A built-in fan base and a robust marketing campaign helped Collective Pictures’ Code 8 Part II exceed its performance expectations.

The Code 8 sequel debuted as the No. 1 film on Netflix globally for the week of Feb. 26 to March 3, accruing 20 million views and 33.4 million hours of viewing time following its Feb. 28 premiere.

The film was No. 2 on the charts for the following week (March 4 to 10), behind fellow Netflix original Damsel, starring Stranger Things actor Millie Bobby Brown. It added another 11.9 million views (and 19.8 million hours) in its second week, totalling 31.9 million views.

Code 8 Part II is directed by Jeff Chan, who co-wrote the script with Chris Paré. The two also produced the film under the Toronto-based banner Collective Pictures alongside stars Robbie Amell and Stephen Amell, as well as Steven Hoban and Matthew Kariatsumari.

The feature is set in a fictional world where individuals with super-human abilities are labelled outcasts by society.

“When we look at those lists, we’re competing with people like Tyler Perry and Adam Sandler,” Chan tells Playback Daily. “We don’t really have the same resources, both from a production budget standpoint and from a cultural footprint standpoint, so for us to be able to take number one spot was a big deal for us.”

Code 8 Part II was already working with a solid foundation. The original Code 8, which began as a short film, was supported by a record-breaking crowdfunding campaign that saw $2.4 million raised to turn it into a feature. The campaign was championed by Robbie and Stephen Amell.

That built-in support helped buoy it to hit No. 1 when it debuted on Netflix in April 2020. Actual viewing statistics were not disclosed at the time.

When it came time to consider marketing the sequel, Netflix – which picked up global rights to the film – came on board as a partner in the promotional efforts. The goal was to not only bring back viewers of the first film, but expand the audience on a global scale.

The marketing campaign included the use of billboards at Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto, Times Square in New York City, and Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles; a three-week press tour, which included stops at fan conventions in Orlando, Fla. and Vancouver and a press day in New York; and televised spots during NHL and NBA games. The budget for the campaign was not disclosed.

Paré says the “pinnacle of the marketing push” was the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival’s Lightbox theatre on Feb. 26. The premiere included a to-scale model of one of the drones featured in the film (pictured right).

One unexpected result from the marketing push has been a resurgence in interest for the original film. Code 8 has ranked as the No. 4 film on Netflix globally for the last two weeks, garnering a combined 13.5 million views and 22.2 million hours viewed.

“We hoped that part two would hit number one and that’s really what our focus was,” says Paré. “It was a big surprise for everyone to see how many people were diving back into the original film and looking at this as a franchise between the two films. That blew us away a little bit.”

Whether there will be a Code 8 Part III is yet to be determined, but Chan says the team would love to find a way to continue the story.

In the meantime, Collective Pictures is working on a very different project: a comedy about the world of competitive speed walking.

Racewalkers is written and directed by Kevin Claydon and Phil Moniz, with Evan Landry as co-writer. The film is being financed with the support of Telefilm Canada via the lower budget stream of its Production Program and Ontario Creates, according to Chan, who says it’s “one of the funniest, most exciting projects that I’ve ever been a part of.”

Chan says that, while the success of the Code 8 films has helped open the doors to work in the U.S., he hopes that the company can continue to get support from the infrastructure in Canada. “I really want our films to be Canadian-controlled and made,” he says.

Code 8 Part II is also executive produced by Mark Smith, Brian Huynh, Nate Bolotin, Wade Odlum and Aaron Barnett.

Images courtesy of Collective Pictures