The much-talked-about Bombay Velvet, boasting a high-profile cast of Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, and Karan Johar, opened across the country on Friday to a mixed response at the box office.

A senior executive with a national multiplex chain said occupancy was in the 50-60 per cent range and expected to pick up over Saturday and Sunday.

Kapoor’s earlier release this year, Roy , disappointed and did not create much of a ripple at the box office.

Crime drama

Set in the Mumbai of the 1960s, Bombay Velvet is a crime drama that has been co-produced by Vikas Bahl, Vikramaditya Motwane (Phantom Films) and Fox Star Studios.

Directed by Anurag Kashyap, the film was released across about 2,600 screens in the country.

While the box office is yet to warm up to the movie, it has bagged nearly ₹20 crore worth of brand tie-ups. Brands that have come on board include Nise Gel, Gillette, Godaddy.com, Heroine Apparel, Lux Cozi, and Emami Fair and Handsome.

Reliance Jio Chat, Music streaming app Saavn, Nazara Gaming, nutrition brand Ayurwin Nutrislim and sunglasses brand Joe Black have also tied-up with the film.

In a merchandise deal, online portal Daily Objects is coming out with Bombay Velvet -inspired mobile covers, and Cupick, an online platform for artists, is running a contest to design posters inspired by the film.

Shikha Kapur, Chief Marketing Officer, Fox Star Studios India, said that the whole communication strategy for the movie is focused on the character Johnny and his aspirations and struggle to become a big shot. She said this theme of aspiration is what the brands have leveraged on in their co-branded campaigns.

For instance, in its campaign, Nise Gel, a pain-relief gel targeted at men, has focused on the pain and struggle that the character Johnny Balraj goes through in the film to achieve his goals.

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