Big Ticket Sales and Marketing lessons from Success of South India Film today
Kantara Box Office (Worldwide): Enters The 300 Crore Club.
Rishab Shetty’s Kantara is doing phenomenal business at the box office. In India alone, the film has done a business of over 200 crores and soon will cross 250 crores. Speaking about the worldwide numbers, it has become the latest entrant of the 300 crore club and below is all you need to know about the same.
Kantara has made a whopping collection of 242 crores nett or 285.56 crores gross in 33 days in India (inclusive of all languages).
Another Massive Feat Form Kannada After KGF Chapter 2!
Among other benchmarks, Kantara has crossed Rs. 150 crores in Karnataka, becoming only the second film ever to do so after KGF 2. It now stands just Rs. 22 crores apart from claiming the top grosser, which it is likely to achieve. It has already beaten the footfall count of KGF 2 with 80 lakh footfalls to date in the state.
Earlier on KGF
South star Yash’s blockbuster movie K.G.F: Chapter 2 stream debued on Amazon Prime Video.
KGF Chapter 2 closed worldwide box office collections; Second highest grossing film ever in India
KGF : Chapter 2’ box office collection: Yash’s film minted Rs 1221.37 crores
Even with the Yash starrer action thriller reaching mini-screens via a popular OTT platform, ‘kgf: Chapter 2’ doesn’t seem to be halting its success story at the box office. On the last day the film crossed the Rs 1200 crore mark and set a new record worldwide along with the films ‘Dangal’, and ‘Baahubali.
The Film making business usually starts similar to a FMCG product idea to meet a likely need in the market.
Researching its target audiences and understanding their buying behaviour helps figure out whether or not this idea is worth actualising.
The Movie making business usually starts with an idea of a certain content story product or category likely to meet a need in the market. Researching its target audiences well and understanding their buying behaviour helps figure out whether or not the idea is worth actualising.
Everything in the world from FMCG goods to Box office Movie success is only marketing.
Market research should ideally cover:
Which story product will serve the interest of potential consumers
At what price and budget-size it will do so
What the positioning will be
What packaging time-life would be suitable and
Which place(s) would make it easily available for repeated purchase by consumers
From the Market Research stage, two simultaneous paths must be pursued: One which involves film production and sales, so as to bring the actual product to the consumer as a tangible experience; the other which involves marketing so as to bring the intangible aspect of the brand to the consumer and influence her perception.
We produce more than 1,000 films annually in our country which is biggest in the world.
Films are not about budget. Good films with good content, which appeal to the audience, are what work today. Of the 160 movies made in Tamil last year, 143 were smallbudget films. Of these, only three succeeded. They worked only because of content. Big film or small film, there is no guarantee unless the content is engaging.
Many ‘cheap’ films are made, but they don’t find any release since they don’t justify huge publicity and marketing expenses required for such films. The next challenge is to reach out to potential audiences through the digital medium in the most cost-effective way to reduce publicity and marketing costs.
The most tangible evidence of this comes in the number of movies that the top five Indian language film industries churned out till the start of August this calendar year. Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam industries have together made 405 films, 14% more than the same period last year, according to data
There is so much money, new blood and the going is good. Youngsters have the spending power and the audience profile is also changing.” The Malayalam industry had been known for dishing out realistic fare, till commercial cinema caught up in recent years. The industry is seeing a shift again.
Is the movie “Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana” a hit or flop?
A film like KGF would track the response to the teaser and trailer state-wise and use the information to push the film in various north Indian markets, besides gauging what gaps need to be addressed,
Why are south Indian movies more advanced than bollywood movies?
Here are the reasons.
Know your product content and consumer market.
Analyse Fans and Competition. Follow up Concise messaging through social media.
Need to touch base with movie goers pain points with originality
Indianise adaptations on copyrighted movies from hollywood, south indian movies
Create Remix old songs to public interest with test runs
Focus on content centric glamour & sex angle
Utilize foreign environment to promote the story or a song
Promote tailormade scripts on popular actors and target the audience with heavy pockets to fill multiplexes
Now about South Indian movies
Creativity and originality – example : Bahubaali, Singam
Every story happens in a state or region, rather running to something out of the country
Songs are new and refreshingly coreographed
Thrust on new ideasand Less on adaptations or copyrights
Every new actors or popular ones, work together and win the crowd and build fan following
New Content or Movie (Product) tracking and analysis can be time-consuming, but it is a vital part of any successful idea. We believe that understanding the success and failure from a product perspective is one of the most important areas to safeguard success.
