Movie Marketing

Housefull 5 fuels marketing intrigue by releasing two versions of the film simultaneously

Forsaking a traditional playbook, the marketing for Housefull 5 hinges on two audacious bets. The campaign is turning a folk dance into a viral, on-ground phenomenon, led by its star-studded cast. Simultaneously, it's rolling out a high-stakes gamble by releasing the whodunit with two different climaxes, a calculated risk designed to gamify the cinema experience and drive repeat viewership.

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Harshal Thakur
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The Housefull franchise, a cinematic universe built on a foundation of slapstick, chaos, and ever-expanding ensemble casts, is a known quantity in Bollywood. For its fifth installment, one might expect the marketing team to simply play the greatest hits. Instead, with Housefull 5 set for a June 6 release, the promotional engine is firing on all cylinders with a strategy that’s part familiar fun and part audacious experiment, betting big on a viral dance craze and a cinematic gimmick that could either be a masterstroke or a muddle.

 

At the heart of the campaign is a two-pronged marketing assault designed to capture attention from every angle: a relentlessly promoted dance number and an unprecedented multiple-climax release strategy.

Getting dizzy with "The Phoogdi Dance"

No Bollywood promotional tour is complete without a signature dance number, but the makers of Housefull 5 have elevated their chosen earworm, "The Phoogdi Dance," into a full-blown phenomenon. The song itself, which sees Nana Patekar as an Interpol officer forcing party-goers on a yacht to perform the traditional Maharashtrian folk dance, serves as the anchor. Drawing nostalgic parallels to Housefull 2’s "Papa Toh Band Bajaaye," the track blends Konkan folk elements with a modern rap twist.

But the strategy wasn't just to release a song; it was to take the dance from the screen to the streets. The film’s lead, Akshay Kumar, has become the primary ambassador for this folk-dance-turned-marketing-tool. During a promotional event in Pune, he pulled co-star Nana Patekar on stage for an impromptu fugdi performance, a moment that quickly circulated online with Kumar captioning it, "end up dizzy with joy." The stunt was repeated with other co-stars like Fardeen Khan and actively encouraged among female leads Jacqueline Fernandez and Nargis Fakhri.

This on-ground activation was amplified through a coordinated social media blitz. Behind-the-scenes videos shared by the cast, including a notable clip of Kumar teaching Fernandez the steps, kept the momentum going. Fan reactions poured in, with one user aptly commenting, “Movie se zyada to promotion dhekne mei maja aa raha hai” (It’s more fun watching the promotion than the movie itself), signaling that the pre-release engagement was hitting its mark.

Housefull 5 A and Housefull 5 B 

Perhaps the most audacious arrow in Housefull 5’s marketing quiver is its unique distribution strategy. Producer Sajid Nadiadwala dropped a bombshell at the trailer launch: the film will have multiple endings. Billed as a first for Hindi cinema, the whodunit comedy, which revolves around a murder on a luxury cruise, has been produced with two different cuts.

The mechanics are as intriguing as they are risky. Depending on the theatre or even the specific screen a viewer chooses, the identity of the killer will change. Exhibitors are reportedly on board, with plans to list showtimes as ‘Housefull 5 A’ and ‘Housefull 5 B’ during the booking process.

From a marketing perspective, this is an attempt to gamify the movie-going experience. The strategy aims to do more than just sell tickets; it aims to sell them twice. By creating two distinct versions, the producers are banking on the curiosity of the audience—especially fans of the whodunit genre—to drive repeat viewership. It’s a calculated move to potentially double the box office returns on the same production budget and spark endless social media debate about which ending is superior. Whether this innovation creates a new benchmark or backfires into viewer confusion remains the film's biggest cliffhanger.

Brand collabs

Housefull 5 teamed with several brands to increase reach and amplify the marketing efforts through branding opportunities. These included NueGo, Tommy Hilfiger, Country Delight, Juicy Couture and PayZapp Wallet. 

The supporting cast of strategies

Beyond these two headline-grabbing tactics, the campaign is supported by a foundation of tried-and-true marketing methods. The promotion has maintained a steady drumbeat with the staggered release of four songs in total—"Laal Pari," "Qayamat," "Dil E Nadaan," and finally, "The Phoogdi Dance"—each preceded by its own teaser to build anticipation.

Furthermore, the film leverages its colossal star cast as a core marketing asset. The Nadiadwala Grandson social media pages made a spectacle of the cast announcement, and the actors themselves have been active participants. A joint Instagram post by Sonam Bajwa, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Nargis Fakhri sharing BTS moments cultivated a "girl gang" vibe, while Akshay Kumar's own posts featuring his co-stars reinforced the film’s chaotic, fun-filled energy.

In essence, the marketing for Housefull 5 is a case study in blending the old with the new. It leans on the franchise's established brand of star-studded, big-budget comedy while simultaneously rolling the dice on interactive and unconventional strategies. 

The Phoogdi Dance akshay kumar distribution strategy promotional tour brand collab Housefull 5