'Sharknado' Won't Be 'Rocky Horror'

The attempt to milk Sharknado for all its worth will soon be coming to a theater near you: Regal Cinemas wants to cash in on everyone's brief Twitter obsession by showing it in theaters around the country, with the hopes that Sharknado becomes a Rocky Horror-esque phenomenon. But we don't really see that happening.

The attempt to milk Sharknado for all its worth will soon be coming to a theater near you: Regal Cinemas wants to cash in on everyone's brief Twitter obsession by showing it in theaters around the country, with the hopes that Sharknado becomes a Rocky Horror-esque phenomenon. But we don't really see that happening.

"You know how audiences have had fun with Rocky Horror Picture Show over the years," Regal's Chris Sylvia told The Hollywood Reporter's Hilary Lewis. "If the internet reactions to this film are any indication, then our moviegoers are primed and ready to enjoy Sharknado larger than life in cinemas."

But the Internet is very different from real-life. Sharknado was a funny little phenomenon that took over Twitter for an evening, but didn't have much impact on the actual number of television viewers. That fact makes one skeptical about the apparent shark-related trend happening in entertainment now. The fun of it—even for those that never actually tuned in—was the fact that a bunch of people were experiencing something silly all together for the first time. You can see via a Google Trends search the drastic downturn in Sharknado conversation.

Though what Regal says they want is a Rocky Horror-type experience, what they actually want is to recreate that social moment, which is likely impossible. Rocky Horror screenings are about visceral audience participation, which grew organically as the cult fandom spread. They involve dressing up and throwing things, not staring at a phone thinking hard about a witty comment that will get lots of favorites.