Utilise new opportunity
As you attract people to your Movie offering only about 1 to 2% (1 or 2 out of a 100!) are ready to buy the ticket today.
OTT + LOCKDOWN = BIG VIEWERSHIP for south films, especially those with smaller scale.
Big movies like Bahubali have done well earlier as well.
importantly North has realised that South isnt Tamil or Telugu…..
Easy Reach and at any moment.
Amazon Prime Netflix Hotstar the new entertainment channels in your palm gives access to Click a Button and watch New Big time Movie Stars.
Spot the gaps and opportunities by seeing products through the eyes of thousands of consumers. Cinema viewers Experience
After the Sentiment component,Visual appeal background sound, music and sensory approval a show reel or Trailer batch must be prepared for test and audience analysis.
However astute your audio visual palate, or that of the Movie Director, eventually, it’s what movie goer and fans think about that really matters.
A strong Go-to-Market plan considers which distribution channels and points of display would best facilitate cinema experience. You may distribute your product via: OTT platforms Multiplex or single screen cinemas.Online, and even via a direct-to-consumer channel like a subscription model for instance.
50% of business is won by the movie company that makes contact first. If you receive an enquiry via your website how soon do you follow up? It should be immediately. Not tomorrow or next week, but immediately. Any later and the chances are you will have already lost out to your keener competitor.
Movie Consumer Perception
The Film Star and Movies brand purpose, name, logo etc. are carefully packaged into a narrative that is conveyed dynamically and repeatedly
It is when the two paths of consumer experience and consumer perception meet, that the Movie brand is actually born in the hearts and minds of your consumers.
Movie Experience + Movie Star Perception = Brand Birth.
Explore Market and Content Trends
Film Pundits similar to FMCG Gurus explore historical and future forecasted growth rates across the country, and States c. Market Trends identifies where the most significant opportunities and challenges exist from a value and volume perspective.
Film Gurus Consumer Insights
Core focus is evaluating cinema viewers insight, attitudes, and behaviors.
Viewers insights are critical for all elements of the supply chain from idea generation and product development to sales and marketing.
Predict what consumers want 2-3 years from now is not only challenging to explore these challenges by evaluating consumer mindsets and everyday needs.
How can it help?
Licensing as a growing trend and a real opportunity for both industries to grow.
Even if they are very different industries, the common characteristics and goals FMCG and cinema share make licensing one of the most effective option to work together.
Making sense of what fans and movie consumers want can be a minefield, but it has never been more critical. One of the key reasons products fail is because they are not in line with what consumers want or expect.
80% of movie ticket sales occur between the 5th to 12th contact.
How many times do you reach out to follow up with prospects?
Are you letting sales slip through your fingers by not following up?
Stages in developing movie business
1. Differentiated Story concept
2. Product and story Development
a. Creating Product Differentiation in music,SFX
b. Product Specifications: Product Theme, historical facts
c. Patent: Scope to copy write a product concept
3.Manufacturing: Movie making process/ competence with respect to the product
4. Packaging Development
a. Packaging and audio visual editing specifications as per content
5. Branding Strategy
Brand Concepts to create differentiation in the mind of the consumers
6. Business Planning (Will get revised at different stages)
a. Detail Business Plan after considering all costs (fixed and variable) and other investments
b. Finalize the markets to launch as per profitability (basis on potential business)
7. Channel/ Distribution Development
a. Distributor Identification: Identify the right distributors for your target markets.
8. Marketing Strategy
a. Consumer and Fan Activities/ Promotions
b. In-store merchandising for Movie and Star brand
9. “Sharper the Saw”: Ongoing Marketing Interventions required after Movie star brand is in the market. It may be expanding your distribution, availability drives, consumer excitement, increasing movie portfolio, to grow business
Why are South Indian movies becoming popular?
South Indian movie Industry is the largest regional language cinema which includes Tamil, Telugu, Kannada,Malayalam cinema generating diverse earthy underdog regional topical dialectic content that sensitise the audience.The primary reason for that becoming popular South Indian Movies nowadays.
