Event Coverage
Film marketing: Ensuring a solid opening
MUMBAI: Today, the first day first show is the mantra for any producer, as BR Films’ Ravi Chopra puts it. That decides whether the movie is a hit or a miss at the box office (BO). Earlier, only press ads and outdoor hoardings were used to push the films. But the times they are a-changin’. Strategic marketing can rescript a movie’s fate at the BO.
The changing face of film marketing and marketing innovations was discussed in a 2005 Ficci Frames session “Marketing of films: Make Money – First Day First Show”. Moderated by P9 Integrated CEO Sanjay Bhutiani, the session had speakers like Reliance Infocomm Marketing head Kaushik Roy, PVR Cinemas Marketing & Communications VP Tushar Dhingra, McDonald’s & Rutter publicist Jonathan Rutter, Yashraj Films senior marketing executive Tarun Tripathi and BR Films’ Ravi Chopra.
Opening the session, Bhutiani said films deserve great marketing as the consumer has multiple choices for entertainment. “Other channels of entertainment are also competing with films. Today’s audiences are smarter, better informed and more knowledgeable. And we have a very fragmented consumer profile who have different media habits,” he pointed out.
Bhutiani criticised Indian film producers’ habit of spending almost 80 per cent of their marketing budget on TV. He stressed the need to tap other media to target different audiences. “Understanding the consumer and media habit is very important. For Bollywood, where the rate of failure is high, a multifaceted approach is the need of the hour,” he said.
Speaking about the need for a multi-media approach, Bhutiani explained the importance of unconventional media tools like internet and theatres. Internet, with its power of instant communication, has decided the fate of many movies, he said. “Hulk’s box office collections dropped by 70 per cent just because of the negative reviews it generated on the web.” Bhutiani also spoke about the importance of PR activities. Sighting the example of the successful PR campaign Mel Gibson had for his controversial movie The Passion of the Christ, Bhutiani said if properly used, even negative PR can save a movie.
Reliance’s Roy spoke about the role played by mobile phones in film marketing. Narrating the Reliance experience, he said non-intrusive marketing holds the key. “We have created R World where messages are non-intrusive, active and engage consumers in a relationship through conversation,” he said.
Roy said contests and dynamic updates of the R World have been generating repeat look ups. “This way, a buzz about the theme of the movie marketed is ensured. Also, the extensive database we have helps us in consumer-oriented marketing,” he said. Roy, explained the tactics used in promoting movies like Veer Zaara and Swades through R World. “Automated calls from Veer Zaara stars Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta to consumers’ mobile phones really set the ground for SMS contests that followed,” he said. On a futuristic note, Roy said innovations like M Ticket (mobile ticket), M Auction (mobile auction) and M Coupons (mobile coupons) could be used to exploit the potential of mobile movie marketing.
McDonald’s & Rutter’s Rutter narrated the various publicity strategies his firm employs in marketing movies. He also spoke about the choice of medium and the difficulties involved in it.
Tripathi presented the Hum Tum case study and explained how the 360-degree campaign was planned phase-wise. He identified the key elements that worked well for the campaign as: decent product, planning, uncluttered communication, 360-degree marketing, innovations, win-win situation and pan-India marketing. Speaking about the evolving trends in film marketing, Tripathi listed the important steps as identifying the consumer, filling niches, bombarding the marketplace and single channel to multi-channel distribution.
PVR’s Dhingra spoke about the significance of exhibition marketing. Narrating the various innovations used by PVR to promote the release of Spiderman and Gaayab, he explained how even exhibitors can play a crucial role in movie-marketing and thereby promote himself along with the film. He also stressed the scope of cross promotion with other brands while marketing movies.
Concluding the session, Chopra said advanced planning was really crucial in movie marketing. To drive home the point, he pointed out that the marketing strategies for his 2006 January release Babul was already in the planning stage.
Event Coverage
Anime India announces Amazon MX Player as co-presenting partner for Anime India Kolkata 2026
MUMBAI: Riding high on the success of its blockbuster Mumbai debut, Anime India is accelerating its nationwide expansion with the announcement of Amazon MX Player as the co-presenting partner for Anime India Kolkata. The partnership marks a significant step forward in the festival’s mission to deliver large-scale, accessible, and fan-first anime experiences across the country.
Scheduled for 14 and 15 February 2026 at the iconic Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan, Anime India Kolkata will launch the first regional chapter of what is set to be a year-long, multi-city tour. As the curtain-raiser for the 2026 circuit, the Kolkata edition aims to fuse the energy of global Japanese pop culture with India’s fast-growing community of anime, manga, and pop-culture fans.
A household name in digital entertainment, Amazon MX Player brings unmatched reach and cultural relevance to the Anime India platform. With its expanding focus on anime and youth-driven content, Amazon MX Player’s involvement as co-presenting partner reinforces Anime India’s vision of making anime culture more inclusive breaking barriers of language, geography, and accessibility to connect with fans nationwide.
Anime India Kolkata 2026 will showcase cosplay competitions, interactive zones led by the Indian Gunpla Community, India-39 Vocaloid Community, The Japan Curry, and Adda-o-Otaku by The Otaku Guild. Fans can join tournaments across fighting games, Pokémon VGC, and more. Acclaimed Japanese director Susumu Mitsunaka (Haikyu!!) will attend as guest of honour, appearing in panels and live sessions. Positioned as an immersive celebration of fan culture and industry collaboration, the Kolkata edition marks the beginning of Anime India’s nationwide expansion.
Sharing their perspective on the partnership, Amazon MX Player director Aruna Daryanani expressed, “Anime in India has evolved from a niche interest into a mainstream cultural movement, driven by an increasingly engaged and passionate fanbase. At Amazon MX Player, our focus is on expanding access by bringing anime to audiences across the country for free and in multiple local languages. Our association with Anime India reflects our commitment to supporting the growth of anime in India and deepening connections with fans, while continuing to build Amazon MX Player as a trusted destination for free, high-quality entertainment.”
“Anime India Kolkata is a celebration of how anime has grown beyond entertainment into a powerful cultural and creative force. By bringing fans, creators, and industry leaders onto one shared platform, the festival is helping define the future of pop culture in India,” said Anime India co-founder and director Neha Mehta.
The debut edition of Anime India 2025 in Mumbai attracted over 29,000 fans, quickly cementing its status as a landmark celebration of anime and Japanese pop culture. Riding on this overwhelming response, the Kolkata chapter is projected to draw more than 40,000 visitors across two days, positioning it as one of the biggest anime conventions ever held in eastern India.
Anime India is focused on bringing together fans from across the country to create a truly pan-India celebration of anime, manga, cosplay, gaming, and Japanese culture. With plans to expand into four key metropolitan hubs in 2026—east (Kolkata), north (Delhi), west (Mumbai), and south (Hyderabad)—the festival seeks to deliver globally benchmarked experiences while supporting and uplifting creators, artists, and fan communities throughout India.
