Small Hollywood horror flicks strike it big
The Nun II collected over ₹43 crore, despite its release in a few screens on a weekend alongside Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan that later crossed ₹500 crore. In July, Insidious: The Red Door grossed about ₹17.68 crore, while Evil Dead Rise grossed over ₹36 crore in April. Interestingly, these films made their mark in a year when many high-profile Hollywood superhero franchises failed to attract viewers.
Industry experts attributed the phenomenon to a combination of savvy marketing and efficient distribution. They also believe that the horror genre is best experienced at a cinema. “There is a clear-cut fan following for Hollywood horror films in India, especially those that belong to established franchises because they deliver expected scares.
Also, horror is best enjoyed as part of a community experience which is not an effect possible at home," Denzil Dias, vice-president and managing director, India theatrical, Warner Bros Discovery, said. The company released The Nun alongside a formidable competitor like Jawan, and Evil Dead Rise alongside Salman Khan’s Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan in April, Dias said, which is where marketing and distribution tactics come in. Knowing that single-screen theatres would focus on these mass-market Bollywood star films, the company targeted multiplexes in the north and south, given that the films were also dubbed in all local languages.
The screen count for such films usually hovers between 1,000 and 1,200 though another 500-600 screens can be added if the title picks up. Marketing campaigns focus on digital and experiential categories given that the target audience is young. For its recent horror film, The Exorcist: Believer, Warner organised theme nights across pubs while in Mumbai for The Nun
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