Top Indian Movie Grossers World Wide.
| Film | Year | Director | Studio(s) | Primary | Worldwide gross | Ref |
| Language | ||||||
| Mission Mangal | 2019 | Jagan Shakti | Cape of Good Films | Hindi | ₹290.59 crore (US$41.27 million) | [97] |
| Fox Star Studios | ||||||
| Sooryavanshi | 2021 | Rohit Shetty | Reliance Entertainment | Hindi | ₹294.17 crore (US$37 million) | [96] |
| Dharma Productions | ||||||
| Housefull 4 | 2019 | Farhad Samji | Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment | Hindi | ₹296 crore (US$37 million) | [95] |
| Kabali | 2016 | Pa. Ranjith | V Creations | Tamil | ₹300 crore (US$40 million) | [n 4] |
| Kantara * | 2022 | Rishab Shetty | Hombale Films | Kannada | ₹305 crore (US$38 million) | [94] |
| Race 3 | 2018 | Remo D’Souza | Salman Khan Films | Hindi | ₹305.16 crore (US$44.62 million) | [77] |
| Tips Industries | ||||||
| Raees | 2017 | Rahul Dholakia | Red Chillies Entertainment | Hindi | ₹308.88 crore (US$47.43 million) | [n 3] |
| Golmaal Again | 2017 | Rohit Shetty | Rohit Shetty Productions | Hindi | ₹311.05 crore (US$47.76 million) | [91] |
| Toilet: Ek Prem Katha | 2017 | Shree Narayan Singh | Viacom 18 Motion Pictures | Hindi | ₹311.5 crore (US$47.83 million) | [90] |
| Good Newwz | 2019 | Raj Mehta | Zee Studios | Hindi | ₹318.57 crore (US$45.24 million) | [89] |
| Dharma Productions | ||||||
| Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani | 2013 | Ayan Mukerji | Dharma Productions | Hindi | ₹319.6 crore (US$54.54 million) | [88] |
| Hindi Medium | 2017 | Saket Chaudhary | T-Series | Hindi | ₹323.3 crore (US$47.27 million) | [n 2] |
| Bharat | 2019 | Ali Abbas Zafar | Reel Life Productions | Hindi | ₹325.58 crore (US$46.23 million) | [84] |
| Salman Khan Films | ||||||
| T-Series | ||||||
| Ek Tha Tiger | 2012 | Kabir Khan | Yash Raj Films | Hindi | ₹334.39 crore (US$62.58 million) | [83] |
| Thugs of Hindostan | 2018 | Vijay Krishna Acharya | Yash Raj Films | Hindi | ₹335 crore (US$48.98 million) | [82] |
| Bang Bang! | 2014 | Siddharth Anand | Fox Star Studios | Hindi | ₹340 crore (US$53 million) | [81] |
| The Kashmir Files | 2022 | Vivek Agnihotri | Zee Studios | Hindi | ₹340.92 crore (US$43 million) | [80] |
| Abhishek Agarwal Arts | ||||||
| Pushpa: The Rise | 2021 | Sukumar | Mythri Movie Makers | Telugu | ₹355 crore (US$44 million)–₹365 crore (US$46 million) | [78][79] |
| Muttamsetty Media | ||||||
| Bajirao Mastani | 2015 | Sanjay Leela Bhansali | Bhansali Productions | Hindi | ₹358 crore (US$55.81 million) | [77] |
| Eros International | ||||||
| Uri: The Surgical Strike | 2019 | Aditya Dhar | RSVP Movies | Hindi | ₹359.73 crore (US$51.08 million) | [76] |
| Tanhaji | 2020 | Om Raut | Ajay Devgn FFilms | Hindi | ₹367.65 crore (US$49 million) | [75] |
| T-Series | ||||||
| Dilwale | 2015 | Rohit Shetty | Red Chillies Entertainment | Hindi | ₹376.85 (US$59 million) | [74] |
| Rohit Shetty Productions | ||||||
| Kabir Singh | 2019 | Sandeep Vanga | Cine1 Studios | Hindi | ₹379 crore (US$54 million) | [73] |
| T-Series | ||||||
| Krrish 3 | 2013 | Rakesh Roshan | Filmkraft Productions Pvt. Ltd | Hindi | ₹393.37 crore (US$67 million) | [72] |
| Happy New Year | 2014 | Farah Khan | Red Chillies Entertainment | Hindi | ₹397.21 crore (US$65.08 million) | [70][71] |
| Simmba | 2018 | Rohit Shetty | Reliance Entertainment | Hindi | ₹400 crore (US$58 million) | [69] |
| Dharma Productions | ||||||
| Kick | 2014 | Sajid Nadiadwala | Nadiadwala Grandson | Hindi | ₹402 crore (US$66 million) | [68] |
