TikTok is looking to help movie theaters drive ticket sales among Gen Z—which eschews traditional ads for blockbusters—with a new ad format. 

Outlined in a blog post today, the update is part of the platform’s second annual TikTok World, an event highlighting tools for brands and marketers. In addition to the new ad format for movie theaters, TikTok also announced several new creator tools. 

The Showtime ad format will let movie studios promote films by showing a full trailer on TikTok, then provide local theater showtimes based on users’ locations. Users can click through to ticketing partners to buy tickets. Showtime, which is still in testing, is currently only for invited movie studios in the U.S. TikTok declined to share what studios were part of the pilot. 

The move signals how movie studios are trying to reach commercial-averse Gen Z on social platforms. “Gen Z still watches some linear TV, but they watch one-third less than the global average,” said Nikhil Lai, senior analyst at Forrester. “And, when they do watch linear TV, they don’t pay attention to ads. In our recent report on Gen Z behavior, one respondent shared that ‘[Gen Z is] prone to skip ads frequently’ on linear TV and ‘record shows in order to fast-forward through the commercials.’” 

Movie studios have been turning to TikTok to promote blockbuster releases. In January, the marketing team for the fifth installment of horror film “Scream” used hashtags, a voice changer and the film’s original cast to find new fans. For “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” Sony set up a TikTok page for the Daily Bugle, the newspaper where Peter Parker works, and had a TikToker make a cameo in the film. Over the summer, “Minions: The Rise of Gru” got a boost when it became a trend to see the movie in a suit and tie along with a group of friends, known as “Gentleminions.”

On the creator side, influencers will be able to add “anchors,” or links to games or product information. Gaming anchors will allow creators working with mobile game companies to add an iOS or Android app store link to download a game. The new feature is a nod to how popular gaming has become since the pandemic, as well as to gaming companies that want to capture Gen Z screen time. A similar feature called “comment anchors” will allow creators to pin a clickable link to the top of their comments section. But the comment anchors won’t be commissionable links, according to a TikTok spokesperson. That may mean creators still want to drive fans to those “links in bio.”

The TikTok World updates come on the heels of the company announcing it is moving forward with its live shopping features and is reportedly in talks with TalkShopLive, according to the Financial Times. Recently LinkedIn job postings show that TikTok is looking to build e-commerce product fulfillment centers in the U.S., a potential rival to Amazon. Earlier this year, the Financial Times reported that TikTok had to rethink its live shopping project in the U.K. after creators dropped out.

For brands, TikTok will now have a new recommendation functionality, dubbed TikTok Creator Marketplace (TTCM) Match, that can automatically generate lists of creators based on a brand’s brief. Brands will also now have access to Invite Links, which let them work with any creator, even if they are not part of the creator marketplace, and still have access to marketplace campaign reporting and tools. Other updates include improved keyword search, and more granular post-campaign reporting metrics, including audience overlap, audience interest distribution and Spark Ads campaign dates. Open application campaigns, which let brands post campaign briefs and let creators apply, will now be available in all markets.

Another feature for brands is Focused View, a new ad format where brands pay only when users have voluntarily watched an ad for at least six seconds or interacted with the ad in under six seconds. The goal is to show ads to users who are voluntarily engaging with a brand.

And as part of the TikTok for Developers program, the platform is also rolling out Profile Kit, which allows users to integrate their TikTok accounts to display content on third-party apps. Linktree is the first integration partner, meaning creators can put their TikTok content directly on their Linktree page.