Hollywood's India journey: A plot twist with modest collections in 2023
NEW DELHI : Hollywood’s grip on the Indian audience, cultivated over the last few years, encountered a plot twist this year with box office collections estimated at just ₹1,300 crore from around 35 releases —a modest rise from the ₹1,276 crore earned in 2022, when 20 films were screened due to the covid-19 delays. Besides, in 2023, American films are expected to contribute about 13% to India’s total theatrical business, compared to an average of 20-22% during pre-pandemic times.
The lacklustre performance of major superhero films that resonated across age groups, and absence of blockbusters like Avengers franchise, have contributed to a less-than-epic year by Hollywood standards, despite some seemingly niche titles, such as Oppenheimer, surpassing expectations. With gross box office collections of ₹157 crore, Oppenheimer, the biographical thriller directed by Christopher Nolan, topped the charts in 2023, followed by Fast X ( ₹138 crore), Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part One ( ₹132 crore), Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 3 ( ₹72 crore) and John Wick: Chapter 4 ( ₹58 crore).
“As far as the box office of superhero films goes, there seems to be an erosion but the fatigue factor is being given too much credence. It ultimately depends on the content of the film," said Denzil Dias, vice-president and managing director, India theatrical, Warner Bros Discovery.
Dias highlighted the success of Oppenheimer, a genre typically less favoured in India, that is the leading Hollywood film for 2023, besides grabbing the title of becoming the highest-grossing Universal film ever in the country, as well as recording the highest IMAX earnings, surpassing even the local titles. Warner is in charge of the distribution of Universal Studios
. Read more on livemint.com
