This is a word of mouth marketing case study in the making.

A couple of years back, there was a television show called Firefly, written and directed by Joss Whedon (creator of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'). A Western set in Outer Space ... or maybe it was a Space film with a Western motif ... the shows premise was creative, the story extremely textured and the dialogue smart and witty. The show deservedly earned good reviews, but the good executives at FOX decided to run the episodes out of sequence and repeatedly pre-empted it for sporting events. Thirteen episodes were made - only eleven of which aired - and then the show was cancelled.

When the show was cancelled, fans started letter writing campaigns to have it picked up or to be moved to another network. Though the campaign was not enough to save the show, it did convince FOX to release the show as a DVD set[Image]. The DVD sales were through the roof, selling hundreds of thousands of copies. Universal Pictures stepped up and allowed Joss to bring the show back as a major motion picture, due out this Friday.

But here's what's really interesting, and why I think Serenity is destined to do well at the box office. For the past three years, the loyal fans of the show, with a little egging on by Joss and Universal, have been prosteletizing and drawing in new members to the flock. Those that watch the show, generally enjoy it. So fans have been on active campaigns to show Firefly to as many people as possible. Some hold parties to screen the show. Others purchase a second DVD boxed set for the express purpose of loaning to others.

Others have taken it upon themselves to do what they can to increase the visibility of the brand and franchise. From taking it upon themselves to restock store shelves to give the Firefly DVD a more optimum placement, to dressing up as characters from the show for science fiction conventions, to plugging the film on call in shows. One fan has taken it upon himself to, within the confines of an online video game, spray paint on every wall he finds 'Watch Serenity'.

And it's not just within games that the online buzz is growing. BlogPulse shows that on any given day, there are some 15000 blog entries made about the show. A Google search on 'firefly fan' will bring up hundreds of fan driven websites. 'The Signal', a podcast devoted to the show, is currently the number one program listed on Podcast Alley.

I would be very surprised if the film does less than $20 million on its opening weekend, and expect if the film lives up to the show the final take will be around $75 - $100 million. And this a film with no big name actors, based on a tv show that was cancelled before even completing its first season.