The Jungle Book, starring 12-year-old Indian-American Neel Sethi as Mowgli, will release in India on April 8, a week before it releases in the US. Apart from the fact that a lot of us have grown up watching the Hindi TV series of the same name, the timing of the movie's release couldn't be better - it releases at the start of the summer holidays. Also, had the movie, which is based on a children's classic, released a week later along with the US, it would have clashed with a big-ticket Shah Rukh Khan release, Fan.

The phenomenon of major Hollywood movies releasing here before the US isn't new - it's been happening since 2008,when Bond film Quantum Of Solace released in India a week before the US. Over the years, the number of Hollywood movies banking on India's growth as a market has increased.

PREPONED HOLLYWOOD FILMS TEND TO DO WELL
Cinema owners and production houses say that so far, preponed Hollywood movies in India have had great collections, and this will lead to more production houses releasing films in India before the West. Devang Sampat, business head, of a theatre chain, tells us, “A number of Hollywood films were released in India before the West and they did well. India contributes a significant amount to the collections of these films, so it is obvious that Hollywood producers would want to tap the Indian market. With the movie releasing in India before the UK and the US, its collections are going to jump.“

Tinku Singh, Group president and chief strategy officer of a cinema group, adds, “The Jungle Book is popular in India and releasing it here before the US will benefit the film immensely. There could be two reasons behind this. Firstly, any film that prepones its release, benefits because it generates curiosity among the audience. Other movies which were released in India before the West, almost reached the Rs 100-crore club. Secondly, last year the revenue of Hollywood films increased in India. We have been observing this as a trend over the years, that films which release first in India, generate good revenue and see higher occupancy. It could prove to be a wise decision since other big-budgeted movies are releasing on April 15.“

FILMS WHICH HAVE A MASS APPEAL ARE RELEASED FIRST
India has been growing as a market for Hollywood movies and films released here first have a mass appeal. Rajender Singh, VP, programming and distribution, of a multiplex chain, says, “Movies which have a mass appeal are released first in India. Sometimes it is to avoid clash with Bollywood biggies. The films released in India first had a hype around them, just like The Jungle Book does. It's a matter of time before others follow suit.“

WE WILL SEE MORE MOVIES RELEASING IN INDIA FIRST
Kamal Gianchandani, CEO, of a national multiplex chain, tells us, “There is also a marketing advantage to releasing a film in India first. Sometimes distributors come here a week before or after to avoid clash with Bollywood films. The Jungle Book is an ambitious project and it is very important that it releases at a time when it gets major market share. I think because of digitisation of infrastructure, this phenomenon will catch up and we'll see more films releasing in India before the rest of the world.“

IT WOULD BE WRONG TO SEE IT AS A TREND
Even though most cinema exhibitors insist that this trend is catching up, Yogesh Raizada, corporate head of a cinema chain, says, “Releasing movies in India before the US is certainly not a trend, but there have been several instances in the last few years. The reasons could vary from avoiding clashes to the success of the prequel. But we need to understand that for Hollywood producers, releasing a film in India is a risky decision as it is only two-three per cent of their total revenue.“