| Vikram | 2022 | Lokesh Kanagaraj | Raaj Kamal Films International | Tamil | ₹420 crore (US$53 million)–₹500 crore (US$63 million) | [e] |
| Chennai Express | 2013 | Rohit Shetty | Red Chillies Entertainment | Hindi | ₹424.54 crore (US$72 million) | [59] |
| Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva * | 2022 | Ayan Mukerji | Star Studios | Hindi | ₹431 crore (US$54 million) | [58] |
| Dharma Productions | ||||||
| Prem Ratan Dhan Payo | 2015 | Sooraj R. Barjatya | Fox Star Studios | Hindi | ₹432 crore (US$67 million) | [57][29] |
| Rajshri Productions | ||||||
| Saaho | 2019 | Sujeeth | UV Creations | Telugu | ₹439 crore (US$62.34 million) | [56] |
| T-Series | ||||||
| Hindi | ||||||
| Ponniyin Selvan: I * | 2022 | Mani Ratnam | Lyca Productions | Tamil | ₹450 crore (US$56 million)–₹480 crore (US$60 million) | [54][55] |
| Madras Talkies | ||||||
| Andhadhun | 2018 | Sriram Raghavan | Viacom 18 Motion Pictures | Hindi | ₹456.89 crore (US$65 million) | [53] |
| Matchbox Pictures | ||||||
| 3 Idiots | 2009 | Rajkumar Hirani | Vinod Chopra Films | Hindi | ₹460 crore (US$95 million) | [52][29] |
| War | 2019 | Siddharth Anand | Yash Raj Films | Hindi | ₹475.5 crore (US$68 million) | [51] |
| Tiger Zinda Hai | 2017 | Ali Abbas Zafar | Yash Raj Films | Hindi | ₹565 crore (US$87.32 million) | [14][50] |
| Padmaavat | 2018 | Sanjay Leela Bhansali | Bhansali Productions | Hindi | ₹585 crore (US$86 million) | [49][29] |
| Viacom 18 Motion Pictures | ||||||
| Sanju | 2018 | Rajkumar Hirani | Rajkumar Hirani Films | Hindi | ₹586.85 crore (US$85.81 million) | [48] |
| Vinod Chopra Films | ||||||
| Dhoom 3 | 2013 | Vijay Krishna Acharya | Yash Raj Films | Hindi | ₹589.2 crore (US$100.55 million) | [46][47] |
| Baahubali: The Beginning | 2015 | S. S. Rajamouli | Arka Media Works | Telugu | ₹600−650 crore (US$101 million) | [14][42][43][44][45] |
| Tamil | ||||||
| Sultan | 2016 | Ali Abbas Zafar | Yash Raj Films | Hindi | ₹623.33 crore (US$93 million) | [41] |
| 2 | 2018 | S.Shankar | Lyca Productions | Tamil | ₹625–800 crore (US$91–117 million) | [d] |
| PK | 2014 | Rajkumar Hirani | Vinod Chopra Films | Hindi | ₹854 crore (US$139.93 million) | [37] |
| Rajkumar Hirani Films | ||||||
| Bajrangi Bhaijaan | 2015 | Kabir Khan | Salman Khan Films | Hindi | ₹969.06 crore (US$141.7 million) | [n 1] |
| Kabir Khan Films | ||||||
| Eros International | ||||||
| Secret Superstar | 2017 | Advait Chandan | Aamir Khan Productions | Hindi | ₹977 crore (US$143 million) | [c] |
| RRR * | 2022 | S. S. Rajamouli | DVV Entertainments | Telugu | ₹1,200 crore (US$175.47 million) | [24][25] |
| K.G.F: Chapter 2 | 2022 | Prashanth Neel | Hombale Films | Kannada | ₹1,200–1,250 crore (US$175 million)–(US$183 million) | [b] |
| Baahubali 2: The Conclusion | 2017 | S. S. Rajamouli | Arka Media Works | Telugu | ₹1,810 crore (US$265 million) | [14] |
| Tamil | ||||||
| Dangal | 2016 | Nitesh Tiwari | Aamir Khan Productions | Hindi | ₹2,024–2,200 crore (US$296 million)–(US$322 million) | [a] |
| UTV Motion Pictures | ||||||
| Walt Disney Studios India |
South Indian Media and Entertainment sector’s market value crosses ₹70,000 Cr with CAGR of 15%: CII report
Television is major contributor with larger share of 35%.
With a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25%, the South Indian streaming and digital media market was expected to be worth ₹16,200 crore by end of 2022, nearly two-and-a-half times the film revenues.
