The recent trending videos of frenzied reactions of audiences towards the Malayalam film Ravanaprabhu (2001) have put a spotlight on in-theatre videos of frenzy reactions of audiences once again.
A critical and natural question which emerges after watching these videos is: Are such videos a smart film marketing tool which result in incremental footfalls or Are they organic build-ups to films which have already earned audience interest?
“Such in-theatre frenzy reactions of audiences are basically not translating into business in the long-term. They could just be a one-time event where people come, enjoy and go,” pointed out Jojo Jose, founder, Festival Cinemas, a Kochi-based film production and distribution company. He cited the example of in-theatre frenzy reactions videos of audiences for the Malayalam film Ravanaprabhu (2001), which was restored in the 4K version and re-released in theatres recently. In the past ten days of its re-release in the 4K version, Ravanaprabhu (2001) has collected Rs4.4 crore.
‘There is a difference between fan-fuelled videos and genuine organic build-up of audience interest about films across geographies,’ explained Jose of Festival Cinemas. “These videos reflect the love of fans of Lalettan (actor Mohanlal is affectionately addressed as Lalettan by Malayali fans). These frenzy reactions of audiences happen only in cities such as Cochin and Trivandrum on a particular day for a particular show in a particular theatre,” said Jose.
He cited Cochin-based Kavitha Theatre, which has a seating capacity of 1000, where one could see in-theatre frenzy reactions of fans. But such frenzy behaviour does not spread to other theatres in the same city, said Jose, indicating that it is more driven by fans than audiences beyond fans. “It is a pure fan thing. These videos have not translated into incremental footfalls in other theatres in Kerala,” he shared.
After the pandemic, increasingly, in-theatre videos of frenzy behaviour of audiences have become a pronounced trend. Films such as Gadar 2 (2023), Pathaan (2023), Jawan (2023), Saiyaara (2025) and War 2 (2025) have generated in-theatre frenzy videos across social media platforms.
Veteran film marketing professionals are of the view that there is a low or no co-relation between these in-theatre frenzy videos and incremental footfalls or business for films.
‘Online chatter doesn’t translate to people walking into theatres. The only real driver of footfalls is how much audiences like a film, and that spreads the old-fashioned way, through word of mouth,’ said Shikha Kapur, founder, Source Global, a content studio focused on creating original Intellectual Property (IPs) for films and series.
Kapur, who had earlier worked in senior marketing roles in studios such as UTV and Fox Star Studios, explained, ‘The in-theatre frenzy works only when there is something to amplify. If a big-budget film has already lost the audience’s interest, no gimmicks can turn it around.’ ‘But if a film has even a small spark of curiosity, then it can be grown into a real momentum. This is the line which differentiates performative marketing from effective film marketing,’ added Kapur.
Recently, in-theatre frenzy reactions of audiences for the Hindi spy film War 2 did not translate into strong business for the film. Critics said that similarities in the plot of War 2 and the plots of other films in the Yash Raj Spy Universe and dull moments were a few weak elements in War 2 due to which there were no incremental footfalls for the film. The film, which was made on a high budget of Rs400 crore, collected Rs236.5 crore in the five weeks of its release, showed the box office data research firm Sacnilk. In contrast with War 2, Saiyaara, which was a love story of young people, resonated with audiences largely because these audiences were ignored and deprived of credible love stories with melodious songs for a long time. The film, which was made in a budget of Rs 40-50 crore, collected Rs399 crore in India alone, indicating that it is the content and not just in-theatre frenzy reactions of audiences that bring in footfalls.
Film marketing professionals also believe that even though digital videos help establish a communication with audiences it cannot be an effective long-term film marketing tool.
“Traditionally, outdoor hoardings, promotions and city tours were done to bring in audiences to theatres. Now, the same thing is being done in the digital world because almost everybody is hooked on to the digital world through mobiles. So, these in-theatre frenzy reactions are just another way of reaching out,” said Arati Salgaonkar, a film producer and a veteran film marketing and PR professional.
According to a study conducted by Meltwater, an online media, social and consumer intelligence company and We Are Social, a global creative agency which specialises in social media and influencer marketing for brands, India has 1.12 billion cellular mobile connections, indicating mobile penetration of 76.6% in the country. The study shared that 58% of daily internet time of Indians is spent on mobiles. In fact, according to the study by auditing firm EY, Indians spend on the average five hours daily on their smartphones watching and scrolling across social media, gaming, and video streaming.
“The question is: Are these videos of in-theatre frenzy reactions of audiences an effective long-term film marketing strategy? Today, people make the decision to watch a film in theatres by watching its trailer. This is the initial and a big trigger for footfalls in theatres,” explained film producer Salgaonkar. “I don't think this is a sustainable long-term strategy. One cannot keep on leveraging public emotions. Audiences see through it. It may work for a year or two. Makers will have to come up with smarter strategies and ways to promote a movie,” she added.
Most veteran film marketing professionals believe that the current film marketing strategies are not clearly focused on their target audiences. They lack strategies and decisions are made based on instincts rather than solid data.
‘Most film marketing still runs on instinct and not on strategy. Few people define who the film is for or how to get a film into theatres.’ ‘Basic questions such as ‘How many people do we need to watch a film?” or “What will it take to break even?’ are almost never asked. And that is why today’s film marketing campaigns often miss the mark. In fact, they are chasing noise and not numbers,’ explained Shikha Kapur of Source Global.
