The Veronica Mars movie hits theaters this weekend, and it has you — the Internet — to thank.
The film, based on the popular TV series starring Kristen Bell that was cancelled in 2007, comes to the silver screen less than a year after it was fully funded on Kickstarter.

The success around the campaign was unprecedented. It was the fastest Kickstarter project to reach $1 million and it the $2 million milestone on day two. It ultimately brought in $5.7 million with the help of 91,000 backers — the most backers of a single project in the site's history.

The plot focuses on Veronica returning to her hometown of Neptune, Calif., to help her former boyfriend who's been accused of murdering his famous girlfriend. The 'Veronica Mars' Kickstarter move was the first major Hollywood initiative to do so and launched just weeks before actor Zach Braff took a similar approach for his crowdfunded film Wish I Was Here.
Veronica Mars backers were awarded various perks based on how much money they contributed. One fan spent $10,000 for a speaking role as a waiter in the film — the scene involves Veronica eating at a restaurant with two other characters when a backer walks up to them and says, “Your check, sir.” The scene was spoofed on site Funny or Die, with checks delivered by dozens of waiters in a nod to the Kickstarter perk:

Backers had the opportunity to name characters and attend the red carpet premiere — more than 100 people pledged $1,000 for the latter offer. But the most taxing part of delivering on what was promised to backers was getting the busy cast to sign 5,000 posters for backers, according to the film's director Rob Thomas. The effort took several days and a lot of back-and-forth shuttling for everyone to sign.
"This movie would not exist if we had not gone down this path," Thomas told The Huffington Post.
Veronica Mars lands in theaters on Friday, March 14.
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