In the brave new world of tie-in advertising, the most ridiculous, over-the-top ideas win. Sure it’s fine to have a car with a trunk in the front show up in a movie (perfect for transporting your Vibranium shield!), but when it comes to the real world, you need to do something that makes an impact. And that’s how I ended up getting sprayed down with mud, thanks to Tide’s “Collateral Stains” screening for Captain America: Brave New World.
This probably requires some explanation, so here’s the gist. Tide has a new campaign where they’re selling the idea that in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) people don’t suffer from “collateral damage,” they get hit with “collateral stains.” Meaning when Red Hulk (Harrison Ford) smashes down in Washington D.C., that’s bad news for Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), of course — but also some innocent folks at a bus-stop get slathered with mud. And wouldn’t you know it, Tide — specifically the new Tide Power PODS with Oxi Boost — is perfect for getting those collateral stains out of your clothes, whether you live in the MCU or not.
That leads to Thursday night when I was invited to a “collateral stains” screening of the new Captain America movie at a space in Brooklyn. Along with about a hundred other attendees, we were treated to pre-show candy, food, displays of the Tide ad campaign, and an orange carpet where you could take your before photo in your nice, clean clothes.
But the main event was the screening itself. Before entering, myself and my kid (who was nervously anticipating the whole affair) were approached by a PR rep who asked if we wanted a towel. I asked back if we would need one, and she gave an emphatic, “oh yeah.” Set up just past the orange carpet was a makeshift theater featuring folding chairs, a large screen, and black curtain all around. We also noticed some strange piping on the side and front of the theater, as well as coming out of the ceiling. And not only that, we were all handed Tide-branded face shields for the movie, indicating that things were about to get very messy.
Also different than your regular screening? After watching the new trailers for Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, a message came on screen noting that any time lights on the side of the auditorium flashed “Tide orange,” to be aware you were about to get dirty. And not only that, in a note that would usually make me turn into the Red Hulk, they said to absolutely have your phones out during the screening, to capture your own reactions.
So what actually happened during the “collateral stains” screening? Spoilers for the movie past this point. Things started off pretty magically, actually, with confetti falling from the ceiling, timed out to President Ross (Ford) accepting his nomination at the beginning of the movie. And when Sam lands in Mexico, as soon as his Vibranium armor sends out a shockwave, we were sprayed with a tiny bit of dirt from the front of the room. My impression at this point? It won’t get too bad.
And for the most part, it didn’t, mainly because Brave New World is mostly a talky conspiracy thriller, rather than a straightforward action movie. When Sam Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) uses his mind-control lights, strobes flashed in the theater. But for the bulk of the movie, that was it for the level of interactivity, making me wonder just why we were wearing face-shields, and my son was covering himself, huddled, terrified, under a towel.
…That is until the end of the action scene at Celestial Island, when Sam lands in the water, and the entire audience got sprayed down with a jet of water. Again, not dirty, but the delighted screams from myself and the rest of the audience were a fun capper on the movie’s best action sequence.
However, the tide turned (pun definitely intended) when the final fight between Red Hulk and Captain America hit, and the Tide orange lights started flashing like crazy. From that moment on, the entire audience was sprayed down with a mud-like substance (it seemed like it might be wet top soil) pretty much every time Red Hulk smashed down on the ground, with one final spray of mud when Sam uses the Vibranium shockwave, this time on Ross.
And after getting completely slathered in mud, we got one last lovely little moment: when Red Hulk is calmed by the cherry blossoms falling, reminding him of his daughter Betty (Liv Tyler), paper blossoms fell from the ceiling, timed to what was happening on screen. By that point, we were all a disgusting mess, and the blossoms added to a trashed auditorium. I did not envy whoever was coming to clean up later (I could be wrong, but I don’t think you can throw Tide PODS on the floor to magically get rid of dirt and wet paper).
On the way out, you could take pictures again for the “after,” and naturally a group of influencers and others had all worn white to show the contrast. Meanwhile, I headed home for a nice, long shower — and of course, getting those collateral stains out of my clothes with Tide.
My main impression? I definitely would never want to see a movie this way the first time through. For a second viewing? It was a ton of fun, and a pretty delightfully gross way to spend a Thursday evening. But maybe we can skip getting electrocuted for Thunderbolts*.
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