Bollywood ka new villain

New Moon, the latest in the Twilight series, opened to packed houses at many cinema halls in India on Friday. The opening, which is said to be in the range of 65-70 per cent occupancy, is expected to increase over the weekend. “Even the 8am show saw a House Full board, which is unprecedented by English film standards. The collections should get even bigger over the weekend,” says Girish Wankhede, deputy general manager at the Cinemax chain of theatres.

The film also managed to pack in more people than Rocket Singh, a Yash Raj production. In spite of the film releasing just a month after its lead star, Ranbir Kapoor, delivered a hit in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahaani, it saw poor collections. “New Moon, clearly, has been the pick for audiences. The occupancy rate of Rocket Singh was 35 per cent at our theatres across the country. But the reviews have been good and the film is expected to pick up,” says Vishal Kapur, chief operating officer at Fun Cinemas.

This is the second time in a month that a Hollywood film released alongside a Hindi film has done brisker business. Four weeks ago, 2012 garnered better collections than Tum Mile, produced by Vishesh Films, a banner considered to be dependable.

“It’s not like Tum Mile’s opening was very poor, but 2012 did make a big dent in its earnings,” says trade analyst Taran Adarsh, who also points out that 2012 is amongst the top 5 hits in India this year, including Hindi films. “It netted Rs30 crores, which is now a record for Hollywood films in India.”

At a time when the Hindi film industry is suffering huge losses due to the poor performance of most films, Hollywood films have been raking in the moolah. 

Earlier in the year, films like Hangover and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince did handsome business in India, which was not considered to be a very good market for foreign films earlier due to competition from regional films. That, clearly, is a thing of the past. “The audience is willing to shell out money if you give them something in return. If they get entertainment from a Hollywood film and not a Hindi film, then they’ll go for the former,” says Ranjan Singh, marketing head at PVR Pictures, which released New Moon in India.

In addition, dubbed versions of Hollywood films also add to their kitty, as well as create even more competition for a local producer. Adarsh says that Hindi film producers today need to factor in big-ticket Hollywood releases as well while deciding on a release date for their films. That would probably explain the clear field given to Avatar, James Cameron’s big-budget 3D extravaganza that releases on December 18th. “The film is being released in India on the same scale that a Shah Rukh Khan film would be. That indicates the kind of interest it’s generating among audiences here,” says Adarsh.

While the trend may worry producers, it is good news for theatre owners. Given the no-show of most Hindi films this year, the good run of Hollywood releases have ensured that they don’t run into huge losses. For them at least, Hollywood may be the hero rushing to their rescue.