Amazon Prime Video Brings New York Grindhouse Theater to LA for Hunters

Timed to the series’ debut today, the brand has launched the Hunters Grindhouse Experience in Highland Park. The public event has taken over a city block of Figueroa Street in the northeast L.A. neighborhood, giving local venues like Highland Theatres and Highland Park Bowl a 1970s makeover themed to the show’s setting.

Amazon Prime Video worked with brand experience agencies Campfire and The Mill to immerse guests in the world of the show. Notably, the teams turned Highland Theatres into The Empire, a venue inspired by the grindhouses on New York’s 42nd Street in the 1970s.

The brand turned Highland Theatres and its surroundings into a 1970s New York atmosphere.

Greg Noire

The screening offered guests 1970s-style movie snacks.

Greg Noire

The theater hosted a VIP preview screening of the series’ first episode on Tuesday, where guests were treated to 1970s-style concessions like popcorn and candy. After the screening, event staffers led guests across the street to the rebranded Hunters Alley (Highland Park Bowl) for an afterparty that included branded bowling, Coney Island-style performers and carnival stations, a Hunters-themed photo booth, and classic New York bites like pizza and latkes.

The experience, which is free with RSVP on a custom Hunters website, is open now through Sunday. Venues will offer specials throughout the weekend. Bars including Good Housekeeping and Gold Line are serving Hunters-themed cocktails; Civil Coffee is serving a themed menu; The Artform Studio is offering $10 off ‘70s records; and Owl Bureau bookstore is extending its hours for ‘70s-themed book and poetry nights. The brand is also throwing an afterparty that will mirror the kickoff party at Highland Theatres on Sunday.

Stations included a "sideshow" with Coney Island-themed performers and activities.

Greg Noire

Amazon Prime Video declined to offer more details about the strategy behind the five-day event, but the company is no stranger to producing elaborate public activations to promote its original series and films. For The Aeronauts, the brand launched a cross-country pop-up tour that resembled a 19th-century carnival, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s third season kicked off with a month-long promotional push that included a Las Vegas excursion, a hotel takeover and a Hanukkah celebration.

“As we’ve learned from past activations, these immersive moments are really memorable for consumers,” said Jennifer Verdick, head of partnerships and events for Amazon Prime Video, in a statement. “The rich, cinematic storytelling of Hunters provided the opportunity to bring their gritty world of 1970s New York City to life and introduce fans to the show.”

Cast members attended opening night, interacting with a fictional comic shop inspired by the show.

Greg Noire

Amazon Prime Video hasn’t yet announced whether it will activate for Hunters, or another series, at SXSW next month. At last year’s conference in Austin, Texas, the brand held a massive apocalypse-themed experience for the miniseries Good Omens.

The 10-episode first season of Hunters, which stars Al Pacino, Logan Lerman and Jerrika Hinton, was created by David Weil and executive produced by Jordan Peele.