KABALI FEVER GRIPS FANS, INDIA INC ALIKE
Coins, free tickets among key initiatives by firms; start-ups in Chennai & Bengaluru give a day off to employees to watch the film
When Muthoot Fincorp introduced special silver coins last week to cash in on the hoopla around Rajinikanthstarrer Kabali, little did it know that 102 kg worth of these would be snapped in a span of seven days. The sale of these coins, embossed with the star’s face, a first for the company, translates into ~75 lakh in revenue.
The response has prompted Muthoot Fincorp to continue with the sale for another month. Company executives say the special-edition coins are like a collector’s item for Rajinikanth fans and, hence, will ensure brisk business through the month.
Muthoot is not the only company to monetise one of the most anticipated movies of 2016, released on Friday. Companies, like commoners, rushed to book seats for the first day, first show. At the forefront was information technology services major Cognizant, which pre-booked 200 tickets for employees making a flat payment of around ~1 lakh.
In this city and in Bengaluru, many companies even declared a holiday, so that staff could enjoy the film.
Produced with a budget of ~110 crore, the third costliest Rajinistarrer after Robot (~200 crore) and Kochadaiiyaan (~125 crore), Kabali has been released in 10,000 screens in India and abroad. As many as 6,000 of these are located in international markets, D Paranthaman, chief executive officer of V Creations, the film’s producer, had told Business Standard earlier.
There was a mad rush for tickets across markets in the US, United Arab Emirates, Thailand and Malaysia, where 80 per cent of the film was shot. Special screenings were organised in these markets as well.
While first-day box-office collections will only become clear in the coming days, sources say the opening weekend, especially in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai has been completely booked.
Brands associated with the film, including Muthoot Fincorp, Airtel, Cadbury, Emami and AirAsia are estimated to have spent ~50 crore in promotions and tie-ups. While AirAsia suffered a setback with some 160 passengers who had taken the special Kabali package complaining of bad management, India CEO Amar Abrol said refunds would be made to compensate for the loss.
“The flight from Bengaluru landed in Chennai at 7 am today (Friday). The show was supposed to start at Satyam Cinemas (in Chennai) at 9 am. However, late last night, around 1 am, the production house informed us that the first show at Satyam Cinemas would be held at 12 pm. So, they arranged the 9 am show at Prasad Studio instead. It is our fault that we did not inform the passengers and I take full responsibility for this,” Abrol said when contacted.
AirAsia eventually took the irate passengers to Satyam Cinemas for the show bringing the drama to an end.
V Creations has already raked in ~220 crore through the sale of distribution, satellite and other rights of Kabali. Given the reaction on the first day, Kabali’s producer and its mega star are likely to laugh their way to the bank.