Thaindian News

By Ranjan Bhaduri
Aug 14, (THAINDIAN NEWS) The much awaited movie ‘Eat Pray Love’ starring Javier Bardem and Julia Roberts is hitting the theaters today and the critical reception of the film remains mixed. No matter how the movie fares at the box office the merchandise of the film is already a hit, as reports have suggested. The merchandise inspired by the movie includes items like perfume, crockery, home decor item and obviously various type of food. The head of a new York based entertainment marketing company said that Eta Pray Love has become a brand and the companies are utilizing it to woo the buyers.

There is nothing new in Hollywood movies inspiring merchandise and we have seen how franchisee like Spiderman, ‘Jurassic Park’ and Shrek have made toys and household items sold with the label popular among people. However, in most cases the trend is limited to sci-fi films or animated flicks. This is possibly the first time a serious themed film starring a matured actor is inspiring merchandise in a huge way. The market trend indicates that more items would be launched bearing the label of the movie after its release.

Since a part of the movie deals with eating food promotion tie ins have appeared. Republic of Tea has launched its special Eat Pray Love tea. Perlier has launched a special line up of fruit based Indian bath products with Eat Pray Love logo. These products are selling very well and the demand is going up among the buyers. However, some people are questioning all these heavy promotions and merchandise can overshadow the message of the film.