‘How to Rob a Bank’ Marketing Stunt: A Mystery ATM in LA Is Giving Away Free Cash
Movie marketing has come a long way from posters and trailers, and studios keep looking for stunts that people actually want to share. A film about thieves who become online celebrities is a natural fit for something a little mischievous. The latest ‘How to Rob a Bank’ promotion lets Los Angeles residents join in the fun without breaking a single law.
The film is David Leitch’s R-rated heist thriller from Amazon MGM Studios, and it runs 122 minutes. Mark Bianculli wrote the screenplay, which he developed with Imagine Entertainment for several years before Leitch came aboard. It was originally set for September 4 but moved back two months to a theatrical-only release on November 13.
The promotion centers on an ATM that has appeared around Los Angeles. It gives out free money to anyone who can figure out both its location and its PIN code. The machine is bright green and pink with the movie’s branding, and the screen prompts users to enter a code.
A person in an animal mask stands beside it holding a sign that points to a dedicated website, whoshungryla.com. The site gives clues about where the ATM will show up next, so people have to follow the trail across the city and then crack the PIN.
An ATM has been set up in LA to promote David Leitch’s HOW TO ROB A BANK’ that gives out free money if people work out the location & PIN code. A website https://t.co/pqU0JA9rtZ has been set up that will give clues to the ATM’s next location in LA. https://t.co/uETNECbIsr
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 28, 2026
The tie-in makes sense when you look at the premise. The film follows a crew of social-media-savvy bank robbers who broadcast their daring heists, unaware that their viral fame has put them in the crosshairs of a veteran FBI agent and a brilliant software engineer. The crew livestreams its robberies while wearing cartoonish animal masks, and the trailers show Nicholas Hoult’s character teaching the internet how to pull off a robbery.
An ATM that rewards people for hunting for clues borrows the film’s mix of crime and viral attention-seeking. The mask-wearing promoter even echoes the robbers’ look, which keeps the stunt consistent with the movie’s world.
Hoult leads the film, and Zoë Kravitz plays the software engineer who teams up with John C. Reilly’s FBI agent. The ensemble also includes Anna Sawai, Rhenzy Feliz, Christian Slater, who plays a character named Walton, and Pete Davidson.
Leitch is best known for action hits, having directed ‘Bullet Train’, ‘Deadpool 2’, ‘Atomic Blonde’ and ‘The Fall Guy’. Brian Grazer, Jeb Brody, Allan Mandelbaum, Kelly McCormick and Leitch produce through 87North and Imagine Entertainment.
The trailers have leaned into a kinetic, satirical tone. One outlet described the first trailer as acerbic and full of action, with a pitch of Robin Hood as a content creator in a furry outfit, and another noted a hint of anti-capitalist sentiment. Another trailer sees Hoult’s character pointing out that an audience can be more powerful than money.
That mix of humor and social commentary is likely why the studio is willing to try playful marketing. The movie is built around the idea that attention has value, and a free-cash ATM is a very literal way to get it.
New first trailer for David Leitch’s ‘HOW TO ROB A BANK’ has been released. 🎥 Starring Nicholas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz, Anna Sawai and Pete Davidson. In theaters on September 4. https://t.co/h9m6r40169
— Film Crave (@_filmcrave) September 17, 2026
Los Angeles fans have another way to see the film before it opens. The American Cinematheque will host a free advance screening at the Aero Theatre on November 7 as part of a David Leitch retrospective. A Q&A with the director follows, moderated by screenwriter Jon Spaihts.
Until then, the city’s mysterious ATM is the closest anyone can legally get to pulling off a bank job. Whether it ends up as a one-off city scavenger hunt or the start of a wider campaign remains to be seen.
Stunts like this work because they create stories people tell on their own. A viral hunt for a hidden machine gets locals out on the street and gets everyone else talking, and it costs the studio only a little more than the cash it gives away.
It also gives a heist movie something fitting, an actual puzzle. With the release date now a few weeks away, the ATM may be the first of several tricks up the film’s sleeve.
Would You Hunt Down a Mystery ATM for Free Cash?
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