In a unique promotion technique, an airlines group has announced a special aircraft from Bangalore to Chennai for the fans of actor Rajinikanth to watch the first show of Kabali on the day of the movie’s release.
This isn’t the first time AirAsia, the Malaysian low-cost airlines, has adopted movies as a marketing medium. They had collaborated with movies like Neram and Maan Karatte. In the second week of June, the airlines signed up as the official airline partner of the movie, a great deal of which is shot in Malaysia. The airlines has even featured in a few scenes in the movie, according to a source.
The special Kabali flight will take off from Bangalore at 6:10 am on the release day. The offer includes a return ticket to Bangalore at 3 pm, snacks, lunch and special Kabali merchandise.
The airlines, on Wednesday, had also released pictures of one of its flights with giant posters of Kabali, plastered all over it. According to a press release issued by the airlines, the aircraft will be flying across AirAsia India’s network of destinations in the country.
The airlines has also launched a social media contest: fans can post their Kabali style video on the official Facebook and Twitter pages of AirAsia India and the top 10 winners will get to watch the first show of Kabali on the day of release. 3 other winners will get the chance to fly to the locations where the movie was shot in Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.
Kalaipuli S. Thanu, the proprietor of Kabali’s producers, V Creations, said it was the first time in the history of Indian cinema that an airline has dedicated an aircraft to a movie. “Only a Superstar like Rajinikanth demands such popularity and fame, breaking the barriers of age and geography,” he said. “We are thrilled beyond words to see such excitement surrounding Kabali from the fans and brands that have associated with us,” Thanu added.
According to a Business Standard report, more brands, including Cadbury 5 Star, Amazon, ShopCJ and Airtel, have tied up with the film.
According to a report by The Hindu, Kabali has transacted worth Rs. 200 Crores in prerelease deals. All areas of the film such as distribution rights, dubbing rights in various languages and audio rights, have already been sold.
Actor Mohanlal’s Ashirwad Cinemas, on Thursday, announced that it had bought the Kerala theatrical rights of the film, along with Max Labs. According to sources, the amount is higher than the Rs. 5.6 crores paid for Theri‘s rights.
Producer Rockline Venkatesh bought its Karnataka theatrical rights for a record price, and the Telugu dubbing rights of the film also fetched a phenomenal amount. According to The Hindu report, Kabali’s France distribution rights have sold for ‘more than double of what films of other stars command in the entire European market’. It adds that a Hong Kong-based company has offered a huge amount for the Chinese dubbing rights and a simultaneous release in China.
