Iconic movies transformed to captivate the spinning reels audience
Marketing and merchandising are all part and parcel of modern movie production, raking in revenues far beyond what any box office success alone can achieve. Many of us will have grown up with lunchboxes and action figures, although in the digital age, the choice of options for cinematic ties are much greater than ever before.
Chances are that whenever any new blockbuster is going through production, studio executives are already tying up deals with games developers. This includes those who make the latest and most engaging online video slots. The best of these can be discovered when seeking accurate and truthful online casino reviews, highlighting where popular slots can be found, along with exciting bonus offers.
Never before have the cinematic and gaming spheres been so closely linked, leading us to discover some fantastic slots that capture the imagination. Indeed, slots themed around popular hit movies are also now amongst the most popular at online casinos, as players enjoy the familiarity of stories they cherish, while captivated by the spinning reels and special features. These are three such slot gaming experiences worthy of our appreciation.
Dune
Trying to translate Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel to the silver screen, this was always a daunting task to say the least, as the 1984 production by David Lynch proved. That release was panned by critics and fared poorly at the box office, although it did late gain cult fandom over time. Denis Villeneuve took on the challenge with his 2021 release of Dune, the first of a two-part adaption based more closely on the book, with the second film due in 2023.
Villanueve’s version of Dune fared much more favourably with critics, who largely praised the sensory big screen epic experience, along with achieving box office success and winning six Academy Awards. Likewise, the franchise has now expanded into the realms of casino gaming, following the release of a licensed slot, allowing players the chance to spin an epic adventure and become a legend.
Packed with visual imagery and videos from the movie, the Dune slot by Aristocrat Gaming was launched in Las Vegas casino resorts, as a subtle nod to the iconic desert location akin to planet Arrakis in the movie. Even the monstrous sand worms are present, whenever special jackpot features are unlocked, creating plenty of anticipation ahead of the slot being released at online casinos in the coming months.
Psycho
When originally released at movie theatres back in 1960, Alfred Hitchcock’s famous fright film broke all the rules, turning a low-budget production into an absolute masterpiece. Breaking entirely new ground back then, Psycho is considered to be the earliest example of the slasher film genre, particularly given the subject matter and story was also highly controversial at the time of release.
Now thought of as one of the greatest movies of all time, Hitchcock genuinely pushed boundaries with Psycho, casting no big-name actors and taking a novel approach to marketing. It also made a household name of lead actor Anthony Perkins, whose portrayal of unhinged psychopath Norman Bates frightened and captivated audiences in equal measure. But how can this be translated into an online slot game?
Well, having secured licensing from Universal Studios, developers NextGen Gaming took on the challenge and the result is full of Psycho nostalgia and excitement. Featuring the most atmospheric imagery and audio from the movie, it’s hard for players to resist taking a stab if you can excuse the pun, seeking to slash away at the spinning reels and land murderously good jackpot prizes.
Jurassic Park
What’s not to love about huge dinosaurs? Well, gigantic prehistoric monsters have certainly been a massive success at the box office, making Jurassic Park one of the biggest grossing movie franchises of all time. Following the original trilogy, the legacy has continued with the Jurassic World franchise, recently concluding with the third story of another blockbuster trilogy.
Based in the United Kingdom, leading casino games developer Microgaming bagged the licensing rights from Universal Studios, launching their first Jurassic Park slots based on the original movie in 2014. That proved a timely and lucrative decision, capturing the imagination of slots players, just before the first movie of the Jurassic World sequel franchise was released.
Microgaming also decided to remake and reimagine their first game of the series, releasing Jurassic Park Gold early in 2022, further enhancing the slot experience with animations when special features are unlocked. Likewise, gameplay in the Jurassic World Domination slot, timed to coincide with the movie release, truly takes the spinning reels into the next generation of interactive casino gaming.
Garon Cockrell is the Founder and Editor of Pop Culture Beast and host of The Pop Culture Beast Show. He founded the site over seven years ago to have a place on the internet to write about the things he loved. Since then, Garon has become a best-selling author (Demonic and Other Tales), an award winning screenwriter (Best Screenplay 2013 Motor City Nightmares Film Festival), and a cast member on the top rated podcast, Never Not Funny.