EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate has struck a deal with Indian action star Yash and his production company Monster Mind Creations for the actor to promote select Lionsgate theatrical releases.
The idea is to amplify campaigns, including for movies such as the upcoming John Rambo and John Wick spinoff Caine, in India’s fourth-largest global film market and to also potentially reach diaspora communities in the domestic and international territories.
Yash can count on 25M+ followers across his personal social handles and company platforms.
The deal, which speaks to the growing importance of the Indian market to the U.S. studios, comes just before the global theatrical release of Yash’s big-canvas action movie, Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups, which opens August 26 in wide release across North America through Prime Media. Lionsgate is distributing across select international territories and the film was shot simultaneously in Kannada and English with dubbed versions for Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam release. Action choreography comes from J.J. Perry, the Hollywood stunt coordinator behind the John Wick and Fast & Furious movies.
The film’s trailers and teasers have garnered 340.9 million views since their debuts. Yash also has the Sony film, Ramayana, coming out globally November 6.
The deal was negotiated by Lionsgate Motion Picture Group’s EVP, International Business Strategy, Anugrah Joshi, and Yash’s agent, Avinash Bidaia.
Adam Fogelson, Chair, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, explained: “India is the fastest growing cinema marketplace in the world, and Yash is an incredible voice within that space—one of its true global action draws, both as an actor and film producer. As we continue to look at how we engage audiences in this strategically vital market, we’re thrilled to work with Yash, whose creative vision, star power, and voice carry tremendous weight with one of the most passionate film fanbases in the world.”
Yash added: “Lionsgate is a master of action storytelling. They possess a world-class library and are building incredible momentum around legendary action characters, from John Rambo to Caine from the world of John Wick. As Monster Mind Creations and I unleash Toxic on the world stage, I look forward to working together with Lionsgate in bridging cinematic worlds and bringing global audiences closer to the in-theater cinema experiences they love.”
