When Spiderman 3 hit theatres in May last year, Sony Pictures Releasing India (SPRI) released 588 prints of the film in the country, including 261 in Hindi, 162 in English and, for the first time ever, a dub in Bhojpuri (six prints) with Bhojpuri superhero Ravi Kishen lending his voice to Tobey Maguire?s Spidey. The film had a record opening weekend ? Rs 19.17 crore ? and went on to become Hollywood?s top grosser in India (Rs 68.06 crore) ever, surpassing Titanic. Spiderman 3 apart, with other films like Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Die Hard 4 (Warner Brothers), Pirates of the Caribbean 3 (Disney) and Ghost Rider (SPRI) too fared very well at the box-office.
It?s clearly been one of Hollywood?s best years in India. The dream run actually started four years ago, when Hollywood films grossed Rs 170 crore at the box-office. In 2005, Hollywood studios ? there are three in India at the moment, SPRI, Warner Brothers and UIP ? released 55 films and grossed Rs 180 crore at the BO. In 2006, 74 foreign films were released, and value of ticket sales touched Rs 240 crore. In 2007, according to industry estimates, BO collections should cross Rs 310 crore ? final figures are yet to come in ? making it the biggest year for Hollywood in India. ?For us, it was a record year. All the big franchises, from Harry Potter to Ocean?s 13, fired in a big way,? says Sanjay Narayanan, director, marketing Warner Brothers Pictures. For SPRI too, year 2007 was big as it crossed the Rs 100 crore mark in ticket sales for the fourth time in a six years. ?We made history once again,? says Vikramjit Roy, head of publicity, SPRI.
Growth factors
There are various reasons why Hollywood films are faring so well at the domestic box-office. ?The sheer variety in content is ensuring footfalls increase at theatres,? says an analyst. Last year, there were blockbusters like Spiderman 3, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Harry Potter, 300 and ?differentiated products? like Ratatouille, Surf?s Up, Perfect Stranger, Curse of the Golden Flower and I am Legend.
Most of these films rode on a 360-degree marketing campaign, targeting the audience through a cross media platforms. ?It?s important to create the right levels of noise,? admits Narayanan. For instance, while Harry Potter, Spiderman and Pirates rode on a multimedia campaign, Warner promoted 300, the film adaptation of Frank Miller?s eponymous graphic novel, online, creating a lot of interest. Content and promotions apart, pricing has also kept Hollywood cash registers ringing. The multiplexes, where ticket prices are much higher than those in the single screens, have bolstered collections. The differential pricing ? premium pricing for preview shows, weekend shows and for ?A? category films ? has helped too. Not surprisingly, according to industry estimates, about 40% of the overall BO collections are from multiplexes. Over the years, the distribution strategy of the studios has changed too. So, don?t be surprised if Spiderman releases with 588 prints, Casino Royale with 427 and Harry Potter with over 300. ?Distributors prefer to open wide with a huge number of prints so as to maximise the potential from the marketing campaigns,? explains Roy. ?One is regularly seeing Hollywood films being released with 100 prints and more. This also beats piracy,? points out an analyst. Then, most of these films were dubbed ? for example Ratatouille became Bindas Bawarchi in Hindi and Pirates Samunder Ke Lootere ?- ensuring wider penetration. The fact that titles are being released day and date with the US has helped prop up BO collections too.
Hollywood in Bollywood
According to industry watchers, Sony Pictures? producing a Hindi film ? forget the below expectations performance of Sanjay Leela Bhansali?s Saawariya at the BO ? has paved the way for others. So, Warner Brothers is producing Nikhil Advani?s Chandnichowk to China, starring Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone, slated for a Diwali release. Paramount too is producing a film in a joint venture with Studio 18. ?As the market for Indian cinema continues to grow internationally, the vast global network of Hollywood studios will allow Indian film producers to showcase their work outside the home market and acquire greater exposure for their films,? says an analyst.
Bigger, better 2008
With 2007 being a great year for Hollywood, the studios are gearing up for a bigger and better 2008. From Warners, first up for release is Roland Emmerich?s 10,000 BC in March. The studio will release a lot of prints and dub it in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu for this big-screen spectacle from the director of Independence Day, Godzilla and The Day After Tomorrow. Other big-ticket releases from Warners include Speed Racer from the Wachowski brothers (Matrix trilogy) on May 9, The Dark Knight, starring the late Heath Ledger, in July, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in November, Ridley Scott?s untitled film starring Leonardo di Caprio and Guy Ritchie?s RocknRolla. Sony?s plate is full too: some of the big releases include Vantage Point, Chronicles of Narnia, Peter Berg?s Hancock starring Charlize Theron, Robert Luketic?s 21, based on a true story about six MIT students, trained as experts in card counting, who go on to take Las Vegas casinos for millions in winnings, and the next Bond outing with Daniel Craig, Quantum of Solace. Happy watching!
