"Attaching trailers to big releases is effective due to the eyeballs the weekend generates, and in this case, it's a long weekend due to the Republic Day holiday. But it can only be leveraged if there is exhibitor's support, " the film's producer Karan Johar said in a statement.
Sunil Punjabi, CEO, Cinemax India Ltd, points out that over the last three months "Agneepath" has built up consumer expectations. Therefore, he feels it is the right platform for these movies to showcase their first looks as they will be able to reach out to a wider audiences.
"The marketing team is following the Big Bang theory, hit as many eyeballs as you can at the same time, " said Punjabi.
It is being said that Saif Ali Khan and Venus are paying theatres to screen trailers of "Agent Vinod" and "Tezz". Punjabi supports the trend as he feels it provides a good business opportunity.
"With a film like 'Agneepath', the regular ad volumes are up by almost 15 times, so we would be losing out on revenue if we had to accommodate these trailers for free. But by charging a nominal rate, which is one-fifth of what we'd charge the advertisers, we've created a win-win situation for exhibitors, distributors and producers, " he said.
Hrithik eager to show 'Agneepath' to Big B
If Hrithik Roshan is eagerly awaiting the release of "Agneepath", he is equally keen to show the film to the original Vijay Dinanath Chauhan, Amitabh Bachchan.
"I think once the film is ready for previews, he will be the first person we will call, " said Hrithik who reprises Amitabh's role in the "Agneepath" remake. The original, directed by Mukul Anand, came in 1990 and Big B had won a national award for his performance in the movie.
While the original "Agneepath" was produced by Yash Johar, the remake is being financed by the late filmmaker's son, Karan Johar.
At the same time, he is also excited about Sanjay Dutt's villainous role in the action thriller and claims that Kancha Cheena will be the next big villain in Bollywood.
"If you are an actor, you want to do all kind of roles. Kancha is one of the best roles and also one of the best performed roles. There was one Gabbar Singh, there was one Mogambo and now one Kancha Cheena, " the 38-year-old said at a promotional event held at a McDonalds outlet for "Agneepath".
Hrithik also said that this remake of the original 1990 film may not be as stylish as the original, but is definitely entertaining.
"'Agneepath' is a very simple and a hard-hitting film.I have seen the film, so I can say that it is quite entertaining, " he said.
Besides promoting Karan Malhotra-directed "Agneepath", which releases Jan 26, Hrithik is also working hard on his fitness for his father's "Krrish 2".