Hollywood movies are enjoying a summer fiesta in India. The hottest movie in terms of box office collections this month has not been a Bollywood flick but Walt Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
The fourth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean (POTC) series, released on May 20, grossed Rs 22 crore in the first week, while Bollywood’s biggest hit in May, Haunted 3D, garnered Rs 14.63 crore. The Vikram Bhatt-directed and produced Bollywood movie was able to make Rs 24.19 crore in three weeks.
After POTC and Haunted 3D, Fast & Furious 5 has been the third-largest grosser in May. Released on May 6, the Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson-starred action thriller grossed Rs 17 crore in the first two weeks.
If the response to Kung Fu Panda and Warner Bros’ Hangover 2 is anything to go by, both are set to become blockbusters. Hangover 2 grossed Rs 2 crore at the box office with just 136 prints on the opening day itself, while Kung Fu Panda made Rs 1.25 crore with less than 100 prints. While most Hollywood flicks are dubbed in Hindi and regional languages, these two films were released in English on May 27.
“Hangover 2 has done well in centres like Indore, Kota, Bhopal, Ernakulam and Nagpur,” said Denzil Dias, deputy managing director, Theatrical Warner Bros India. Dias said Hangover 2 was likely to make over Rs 7 crore in the first weekend that could better POTC’s collections if one compared average collections per screen.
For Hollywood, 2011 has been a year of sequels and big bucks. In the US, summer (April-August) is a time for box-office scorchers that are potential money spinners. Hollywood studios are scripting a similar story here. “The response to Hollywood movies suggests there is growing audience for this segment, which has better access thanks to the growth in multiplexes across India,” said K Seshahaye, executive director-marketing & distribution, Walt Disney Studios (India).
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The summer fiesta for Hollywood studios is likely to continue till July, with Cars 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, X-Men: First class, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 lined up for release.
Though Hollywood movies' total contribution to the Indian box office remains marginal, it is growing. Reports suggest the contribution has grown to 11 -12 per cent in the past two years from eight-nine per cent.
| SHOW-STOPPERS | ||
| FILM | TILL DATE GROSS | RELEASE DATE |
| Haunted 3D | Rs 24.19 crore | 6-May |
| Ragini MMS | Rs 7.76 crore (still running) | 13-May |
| Fast and Furious 5 | Rs 16.72 crore (still running) | 6-May |
| Pyaar Ka Punchnama | Rs 5.56 crore | 20-May |
| Shagird | Rs 1.83 crore | 13-May |
| Stanley ka Dubba | Rs 4.52 (still running) | 13-May |
| Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tide | Rs 22 crore | 20-May |
| Kung fu panda 2 | Rs 1.25 crore | 27-May |
| Hangover 2 | Rs 2 crore | 27-May |
| *Collection figures from Box Office India, bollywoodhungama.com and Walt Disney Studios | ||
Bollywood filmmakers' preference to delay their launch because of the possible adverse impact of the Indian Premier League, has also helped Hollywood movies.
The domestic industry has a massive line-up of big films - like Salman Khan-starrer Ready (June 3), Reliance Big Pictures' comedy caper Double Dhamaal (June 24), Aamir Khan Productions and UTV's Delhi Belly (July 1) and Farhan Akthar's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (July 15) - vying for the best screens in the post-cricket season.
An upbeat Amitabh Vardhan, director and chief executive of Inspire Multiplex, which runs My Cinemas, said, "The film industry hopes for box office redemption in the next few months."