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Are slot machines the future of movie merchandising?

June 26th, 2016 by Irwin Fletcher Comments

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In an age when merchandise has become almost as important as the movies themselves it’s no wonder that there are even slot machines that try to capture the essence of the film to attract its fans.

So even though Disney opted out of movie-themed slots machines some years, thus denying Star Wars fans and others the chance to play along to their favourite movies, there’s still a great selection especially for some of the cinema’s biggest franchises.

A good example is The Lord of the Rings slot machine, one of the top five movie-based slot machines to be found in the casinos of Las Vegas

For just 40 cents a play you can enter the magical world of Middle Earth in the company of many of the film’s main characters including Frodo, Aragon and Gandalf. The game play involves the unlocking of bonuses and beating off the powers of evil along the way and the machine also includes a number of games including The Prancing Pony, Gandalf’s Fireworks and Garden Heist.

Another film-themed slot that appears in the Las Vegas top five is Sex and the City. In all this features 9 bonus rounds which include iconic scenes from the film version of the TV show as well as an extra round where you can actually dress up as the characters themselves. For an extra frisson of excitement, every time you win you receive the heartfelt congratulations of Mr Big. Being a Vegas machine it also has a big, big jackpot big enough to fund the shopping spree of your life.

Away from the real world and into the digital, one of the biggest online slots games released this year has come from Zynga Inc., the world’s largest social game developer. Themed around the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory film starring Gene Wilder rather than the more recent Johnny Depp version it’s a natural choice for a game. It follows a journey round the factory for the lucky winners of the golden tickets with each level of the game featuring a different room of the factory. There are scenes from the film, original cast voices and even the chance to play along with friends via Facebook and other social media.

Online casinos have also been quick to incorporate famous and cult movies into their slot offerings. For example 888Casino offers you some fascinating online slots with a chance to enjoy chills and thrills as you come up against the gruesome presence of Freddie Krueger, the terrifying star of the Nightmare on Elm Street series. It’s a five-reel, 30 pay line game that includes a “Never Sleep Again” bonus round as well as Pick Me and Wild features.

Or, for an altogether more mellow experience, 888 Casino also features a game honouring the Coen Brothers’ classic The Big Lebowski. The original film starred Jeff Bridges and John Goodman who both appear in the game which also features plenty of ten-pin bowling action too.

So if your idea of heaven is settling down with a big box of popcorn to in front of any of the movies we’ve been talking about why not give the slots a go too? After all, it’s your best chance ever to turn the tables and actually get paid to watch all your favourites from the big screen.

I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.