Warner Brothers to Stream ‘Casablanca’ on Facebook – One Night Only

The average age of a Facebook user is older than you think. In 2010 it was 38 (and trending even older). But that still means your run of the mill individual on the world’s largest social network was born at least 32 years after one of the greatest films in the history of American cinema hit theaters.

Casablanca debuted in 1942. That means the Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman flick about an American expatriate who meets a former lover while owning and operating a gin joint set in unoccupied Africa during the early days of World War 2 (that’s often considered one of the best movies ever made) celebrates its 70 anniversary this year. To commemorate the occasion, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution is doing a few things:

1. Releasing a three-disc Blu-ray and DVD combo edition gift set featuring the original film, two never-before-seen documentaries about the film, and more than 14 hours of bonus material.
2. Creating a Casablanca installment of Inside the Script – a “digital publishing initiative that gives movie fans an innovative new way to go deep inside their favorite films” by way of a highly illustrated eBook that contains the film’s “actual shooting script, rare materials from the Warner Bros. Corporate Archive and much more.”
3. Screening the film for one night only on Facebook.

Casablanca will be streamed in full, for free on the movie’s Facebook page on May 16, 2012 at 7PM ET and 7PM PT.

Of all the social media networks, on all the internets, in all the world, you may wonder why Warner Bros. Digital Distribution chose the seemingly young-adult-oriented Facebook as the place to host a free screening. The choice was made because Facebook isn’t as young as it may seem (as indicated above), Casablanca already has an innate audience on its Facebook page with over 760K fans, and nowhere else on the internet could Warner get that kind of scale and create their own online video viewing experience, complete with links to the aforementioned Casablanca Anniversary Gift Set and the Casablanca edition of Inside the Script.

Note that you must begin watching Casablanca prior to 9PM on May 16, 2012 to enjoy the free show. Here’s to looking at Facebook, kids.