MAM
Budweiser crashes into New Line Cinemas film in the US
MUMBAI: US beer brand Budweiser is crashing into the upcoming, film from New Line Cinema, Wedding Crashers.
The film stars Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Christopher Walken. The company has launched a partnership that supports the film’s 15 July release in the US.
The partnership includes two television ads, sponsorship of the film’s New York City premiere and retail promotions and local screenings taking place in 30 cities across the US. Budweiser will also offer exclusive Internet content on Budweiser.com.
Budweiser’s TV ads supporting Wedding Crashers will air from 5 July. The original commercials, directed by Wedding Crashers’ director David Dobkin Shanghai Knights feature highlights from the film. In Ladies Beware a group of women are in training to recognie wedding crashers and deal with their propositions. An older brother prepares his younger brother for the art of wedding crashing in Get Ready.
Additionally Americans will have the opportunity to cast themselves into the spotlight at Budweiser.com through New Line’s Crash the Trailer. This is an interactive editing studio that allows visitors to place themselves in scenes from the movie trailer. The edited trailer can then be saved and e-mailed to fellow “Crashers” around the world. Budweiser.com also will feature film outtakes, the Wedding Crashers soundtrack and a humorous Wedding Crashers pick-up line generator.
Anheuser-Busch vP, creative development Jim Schumacker says, “Wedding Crashers is a perfect fit with Budweiser. Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn’s characters could be taken straight from a Budweiser commercial. Budweiser is known throughout the world as a fun brand and many of our adult consumers will be big fans of Wedding Crashers. The ads, as well as our expanded Internet presence, are going to add to the tremendous buzz this movie is generating.”
New Line Cinema senior VP national promotions Lance Still says, “We think that the Budweiser programme and the commercials especially will stick in the mind of the moviegoer. The ads are true to the style of the film while maintaining the humor and irreverence that consumers have come to expect from a Budweiser commercial.”
Anheuser-Busch states that its products have been placed in more than 5,000 film and television environments, from Oscar winners like Forrest Gump and Silence Of the Lambs to blockbuster crowd pleasers like Batman Begins, Spider Man, Oceans Eleven and Terminator 3.
Wedding Crashers stars Vaughn and Wilson as divorce mediators and lifelong friends who have never met a wedding they couldn’t get themselves into. Guided by a secret set of wedding crashing ‘rules’ the pair find their way into a different wedding and different bridesmaid’s heart every week. But when they crash the social event of the season, one of them falls for the engaged daughter (Rachel McAdams) of an influential and eccentric politician (Christopher Walken) and decides to break the ‘rules’in pursuit of her. This leads to a wild weekend at her family’s palatial estate where the ultimate “Crashers” quickly find themselves in way over their heads
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI: Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
