Indian movies charm global audiences amid tepid show back home
Fighter, Hanu-Man and Malaikottai Vaaliban are doing far better than expected in international markets despite focused release only in countries with sizeable Indian diaspora. Trade experts say films featuring mainstream stars and the song-and-dance trope are lapped by overseas audiences in territories such as the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand who aren’t as discerning as those within the country. Higher ticket prices overseas further boost earnings.
Fighter, starring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, has already made over ₹94 crore in overseas gross box office collections since its release late January. Meanwhile, Bollywood romantic comedy Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, released last week, has earned over ₹20 crore so far. “Big star films have always done well overseas.
Audiences there are very clear they want to watch mainstream faces, be it Hindi, Tamil or Telugu cinema and there isn’t that much interest in critically acclaimed, slice-of-life or content-driven films," film distributor and exhibitor Sunny Khanna said. Recent star films such as Shah Rukh Khan’s Dunki and Salman Khan’s Tiger 3, both of which are seen as underperformers in India, found traction overseas, Khanna said. The former made over ₹196 crore in overseas gross, as compared to ₹262 crore within the country, while the latter earned Rs.
120 crore abroad versus Rs. 346 crore domestically. On the other hand, a critically acclaimed title like 12th Fail that did not feature big stars, only managed around ₹2 crore overseas, despite resounding success back home.
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