“Eat, Pray, Love” Movie — All about the Peripherals

While a blockbuster book, the movie Eat, Pray, Love was a bit of a snore at the box office. It could be that the producers didn’t really care about the box office as much as they did about the ancillary merchandise (movies make more money from DVDs and PPV anyway, but here we’re talking about real tchotchkes). According to an article in The Hollywood Reporter (subscription needed) called “Eat, Pray, Shop!” Sony got women to shell out $4.99 for prayer beads, $72 for “I Deserve Something Beautiful” necklaces and $49 for organic t-shirts. “The film might be a call to action for women to live their lives passionately, but it’s also a call for them to purchase the tastes, smells and luxuries that Julia Roberts enjoys onscreen through her travels.” It’s sort of “Eat, Pray, Love” meets “Sex and the City,” especially when “being spiritual” entails a mirror sequined tote bag for $1399.90.