 "<i>Chennai Express</i> chugs into seven new markets")
Fans of Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone residing in Peru will now have the pleasure of watching the much-publicised upcoming film, Chennai Express (CExpress) on the same day as it releases in India. Why Peru? It is part of a string of markets identified by the studio, Disney UTV Studios (UTV), for the movie. In some of these are markets UTV is releasing a movie for the first time in.
The Rohit Shetty-directed movie will see the widest-ever simultaneous international release for a Bollywood film with seven new markets locked even before the release of the movie. Usually, as a movie picks up in popularity in countries of its original release, the distributors negotiate with newer markets for releasing it.
The wide-ranging release has been powered by UTV's understanding of scope in markets where the lead actor's popularity ranges high.
The film will be releasing in Morocco, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Peru and Israel, apart from the US (195 screens), UK (175 screens), West Asia (55 screens) and Australia (30 screens). With more than 700 screens, CExpress will reach cities that have always seen delayed launches of Indian films. Yash Chopra's last directorial venture Jab Tak Hai Jaan had held the record having 500-plus overseas screens to its credit.
"In many countries, Eid and mid-term holidays in schools have made next weekend one of the busiest in terms of English and international language releases. In such a week, the number of screens, locations and shows we've secured for this movie gives it the right footprint," says Amrita Pandey, executive director (syndication, international distribution & Disney Media Distribution, Studios), Disney UTV.
The production house has ensured that the international markets get localised communication about the movie which include special posters for countries such as Morroco, Germany and France and promotional visits by Shah Rukh Khan to countries such as UK, Morroco and Dubai. These are backed by an extensive 360-degree campaign in the UK, Canada, US and the Gulf.
In India too, the movie will release in over 3,500 screens. The festival of Eid (this Friday) has always offered new releases an opportunity for a massive opening and momentum therafter.
The producers have made sure that the film gains maximum visibility through traditional and new media in India as well. Audiences were asked to tweet using #ChennaiExpress Arrives to get the trailer released earlier than promised.
UTV's digital arm developed a CExpress-themed game for both feature and smart phones (Android) to reach out to a wide audience of mobile users in the country. In the game titled, Chennai Express: Escape from Rameshwaram, the player takes on the role of Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan's character) and embarks upon an adventure, where he fights his way through an army of thugs from Chennai while dodging obstacles like trucks, buses, cars, coconut carts, manholes and more.
Getting innovative on ground, UTV has installed large standees in the shape of a bogie with TV screens as windows at airports and cinemas across metros. The film's lead cast along with Shetty made special appearances on television shows. These were made in two phases.
During the music launch the producers targeted a weekend road-block on three leading reality shows on prime-time - DID Supermoms on Zee TV, Jhalak Dikhlaja and Comedy Nights with Kapil on Colors. In the second phase, during the week of release, CExpress will be part of top fiction shows like Diya Aur Bati, Madhubala and Tarak Mehta.
The buzz created for the film has resulted in Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited to pick up the movie for its new Hindi movie channel for a staggering Rs 40 crore, with additional money promised to the producers depending on the box-office collection.
The Rohit Shetty-directed movie will see the widest-ever simultaneous international release for a Bollywood film with seven new markets locked even before the release of the movie. Usually, as a movie picks up in popularity in countries of its original release, the distributors negotiate with newer markets for releasing it.
The wide-ranging release has been powered by UTV's understanding of scope in markets where the lead actor's popularity ranges high.
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UTV will be releasing CExpress, co-produced with Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment, in no less than 10 languages - English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Ger-man, Hebrew, Dutch, Turkish and Malay apart from Hindi.
The film will be releasing in Morocco, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Peru and Israel, apart from the US (195 screens), UK (175 screens), West Asia (55 screens) and Australia (30 screens). With more than 700 screens, CExpress will reach cities that have always seen delayed launches of Indian films. Yash Chopra's last directorial venture Jab Tak Hai Jaan had held the record having 500-plus overseas screens to its credit.
"In many countries, Eid and mid-term holidays in schools have made next weekend one of the busiest in terms of English and international language releases. In such a week, the number of screens, locations and shows we've secured for this movie gives it the right footprint," says Amrita Pandey, executive director (syndication, international distribution & Disney Media Distribution, Studios), Disney UTV.
The production house has ensured that the international markets get localised communication about the movie which include special posters for countries such as Morroco, Germany and France and promotional visits by Shah Rukh Khan to countries such as UK, Morroco and Dubai. These are backed by an extensive 360-degree campaign in the UK, Canada, US and the Gulf.
In India too, the movie will release in over 3,500 screens. The festival of Eid (this Friday) has always offered new releases an opportunity for a massive opening and momentum therafter.
The producers have made sure that the film gains maximum visibility through traditional and new media in India as well. Audiences were asked to tweet using #ChennaiExpress Arrives to get the trailer released earlier than promised.
UTV's digital arm developed a CExpress-themed game for both feature and smart phones (Android) to reach out to a wide audience of mobile users in the country. In the game titled, Chennai Express: Escape from Rameshwaram, the player takes on the role of Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan's character) and embarks upon an adventure, where he fights his way through an army of thugs from Chennai while dodging obstacles like trucks, buses, cars, coconut carts, manholes and more.
Getting innovative on ground, UTV has installed large standees in the shape of a bogie with TV screens as windows at airports and cinemas across metros. The film's lead cast along with Shetty made special appearances on television shows. These were made in two phases.
During the music launch the producers targeted a weekend road-block on three leading reality shows on prime-time - DID Supermoms on Zee TV, Jhalak Dikhlaja and Comedy Nights with Kapil on Colors. In the second phase, during the week of release, CExpress will be part of top fiction shows like Diya Aur Bati, Madhubala and Tarak Mehta.
The buzz created for the film has resulted in Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited to pick up the movie for its new Hindi movie channel for a staggering Rs 40 crore, with additional money promised to the producers depending on the box-office collection.