Amazon is giving a year of free Prime to all the residents in a Massachusetts town

Amazon’s marketing team has evidently been busy exploring ways to promote the imminent arrival of Manchester by the Sea on its Prime Video service. The result? The offer of a free Prime membership for a year to everyone in the Massachusetts city of the same name where the movie was made. Oh, and they’ll receive a free bag of popcorn, too.

The Oscar-winning movie, starring Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams, and written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan, lands on Prime on Friday, May 5, and so the residents of Manchester-by-the-Sea who aren’t yet fully paid-up members of Prime will now be able to stream it for the princely sum of nothing. And enjoy a free bag of popcorn while doing so.

Amazon

Amazon said it’ll send a gift box (pictured) to every home in Manchester-by-the Sea this week, with recipients invited to claim their freebies via an activation code.

“Enjoy popcorn and a movie on us”

“Oscar winning Manchester by the Sea is coming to Prime Video on May 5, and we wanted customers in the town to enjoy popcorn and a movie on us,” Greg Hart, VP of Amazon Video, said on the company’s website. “Manchester by the Sea is a masterpiece representing the best of cinematic storytelling. In other words, it is wicked awesome.”

The drama has indeed been receiving rave reviews, and in February secured Affleck and Lonergan Oscars for best actor and best original screenplay, respectively.

The movie has special significance for Amazon as not only did its production arm — Amazon Studios — distribute it, but it also became the first movie from a streaming service to be nominated for a best picture Oscar.

Prime costs $99 a year and besides free access to thousands of movies, TV shows, music tracks, and ebooks, also offers free and fast delivery for goods ordered on its site. With Manchester-by-the-Sea’s population standing at little more than 5,000, the financial cost to Amazon for its giveaway will be negligible while bringing wider rewards in terms of hype for both the movie and Prime.