Hollywood strike may hit Indian box office
The Hollywood writers’ strike, now supported by actors, has halted film and television production in the US, resulting in potential delays for titles such as Avatar 3 and movies from the Star Wars and Avengers franchises. The strike, now entering its fourth month, is causing concerns among Indian studio executives and theatre owners, too, especially as the content slated to release early next year may not be complete, and actors may not be available for promotions.
Avatar 3 has reportedly been pushed by a year to 2025. This could be a dampener for the Indian box office, which has just begun to see some green shoots thanks to tentpole Hollywood releases and considers these movies crucial for business throughout the year.
“If the strike continues for another couple of months, it is definitely going to impact productions for the future. Films slated for this year may also get postponed, not because they are not ready, but because the stars will not be available to promote them.
Most of the films slated for release over the next six to nine months have already completed shooting and are in post-production, where they don’t need the writers or the actors (to shoot), so they will be fine. However, you need the stars to promote the film, so even if you have a completed product, studios may take a call to push films to 2024," said a senior executive at the Indian arm of a Hollywood studio.
This is also applicable for top TV series, and if the strike continues longer, it is definitely going to impact the streamers who have a lot of series under production, the person added. To be sure, a box office duel between two tentpole Hollywood films, Oppenheimer and Barbie, close on the heels of the action film Mission: Impossible—Dead
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