Hollywood gets bigger in India

Hollywood films are getting bigger as far as the Indian box office is concerned. On Friday, Paramount Pictures released 475 prints of the blockbuster Mummy-Tomb of the Dragon Emperor – a sequel to Mummy Returns. And it is being dubbed in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu in order to appeal to a larger audience which is lapping up English movies.

 

“We are expecting collections of Rs 7-8 crore from the box office in the first three days,” Sarabjit Singh, general manager – India operations of Paramount Films, said.

 

Just a few years ago, Hollywood films would be considered a hit if they made Rs 3-5 crore in the first week.    

 

Even Warner Brothers is all set to release in November Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with around 600 prints in India — a record for any English film in the country. While company executives are not giving any details, industry experts said that this movie would rake in at least Rs 15-20 crore in the first week itself.  

 

This trend was started last year by Sony Pictures’ Spiderman 3,  which sizzled at the silver screen with 588 prints, the highest ever for a  Hollywood film in India.

 

The movie went on to become the first film to be dubbed in Bhojpuri. The film grosses over Rs 27 crore in the first week. Hollywood movies already account for 6-7 per cent of the total box office collections and the percentage will only improve given the phenomenal growth of multiplexes in the country and the indifferent performance of quite a few Bollywood movies this year.

 

“Multiplexes have seen a steady flow of good content from Hollywood in the first half of  2008. This has helped theatre chains to stay afloat when Bollywood hasn’t delivered,” Devang Sampat, vice- president (marketing & programming), Cinemax India, said.

 

The Dark Knight, which was released two weeks ago is slated to have have grossed nearly Rs 11 crore in the first weekend with 209 prints, making it the biggest Hollywood opener this year.  

 

Film analysts Taran Adarsh has the last word, “Earlier, Hollywood films were never considered serious competition, but today they are eating into the business of Bollywood films.”