A trip to the multiplex may not have been as exciting this year considering the lean phase that Bollywood has been experiencing. But the story is quite different when it comes to English films. They?ve kept the crowds coming in, along with the popcorn. Till a few years ago, barely one or two odd Hollywood films managed to grab the attention of theatre audiences. Those would be Spiderman, Harry Potter, and Pirates of the Caribbean. They were just a handful, but they created quite a stir in India. But over the years, there?s been a slight twist in the tale. The market for English films in the country has experienced a positive growth and seems to be improving by leaps and bounds.

Last year proved to be quite lucrative for the Hindi film industry, with several hits like Om Shanti Om, Namastey London and Heyy Babyy grossing over Rs 75 crore. Actors Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan hit the jackpot with their films Chak De and Partner respectively, and both films collectively managed to rake in over Rs 50 crore within the first week of their release. Abhishek and Aishwarya Bachchan-starrer Guru too was labeled a hit and mopped up around Rs 82 crore at the box office. But if the year 2007 is considered the golden era of Bollywood in terms of box office hits, the first half of this year has been rather disappointing. A trade analyst reveals: ?Bollywood hasn?t really managed to generate enough business within the first two quarters of this year. English films on the other hand have done well.? However, he is quick to add that though English films are doing good business this year, they are still not in a position to compete with Bollywood, considering the vast number of Hindi films that are released on an average every weekend.

While some blame the poor show of most films to a clash with the telecast of the Indian Premiere League matches, others feel that this year there has been a dearth of good quality films. There definitely has been a lull in Bollywood, and some of the most awaited releases like Yash Raj Film?s Tashan and Harman Baweja starrer Love Story 2050 not having done well at the box office. In such a scenario, small budget, content rich films may have surfaced as clear winners, but most film analysts claim that the revenue earned by these films forms a rather small share of the pie of the total profits of Bollywood. English films, thus, have seized the dipping interests of the multiplex audiences to their benefit.

Hollywood too has gauged the potential of the Indian market and foreign studios are marketing their films quite well in the country. Tushar Dhingra, chief operating officer, Adlabs Cinemas avers, ?This year?s most widely marketed Hollywood film has been Hancock, which was also dubbed in Hindi. Being a comedy fantasy and starring Will Smith, it was marketed at a scale comparable to a mainstream Bollywood film.? He further reveals that the original July 4 release date was pushed by a week simply because two other Bollywood releases were scheduled on the same day.

The number of prints circulated for an English film over the last five or six years has also increased considerably. According to official figures, Narnia, which opened with 331 prints in the second week of May and was dubbed in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, has raked in nearly Rs 8.25 crore in India. Iron Man, released in India in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu with 269 prints, had a weekend collection of Rs 3 crore on a national basis. Hancock on the other hand released with 429 prints, with a first week collection of Rs 9.2 crore. Devang Sampat, senior vice president marketing and programming, Cinemax India says: ?Generally, Hollywood films don?t do enough business in smaller towns and cities. The fact that these films are dubbed in various regional languages has also leveraged their popularity. The key is to market the content right.?

Hollywood studios like Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures feel that it will take some time for English films to outdo Indian films in India. ?Bollywood is definitely preferred to Hollywood in India. However, over the last five years, all the Hollywood films put together have seen a growth of around 18% to 20% in revenue,? says Sarabjit Singh, general manager Paramount Films of India. There are also certain specific genres of Hollywood films, like science fiction, horror, action and fantasy, which are well accepted. Romantic comedies and dramas on the other hand have difficulty in finding an audience.

Utpal Acharya, vice president, programming and distribution, Inox says, ?There are various pockets of the country that are apt for English films. Regions like south India have a big market for Hollywood. The north and western states are potential markets for Hollywood films.? But non-dubbed films mostly find an audience in the metros. He also feels, ?The reason English films are doing so well is because Bollywood content is not really up to the mark this year.? According to figures, last year, the top 25 movies in the period ranging from January to June made collections amounting to Rs 16 crore at the box office. This year the collections for the same period have dropped to nearly 1/16 of that amount. The Hollywood film market is gradually on the rise, contributing at least 68% to theatrical revenues. The reason why English films are doing so well in India is because India is becoming a global market and with a rapid surge in technology and access to information through the Internet, the awareness about Hollywood releases is also increasing. While some years ago, the viability of these films in the SEC B and C towns posed to be a big problem, dubbing in regional languages has resolved that aspect.

The movie business is getting flooded with products. While there are just one or two English films that are released every month, Bollywood produces a minimum of two releases every weekend. This lopsided ratio gives stiff competition to most English films. Kercy Daruwala, managing director, Sony Pictures Entertainment says, ?The influence of multiplexes has given a boost to the Hollywood film market, but we still need more screens to support the growth of the English film industry.?