Advertisers return to multiplexes on ‘Wonder Woman’ hopes | Economic Times

Mumbai: A bunch of advertisers are returning to the movie theatres after a 10-month hiatus looking to target the audiences eager to watch Warner Bros’ ‘Wonder Woman 1984’, which is set to release in India on Friday.PVR, India’s leading multiplex chain, has signed over 40 advertisers, including long-time partner Paytm and FMCG major RB for ad films as well as other innovative branding opportunities.“Wonder Woman is going to be a big starter for us after ‘Tenet’. The kind of response we are getting on footfalls, advance bookings and from the advertisers, is very heartening,” Gautam Dutta, group CEO at PVR, told ET.He shared that the multiplex chain will air 14 minutes of ads during the film’s screenings.“Pre-Covid-19, most of the blockbuster films had 18-20 minutes worth of ads. In that sense, we are very happy with the response,” he said.Among the advertisers, Paytm has decided to advertise in the lobby and other areas of the theatres, too.“We already have naming rights of one IMAX screen and we are doing innovative branding with PVR,” said Madhur Deora, president and CFO at Paytm.He added that movies are one of the most affordable forms of high quality outdoor entertainment, which allows high return on investment.“With more and more film makers getting ready to release their films, this might be the cusp of recovery and it does look like people are starting to get comfortable. While it will take some time to be back to pre-Covid levels, in the next 45-60 days, we will be back to spending at least half of what we were spending in cinema advertising earlier,” Deora said.RB, which had announced partnering with PVR Cinemas earlier in July, will be offering Dettol sanitizers and other products across its properties.