New Spiderman film casts a wide web of brand tie-ups

The movie has attracted 60 brands as merchandise partners and seven media partners

Spiderman can swing up and down but his popularity seems to only soar.

The latest movie in the Spiderman franchise, Spider-Man: Homecoming, has attracted 60 brands as merchandise partners and seven media/promotion partners.

This is among the highest brand associations for a Hollywood film in India.

Merchandising contracts with Hollywood films have become increasingly popular in recent years as these films have grown in popularity and are seeing commercial success.

Brands are keen on using movies to increase visibility and engagement with the audience.

In-movie placements started in Indian films in the 1990s. But for Hollywood films, brands in India have to depend on either promotional tie-ups or merchandise deals.

The cinema rights to the Marvel character of Spiderman are shared by Sony Pictures and Disney.

As a result, the marketing and distribution of the film in India is being done by Sony Pictures Entertainment India, while merchandise deals have been dealt with by the consumer products division of Disney India.

Brands on board for the film include Lifestyle, Titan, Scholastic, Lego, Funskool, Mattel, Servewell, D’Decor and Amazon, to name a few.

The media and promotional partners for the movie include Dell, Oppo, Amul Milk, HDFC Bank, Cinepolis, BookMyShow and Sony PlayStation.

Sanjeet Mehta, executive director and head, consumer products, Disney India, said: “Marvel has built a strong affinity for its characters among fans across ages, and Spiderman is among the most popular Marvel superheroes in India.

It’s great to have 60 brands on board for Spiderman. Through these partners we are able to offer exciting products across categories.”

Rakesh Biyani, joint managing director, Future Group, said, “Marvel’s Spiderman is immensely popular among kids and the upcoming move will help create a deeper connect between fans and the character. We are excited to launch a range of exciting T-shirts for boys inspired by the superhero.”

The film will hit close to 1,400 screens across the country. It has been dubbed in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, with Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff lending his voice to the titular character in the Hindi dub version.

"We chose Tiger (Shroff) as the voice of Spiderman in the Hindi version because he shares quite a few traits with the character,” said Vivek Krishnani, MD, Sony Pictures Entertainment India.

Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters