means for theaters:
- Turn posts into conversations
- Ask questions that invite personality, not just answers
- Create content your audience can respond to.
The moment your audience participates, they stop being viewers—and start becoming fans.
3. Fandoms love lore.
Fandom culture is built on:
- References
- Running jokes
- “If you know, you know” moments
That’s what creates community.
Because when someone gets the joke, they feel like they’re part of something.
What this means for theaters:
- Post backstage chaos
- Share bloopers and rehearsal moments
- Let your audience in on the things only they would understand
- Share the backstory of the show or characters.
4. Fandoms Make People Feel Seen
Fandoms work because people feel seen and recognized.
They comment—and get replies.
They post—and get featured.
They engage—and get acknowledged.
Theaters?
They post… and disappear.
What this means for theaters:
- Reply to comments (yes, actually reply)
- Feature your audience in your content
- Acknowledge the people showing up for you
Take it a step further by building a ‘theater universe’ or giving your insiders a name.
When people feel seen, they come back. When they don’t, they scroll.
This is exactly what Mx. BIS is designed to do:
- Turn your content into famdndom-driven messaging
- Build interactive posts that spark response
- Help you create community, not just campaigns
- Give you systems to consistently engage your audience
Because the goal isn’t just to sell tickets. It’s about building something people feel they belong to.