If a Trailer’s Hit on Youtube, It’s a Potential Hit at the Box Office

In an industry so dynamic and ambitious, records are not just broken at the Box Office. The battle of numbers begins much prior.

In the cricketing world, all aspiring batsmen vie to break the record of the fastest century. In Bollywood, studios aim to break the record by reaching the fastest million with their respective movie trailer release, on Youtube.

Youtube, India’s biggest video social networking site, which has more than 55 million subscribers in India has been preferred by Studios for their biggest trailer debuts. It may not seem eye-opening but it actually reflects a notable shift in Studio marketing strategy. Apart from providing scale, Youtube also offers a platform to gauge reach, reactions and metrics that go beyond the impression count. For all its worth, Bollywood Studios resort to crafty methods for the release of their movie trailers on Youtube when the Censor Boards play a spoilt sport with the theatrical trailer. Ragini MMS 2, Grand Masti, B.A. Pass, Gangs of Wasseypur, Lakshmi movie trailers were some of the recent unedited trailers released on Youtube that were otherwise censored by the Censor Board.

Bollywood has an allure of its own and ways of defining milestones. In less than 24 hours after the official trailer was released, Filmkraft’s Krrish 3 crossed the 2 million views mark on Youtube. A record-breaker in itself and the fastest for any film in Bollywood history to get that many views. YRF's Dhoom 3 took 3 days, Chennai Express and Ek Tha Tiger took 4 and 6 days respectively to cross the same 2 million mark.

Social sorcery?

Rewind, behold. Here’s presenting the most viewed Bollywood trailers of 2013 and how it translated at the Box Office. The direct correlation might be scary but holds true in most cases, grab a bucket of popcorn and have a look:

*Trailer views considered till 9th April, 2014
* BO Collections are nett (India only)

Phenomenal trailer views and the their corresponding box office collections, are they just a coincidence? That’s for you to clinch.

For those Bollywood marketeers who haven’t cracked it yet, steer your digital efforts and follow the unratified mantra - “Trailer hit toh picture hit!”