Streaming and Digital Media market in South is worth ₹16,200 crore.
The report stated that Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) is the fastest growing sector at a CAGR of 30 per cent and is expected to account for up to 10 per cent of overall media and entertainment sector by 2030.
Why are South Indian movies so over the top?
The south market works in a different way and the audience is used to a style where the actors will not promote themselves a lot. Also, south actors are seen as people’s stars. However, when it comes to Bollywood movie promotions, the scale is different and they are learning tricks of the trade.
Why are Bollywood movies losing its popularity in South India compare to before 10 to 15 years?
The South Indian film industry is well known for its well structured ways of managing artistes. But, compared with Bollywood, it has had far little success attracting corporate houses as producers. however, Fidelis Management Consultants Mumbai-based auditing firm has seen the shift.
The dubbed Hindi version of Pushpa fetched more than ₹107 crore at last count. “The south invasion is a lot like the inroads Hollywood and Marvel films made into India.
localization efforts by American studios that led popular Indian stars dub for Hollywood films and brand collaborations over the past few years.
Listed auditing firms focus on cost management for TV content on social media, one-to-one relationship with lead artistes and film makers, which leads to several personal adjustments made in payments, accounts and processes.
Once they sign up for a film, Fidelis’ accountants start working with the producers and director from day one. Based on the script, they can figure out how much it costs to shoot on a day-to-day basis. The accountants have to travel with the film crew. Without their okay, no bills can be cleared. And every cost component is recorded and shared with the producer and director.
New box office releases from southern India studios, which will be dubbed in multiple languages and released across the country, especially in the Hindi heartland, plan to increase their marketing budgets by up to ₹20-25 crore for each film to widen their audience appeal.
The entire ticket sales in tier-one cities happens online, with the figure at 60-70% in tier-two cities
Which South Indian films did not get the success they deserve?
Southern studios are definitely looking at a completely different scale of marketing; going beyond tier-one and tier-two cities to grab eyeballs and manage engagement at an all-India level before the release of their films.
Processes that make financial discipline possible are seen as a fallout of the entry of big studios, both Indian and foreign.
India makes about 1,200 movies a year (with Hindi accounting for about a fifth), making it one of the biggest entertainment markets in the world.
Star Actor Brand investments in recessions
In recessions, Movie producers have a natural tendency to switch to small movies in order to save money.
The logical thing for big Star actor brands to do is to counter this tendency by lowering their own price.
Why some must-watch South Indian movies which did not do well at the box office in North India?
Moviemakers in India are a conservative lot and hold up publicity to just a few weeks before the release of a film claim movie pandits.
But wide-spread publicity is a must, he said, adding “keep it minimal, keep it controlled. But, keep whetting the appetite of your audience so their curiosity level is at its peak when the film releases. One need not share too many shots from the movie, put out something that highlights the film.”
Producers have not tried too hard to sell their movies in new international markets.There is a disconnect in sensibilities between Indian and foreign films. But one need not consciously try to make films for the global market. The new generation of filmmakers are well aware of the global audience’s requirements and are making films accordingly,
Although India churns out more number of films compared to the rest of the world, the share of Indian films in global film market is just 2%.
Allu Arjun’s Pushpa- The Rise: Part One, whose songs and dialogues, though dubbed in Hindi, created buzz among northern viewers and even saw cricketers such as Suresh Raina and David Warne put out videos on Instagram. The filmmakers and studios focused and invested a lot on influencer marketing.
Brand equity
How strong is the Star Actor brand? Is it a brand with many loyal buyers that people know and trust and are willing to pay a price premium for? Or is it a weak brand, commanding little loyalty and esteem? In sum, is your brand equity high or low?
Strong brands enter the recession in a much more favourable position than weak brands. Marketing budgets for stronger brands also tend to be higher.
Hindi films will look at being pan-India films in the real sense. They have already begun dubbing in languages and in a few months, a Malayalam publication could be writing about competition coming in from dubbed Hindi films
Special Treats is a film marketing company in the UK. It has recently also begun promoting Indian films in the international markets, 3 Idiots and Kites being a couple of them.
Tail Piece:
Gordon Gekko, the character Michael Douglas played in the 1987 movie Wall Street, must have meant something altogether different when he said “Greed is good… And greed, mark my words… (will save) that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA.”
In the land of the Free Thinkers, this very trait might just work for the Indian film industry, if used to churn out good content
Young growing minds learn from films, more than formal method of education.
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