The Avengers steals India show, Rs.47cr and counting... Released on April 27 across 800 screens, the superhero flick hit the billion dollars mark in less than 3 weeks

The Avengers steals India show, Rs.47cr and counting...

Released on April 27 across 800 screens, the superhero flick hit the billion dollars mark in less than 3 weeks

Shabana Ansari

Superhero flick The Avengers has made Rs47 crore, making it the fourth highest collection for a Hollywood movie at the Indian box-office. “The success of the film in India proves that the aggressive marketing and distribution strategies that we adopt to release our big ticket Hindi movies can be applied to Hollywood blockbusters as well,” said Siddharth Roy Kapur, managing director (studios) of Disney UTV, the company which marketed and distributed the film in India. In India, the film had been released on April 27 across 800 screens in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. In the global market, The Avengers had hit the billion (US) dollars mark in less than three weeks after its release. Buoyed by the success of The Avengers, Marvel Studios is planning several sequels, including ones for Captain America: The First Avenger (scheduled for release in 2014), Thor (scheduled for release in November 2013) and Iron Man (scheduled for release in May 2013). The Amazing Spider-Man is among many Hollywood films that have their eyes set on the lucrative Indian market this year. It is set to hit theatres on June 29, four days before its US opening. “Each of the films from the Spider-Man franchise has broken records on the day of its release in India,” said Kercy Daruwala, managing director of Sony Pictures, India. “We are confident that audiences will enjoy the new movie even more because they will be watching it a few days before the US audiences and also because it has an Indian connection.” The movie stars Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan as one of the villains. Other big Hollywood releases this year include Skyfall, the 23rd installment of the James Bond series, which will open in India in November, a week before its US release. The final installment of the Batman series The Dark Knight Rises, animation flicks like Madagascar 3 and Ice Age 4, and Total Recall are others. Daruwala added that this year, they have the biggest line-up that they have ever tried or tested, with a mix of action films, family films, comedies and dramas starring big actors.

Photo Caption(s):The Avengers is the furth highest collection for a Hollywood movie at the Indian box-office