Bollywood avoid Bond, Spider Man, Batman

Come June 29, and The Amazing Spider-Man is set to amaze audiences. That’s probably why major Bollywood producers don’t want to clash with Spidey at the box office. Similarly, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises that releases on July 20 has no competition from any B-town biggies.

Come June 29, and The Amazing Spider-Man is set to amaze audiences. That’s probably why major Bollywood producers don’t want to clash with Spidey at the box office. Similarly, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises that releases on July 20 has no competition from any B-town biggies. And James Bond’s newest outing, Skyfall, also, as of now, has a clear weekend opening on November 2.

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Are Bollywood filmmakers wary of Hollywood biggies? “Of course,” says trade analyst Taran Adarsh. “Forget multiplex audiences, even the janta knows what Spider-Man or Bond films are about, so no filmmaker would risk clashing with them.” Spider-Man will hit theatres a week after Gangs Of Wasseypur and Teri Meri Kahaani (TMK). However, TMK director Kunal Kohli insists, “I had fixed my release date long before Spider-Man entered the picture. And there’s enough space for all films nowadays.” Experts feel that the Hindi film industry is likely to be at the receiving end.

“I’m sure theatre owners will reduce the number of Hindi movie shows for such films. So they can’t deny that they will be affected,” says Adarsh. This month, Spidey will face competition from only small-ticket films like Maximum, Daal Mein Kuch Kaala Hai and 3 Bachelors. Next month, small films like Gattu, Jalpari and I M 24 will accompany The Dark Knight Rises at the box office. The Saif Ali Khan-Deepika Padukone starrer, Cocktail and Vikram Bhatt’s 1920 – Evil Returns will release a week earlier. As of now, Skyfall has no competition from Hindi biggies.

Yash Chopra’s Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif starrer will also release in November, but the date is yet to be fixed. Ajay Devgn’s Ajay Devgn’s Son Of Sardaar will hit screens on November 13. “No clash is good for any filmmaker. Why would you want to eat into each other’s business?” says Tanuj Garg, CEO, Balaji Motion Pictures. The mass appeal of these franchises spells a dry spell for Bollywood. “Big Hollywood films are dubbed in local languages too, so they reach even small towns and single screens,” says Adarsh.