A critical and natural question which emerges after watching these videos is: Are such videos a smart film marketing tool which result in incremental footfalls or Are they organic build-ups to films which have already earned audience interest?
“Such in-theatre frenzy reactions of audiences are basically not translating into business in the long-term. They could just be a one-time event where people come, enjoy and go,” pointed out Jojo Jose, founder, Festival Cinemas, a Kochi-based film production and distribution company. He cited the example of in-theatre frenzy reactions videos of audiences for the Malayalam film Ravanaprabhu (2001), which was restored in the 4K version and re-released in theatres recently. In the past ten days of its re-release in the 4K version, Ravanaprabhu (2001) has collected Rs4.4 crore.
‘There is a difference between fan-fuelled videos and genuine organic build-up of audience interest about films across geographies,’ explained Jose of Festival Cinemas. “These videos reflect the love of fans of Lalettan (actor Mohanlal is affectionately addressed as Lalettan by Malayali fans). These frenzy reactions of audiences happen only in cities such as Cochin and Trivandrum on a particular day for a particular show in a particular theatre,” said Jose.
He cited Cochin-based Kavitha Theatre, which has a seating capacity of 1000, where one could see in-theatre frenzy reactions of fans. But such frenzy behaviour does not spread to other theatres in the same city, said Jose, indicating that it is more driven by fans than audiences beyond fans. “It is a pure fan thing. These videos have not translated into incremental footfalls in other theatres in Kerala,” he shared.
After the pandemic, increasingly, in-theatre videos of frenzy behaviour of audiences have become a pronounced trend. Films such as Gadar 2 (2023), Pathaan (2023), Jawan (2023), Saiyaara (2025) and War 2 (2025) have generated in-theatre frenzy videos across social media platforms.
Veteran film marketing professionals are of the view that there is a low or no co-relation between these in-theatre frenzy videos and incremental footfalls or business for films.
‘Online chatter doesn’t translate to people walking into theatres. The only real driver of footfalls is how much audiences like a film, and that spreads the old-fashioned way, through word of mouth,’ said Shikha Kapur, founder, Source Global, a content studio focused on creating original Intellectual Property (IPs) for films and series.
Kapur, who had earlier worked in senior marketing roles in studios such as UTV and Fox Star Studios, explained, ‘The in-theatre frenzy works only when there is something to amplify. If a big-budget film has already lost the audience’s interest, no gimmicks can turn it around.’ ‘But if a film has even a small spark of curiosity, then it can be grown into a real momentum. This is the line which differentiates performative marketing from effective film marketing,’ added Kapur.
Recently, in-theatre frenzy reactions of audiences for the Hindi spy film War 2 did not translate into strong business for the film. Critics said that similarities in the plot of War 2 and the plots of other films in the Yash Raj Spy Universe and dull moments were a few weak elements in War 2 due to which there were no incremental footfalls for the film. The film, which was made on a high budget of Rs400 crore, collected Rs236.5 crore in the five weeks of its release, showed the box office data research firm Sacnilk. In contrast with War 2, Saiyaara, which was a love story of young people, resonated with audiences largely because these audiences were ignored and deprived of credible love stories with melodious songs for a long time. The film, which was made in a budget of Rs 40-50 crore, collected Rs399 crore in India alone, indicating that it is the content and not just in-theatre frenzy reactions of audiences that bring in footfalls.
Film marketing professionals also believe that even though digital videos help establish a communication with audiences it cannot be an effective long-term film marketing tool.
“Traditionally, outdoor hoardings, promotions and city tours were done to bring in audiences to theatres. Now, the same thing is being done in the digital world because almost everybody is hooked on to the digital world through mobiles. So, these in-theatre frenzy reactions are just another way of reaching out,” said Arati Salgaonkar, a film producer and a veteran film marketing and PR professional.
According to a study conducted by Meltwater, an online media, social and consumer intelligence company and We Are Social, a global creative agency which specialises in social media and influencer marketing for brands, India has 1.12 billion cellular mobile connections, indicating mobile penetration of 76.6% in the country. The study shared that 58% of daily internet time of Indians is spent on mobiles. In fact, according to the study by auditing firm EY, Indians spend on the average five hours daily on their smartphones watching and scrolling across social media, gaming, and video streaming.
“The question is: Are these videos of in-theatre frenzy reactions of audiences an effective long-term film marketing strategy? Today, people make the decision to watch a film in theatres by watching its trailer. This is the initial and a big trigger for footfalls in theatres,” explained film producer Salgaonkar. “I don't think this is a sustainable long-term strategy. One cannot keep on leveraging public emotions. Audiences see through it. It may work for a year or two. Makers will have to come up with smarter strategies and ways to promote a movie,” she added.
Most veteran film marketing professionals believe that the current film marketing strategies are not clearly focused on their target audiences. They lack strategies and decisions are made based on instincts rather than solid data.
‘Most film marketing still runs on instinct and not on strategy. Few people define who the film is for or how to get a film into theatres.’ ‘Basic questions such as ‘How many people do we need to watch a film?” or “What will it take to break even?’ are almost never asked. And that is why today’s film marketing campaigns often miss the mark. In fact, they are chasing noise and not numbers,’ explained Shikha Kapur of Source Global.
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