Popcorn, Candy, and QR Codes: How Films Use QR Codes

A QR code is an image, usually square and made up of smaller black and white squares, that contains data. This data can then be scanned by a mobile phone, tablet, camera, or other device in order to be viewed and accessed. 

These codes were invented in the 1990s as a more robust replacement of the traditional UPC barcode, and have since gone on to be used just about everywhere. Today you can find QR codes on posters, fliers, business cards, stickers, restaurant menus, event spaces, and as this article would suggest, in forms of media like TV, video games, and movies

Did you know that if you see a QR code in a movie then you can likely scan it? Or that doing so can reward you with extra content, prizes, or a number of other goodies? Well it’s true! Since QR codes are essentially just pictures in the real world, it’s possible to scan one you see on a TV screen just as you would on a poster or business card. 

QR codes in movies can turn the experience into an immersive and interactive one, essentially making it into an alternate reality game, or ARG. 

By far the most common usage of QR codes in movies is in promotional material leading up to the release and not within the film itself. Pretty much all of the big players in Hollywood, like Disney, Warner Bros., and Paramount, have experimented with QR codes as promotional content, as well as smaller budget independent studios. 

The content accessed via QR codes can include anything from trailers, official websites, sweepstakes entry, and even some goodies to reward eagle eyed fans. 

Quite a few popular movies have used QR codes as part of their marketing campaigns in recent years. One example is from the biggest film franchise to date, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Iron Man 2. 

Leading up to the film’s release, a poster was distributed where a QR code was contained within the arc reactor on the chest of the titular character. Scanning this would bring audiences to a web page containing additional information about the film’s plot, trailers, images, and even a page where you could buy tickets. 

Within the trailer of the 2018 film Ready Player One, eagle eyed fans can spot a QR code on a magazine. Scanning this code would lead them into a deep and elaborate ARG related to the movie. This helped add a sense of immersion to the experience, as the film itself revolves around finding clues and easter eggs in order to gain a prize. 

Another MCU project, 2024’s Deadpool and Wolverine, used a QR code in a piece of marketing, this time in one of the trailers. Scanning this code would lead viewers to a short comedic video featuring the film’s star, Ryan Reynolds, reading off a list of tongue in cheek disclaimers regarding the upcoming movie. 

While all the films just mentioned use QR codes in marketing material outside of their respective films, it is possible to find a scannable QR code within the film itself, as was the case with the 2023 Netflix film Leave the World Behind. This code, found partway through the movie, leads viewers to a travel blog on some of the most haunted locations in the world. 

If you’re a film maker and want to incorporate QR codes into your films, either in marketing materials or within the films themselves, then there’s a few things you can do. How you should go about creating your QR codes depends on where you want to put them and what type of content you want them to be attached to. 

As for the physical placement of your codes, here are a few helpful guides. 

• Cards
• Stickers
• Fliers/posters

For more information on attaching a specific piece of information or form of media to a QR code, the following pieces will be able to help! 

• Images
• Social media accounts
• Videos
• Text documents

• Know your audience: If you’re certain that most of your intended audience doesn’t know how to use QR codes or just don’t like them, then don’t use them. 

• Keep instructions clear: Provide clear instructions on how to use and scan QR codes as well as where the codes will redirect to. 

• Place codes on a flat surface: To make sure that codes are still scannable, only put them on flat surfaces, like walls, tables, posters, or fliers. 

• Use high contrast: If using custom colors on a code, make sure that the colors are distinct enough from each other to be read as a QR code. 

• Make sure codes are visible: Don’t place codes where patrons are unlikely to see them. 

• Only use codes when necessary: If an alternative exists that’s easier for all parties involved, use that. 

• Test on multiple devices: Make sure your codes work whether scanned on an Android device, iPhone, tablet, or other device.

With the tools available on QR Code Developer, as well as other code generators, you can monitor the usage of any code you create. This can include how many times a code has been scanned, where it has been scanned, on what device, using what browser, and more. With these tools, you can figure out which codes are reaching the most people and where to focus any advertising efforts. 

With QRCodeveloper you can monitor:

• Number of scans
• Number of scans by operating system
• Scans by browser
• Scans by country
• Scans by city
• Scans by language
• Unique scans

Now that you know about how film makers can use QR codes within and around their movies, perhaps you’ll keep an eagle eye out for any in the future. It’s likely that even more studios and directors will follow suit and you will likely be rewarded for your efforts. 

If you want to create your own QR code for usage in a movie or anything else, then you can do so right now with the free tools available from QR Code Developer. Get started today and join the exciting world of QR codes!