Danny Boyle?s Slumdog Millionaire is all set to hit the theatres in India on Friday. The film which was made on an approximate budget of Rs 72 crore managed to bag four Golden Globe awards. The movie also bagged 10 Oscar nominations in categories like best director, best adapted screenplay, best motion picture, cinematography, sound editing and sound mixing, film editing, and three music nominations for A R Rahman. So far the film has recovered around Rs 65 crore worldwide but its fate on the Indian shores will only be discovered today.
Stephen Gilula, chief operating officer, Fox Searchlight Pictures said ?India has great potential as the overall cinema market is experiencing a rapid growth. We have spent a lot of time in creating the Hindi version of Slumdog. The film has a tremendous set up as we shot at places like the slums in Dharavi and the Taj Mahal in Agra. We expect the film to fare well in India since the people already know about the film and it portrays the diversity of Mumbai.?
The film was supposed to release with about 200 prints in India, which after the awards have escalated to 250 prints. Industry experts predict that now the film will be releasing in the country with 400 prints.
Film analyst Vinod Mirani mentioned, ?Since there is adequate curiosity around the film it will do well among the Indian audiences. The film has done well in English and now that it is dubbed in Hindi many people would want to experience the film on the big screen.?
Devang Sampat, senior vice president, marketing and programming Cinemax India said, ?The movie has created a lot of hype and is expected to open well in India with an occupancy rate of 70-75% as it will be released on an extended weekend of January 26 (a national holiday). We will be playing 8 to 9 shows at every location across the city.?
He further added that Slumdog Crorepati (the Hindi version) is likely to do better business across non metro cities and small towns. Since the Hindi version has acquired a ?U/A? certificate as opposed to the English version which has been granted an ?A? (adult) certificate by the Indian Censor Board, the Hindi version is likely to attract more audiences.