"ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US" Official Movie Poster Considered A Tribute To Fans From Around The World

LOS ANGELES, April 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In what will become a frenzied digital search by 1D fans, One Direction and Sony Pictures will unveil the official movie poster this week for their upcoming 3D film, ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US.  The poster, which includes an amazing array of fan-submitted photos from around the world, will launch on Thursday, April 18 at 7pm ET / 4pm PT, in the U.S. with Yahoo! Movies, AOL Moviefone, and MSN Movies, in the UK with The Sun, and on local sites across international markets.

Paying tribute to those that helped catapult the band to success, the poster's backdrop is a mosaic made up of thousands of LITTLE THINGS – the fans themselves.  Hundreds of thousands of people have been flooding the official site and submitting photos since February in the hopes that their snapshot will be featured in the movie poster. 

The tribute poster also "comes to life" when fans use their smart phones to scan the Zapcode on the poster unlocking an augmented reality experience and exclusive video content of the band.  The Zappar app is free and available for download in the App Store or Google Play.

A digital version of the poster, which will include even more fan photos within the mosaic, will launch online in early May at www.1DThisIsUs-movie.com.  Participants will be able to locate and share their photo across multiple social networks. 

The movie is directed by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me), and will hit theaters in the UK on August 29^th and in the U.S. on Friday, August 30^th.

One Direction – Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson – were discovered by Simon Cowell on the U.K.'s "The X Factor" in 2010. The band quickly gained a following to become one of the competition's all-time most popular acts, finishing in the final three and garnering a gigantic and loyal fanbase along the way. In March 2012, One Direction's debut album, "Up All Night," made U.S. history, as it was the first time a U.K. group's debut album entered the U.S. Billboard 200 chart at No. 1. The band has sold over 29 million records worldwide. In November 2012, One Direction released their sophomore album, "Take Me Home," which includes the No. 1 single, "Live While We're Young," and are currently on a sold-out world tour.

Simon Cowell, Adam Milano, Morgan Spurlock, and Ben Winston are producing the film.  Executive Producers are Richard Griffiths, Harry Magee, Will Bloomfield, Doug Merrifield, Jeremy Chilnick, and Matthew Galkin. 

Follow @1DThisIsUs on Twitter for exclusive updates about the movie.  The official movie account on Twitter will announce news using the hashtag #1DThisIsUs.

About Sony Pictures:
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; a global channel network; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in 159 countries. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com/

About Zappar:
Zappar is a proprietary Augmented Reality ("AR") platform for mobile phones and tablets that turns products and images into bite-sized entertainment experiences. Zappar works closely with brands, license partners and retailers across the world to produce innovative, customizable market-leading AR solutions. Download the app for free from the App Store or Google Play. Zappar previously worked with One Direction and Sony Music for the launch of their latest album through the Limited Edition Box Set. The partnership led to close to 1m Zaps of the One Direction Picture Book. For more information, please visit www.zappar.com.

About Syco Entertainment
Syco Entertainment is a joint venture between Simon Cowell and Sony Music and is one of the world's leading global music, film and television production companies responsible for some of the world's most successful global TV and music franchises including The X Factor and Got Talent. Syco Entertainment is also the world most successful producer of international talent. Syco Music is the record label home for such diverse international recording artists as Labrinth, One Direction, Cher Lloyd, Leona Lewis, Susan Boyle, Little Mix, and Il Divo as well as other artists discovered through Syco TV series' including Tate Stevens, Emblem3, Fifth Harmony, James Arthur, Ella Henderson, Loveable Rogues and Rebecca Ferguson.  Artists discovered by The X Factor format have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, including 110 number ones, 270 top 10, and 501 top 50 releases. Syco's television assets include the global franchises The X Factor and Got Talent. The X Factor was created by Syco Television and is produced by Syco Television and FremantleMedia. Local versions of The X Factor are produced in more than 41 territories and the US version of The X Factor airs in over 166 countries. In 2012 Got Talent became the world's biggest selling TV format and is now commissioned in 52 countries as a local format. The US version, America's Got Talent, is NBC's leading summer entertainment format and additionally airs in 152 countries.  In 2012 Syco TV formats were responsible for more than 2,000 hours of original television worldwide - equivalent to nearly three months of television viewing.  The X Factor is now watched by more than half a billion people around the world.

In 2013 Syco continues to capitalise on the ongoing success of its established global hit TV formats and a number of new projects including new TV series Food Glorious Food and two films - One Direction's 3D movie with Sony Pictures and 'One Chance', a film based on the success story of Britain's Got Talent's first winner, Paul Potts, in association with the Weinstein Company. Syco Entertainment also recently announced it's new partnership with You Tube; "The You Generation" channel  – The world's first global talent discovery channel which spans across 26 countries.

SOURCE Sony Pictures