'Walter Mitty' Trailer Boosts Of Monsters and Men Song

The 18-month-old track is a surprise hit thanks to its use in a preview for Ben Stiller's upcoming film.

Ben Stiller's next film, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, will not be in theaters until Christmas but it's already having an influence on the band Of Monsters and Men. "Dirty Paws," a track from the act's Republic Records debut My Head Is an Animal, had a significant sales spike in August after it provided the soundtrack to the first Walter Mitty trailer, which runs two minutes and seven seconds. Released a year and a half ago and never worked at radio, "Dirty Paws" sold 34,000 downloads in August -- an average of 6,700 per week -- after 17 months of weekly sales around 1,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The song's presence prompted alternative KROQ Los Angeles to give the song 17 spins between Aug. 26 and Sept. 1, according to Nielsen BDS. Republic is exploring a potential radio campaign. The track has been posted on SoundCloud with a tag for the Walter Mitty soundtrack. 

The five most popular versions of the trailer uploaded to YouTube have been viewed more than 4.4 million times as of Monday.

"There's a great feeling of momentum," says Republic executive VP Charlie Walk. "Come November and December, that's a big song helping set them up [for their next album] and the soundtrack. [The trailer] is one of the great music videos."

Universal Music Group's Republic will release the soundtrack around the time the film opens on Dec. 25.