Why hit movies don’t guarantee brand traction for actors anymore

Experts said strong storytelling, direction, nostalgia or a powerful subject can pull crowds into theatres, but once the curtains fall, the attention quickly shifts elsewhere. The buzz belongs to the moment, not necessarily to the actors behind it.

“Many films today are subject-led hits rather than star-led hits… Endorsement value depends on whether a star can carry attention beyond a release window and stay visible in everyday culture,” said Gaurav Arora, co-founder of digital marketing agency Social Panga, adding that brands reward continuity, not just peaks.

If an actor surfaces only around promotions and fades from digital conversation, the commercial value drops quickly.

“Social media has amplified this divide, and some box office audiences simply do not overlap with advertiser target groups. So, the success is real but not always aligned with brand priorities,” Arora added.

Experts emphasized that a surprise hit can create a strong recency spike and some brands do ride that moment if the money spent translates into measurable attention or sales. But short-term spikes are quite different from long-term endorsement strategies. When a company signs up big celebrities, they usually evaluate relevance over an at least two-year horizon.

Harikrishnan Pillai, chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder of TheSmallBigIdea, a digital marketing agency, agreed a good film can give social discovery, but beyond that, the sustenance is purely a function of the daily social game. A successful film helps increase the base, but influence and relatability are the game you play every day, he said.

Public image

“What matters to brands is how clearly an individual’s off-screen personality is understood, how consistently they are visible, and whether their public image aligns with the brand’s values and target audience,” said Prof. Nitika Sharma, assistant professor of marketing at the International Management Institute in New Delhi.

Surprise hits are often viewed as contextual or episodic successes rather than indicators of sustained influence. Unless an actor already carries a strong, recognizable personal narrative, a single successful film rarely becomes a decisive factor for brand association.

In that sense, box office performance alone is neither a sufficient nor a decisive criterion. Sunny Deol, despite delivering a blockbuster success with Gadar 2, has traditionally maintained a reserved and private public persona and his appeal is rooted in the character he portrayed rather than in an actively cultivated off-screen identity, Sharma pointed out.

Films such as The Kashmir Files, The Kerala Story and Munjya resonated strongly with audiences because of the subject matter and storytelling, not because viewers sought an ongoing personal connection with the actors themselves. Many such performers remain largely absent from the public and digital domain, which limits their social media and brand traction despite box office success.

According to experts, companies don’t integrate into box office collections—they integrate into Instagram feeds, Reels, YouTube Shorts, and everyday conversations. If an actor’s social presence is limited to movie posters and promotional posts, the audience doesn’t emotionally invest in them as individuals.

Beyond openings

Avishek Mukherjee, creative director at BC Web Wise, a digital marketing agency, pointed out that brands today look beyond opening weekends. They assess whether an actor can stay relevant between releases, communicate a lifestyle, and consistently connect with audiences across platforms.

Social presence, relatability, and cultural participation matter as much as filmography. That’s why films like Gadar 2 or content-driven successes such as The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story dominate box office headlines without automatically translating into sustained brand or social media momentum for their actors.

“Box office success doesn’t guarantee digital relevance anymore. If an actor isn’t actively building their personality and presence on social media, audiences don’t connect with them as individuals—they only connect with the character,” said Sahiba Dhandhania, CEO and founder of Confluencr, an influencer marketing agency. “The silver screen and the phone screen are now disconnected. Multi-platform relevance is the new success metric. If actors want to win today, they can’t afford to exist on just one screen.”