Mumbai: Hollywood director Christopher Nolan’s appeal in India is no longer confined to urban, English-speaking audiences. Dubbed versions of the acclaimed filmmaker’s movies are steadily gaining ground, contributing a major chunk of box-office receipts over the past decade, signalling the growing reach of his cinema beyond its traditional audience base.

The contribution of Nolan’s films dubbed in multiple Indian languages to their total India collections is as high as 30%, sealing his position as arguably the only international director with a genuine pan-India following, distributors, producers, and executives at dubbing companies told ET.

The dubbed versions in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu of past Nolan releases such as Inception and Tenet contributed 30% each to their total India collections, according to the data shared by Warner Bros. Theatrical, a division of Warner Bros. Discovery. In the past, Warner Bros. Theatrical has distributed all key films of Nolan in India—The Batman Trilogy, Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk, and Tenet.

Continuing with this trend, in ten days since its release, the dubbed versions—Hindi, Tamil and Telugu—of Nolan’s latest release, The Odyssey, contributed 20% (Rs. 28 crore) to its total India collection of Rs 140 crore, showed the data shared by Warner Bros Theatrical division.

This is a noteworthy feat, especially for an English film in India. Warner Bros. Theatrical, also called as Warner Bros. Pictures, has a licensing deal to market and distribute all Universal films in India. Universal Pictures is the distributor of the film The Odyssey.

Distributors highlighted a fundamental shift in the audience base of Nolan’s films in the country as new fans across Indian languages discover his productions.

“Since its release, more audiences have experienced The Odyssey in their own language in India than in the entire run of any Nolan film,” said Denzil Dias, vice president and managing director, India Theatrical at Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of Warner Bros. Pictures.

“These are not converted fans. These are new fans who are discovering a Nolan film for the first time in Hindi, in Telugu, in Tamil. This is not a box office but an audience story.”

Distributors and producers say despite primarily being a Hollywood release, universal themes across Nolan’s films help cross any language barriers.

“Even though Nolan’s films are intellectually layered, they transcend language barriers largely because they contain universal themes,” said Suniel Wadhwa, cofounder & director, Karmic Films. “I experienced this when I released Inception in the Mysore (Karnataka) territory in 2010.”

Seamless and effective dubbing has also contributed to this trend, said dubbing companies.

“Today, the dubbing quality of films has improved considerably,” said Ashim Shakti Samanta, Aradhana Films, a company which dubbed The Odyssey in multiple Indian languages. “It is quite faithful to the original films. What drives audiences from different Indian languages to Nolan’s films is strong emotions.”

“Apart from the badge of bragging rights, audiences across India watch a Nolan film largely for an intellectual experience in which understanding acquires more significance than emotional depth,” said Yogesh Parkar, a banking professional and a Nolan admirer. “He fulfils this expectation in almost every film.”

“Over the years, Nolan has become the ‘event’ in all his event films,” he said. “In India, there is a fanbase for Hollywood superhero and horror films. But the nationwide excitement Nolan’s films generate cannot be matched even by films of acclaimed directors such as Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.”

A few weeks back, Matt Damon made this rather unexpectedly philosophical comparison on the Joe Rogan show, about something that, to most of us, has usually been a less intense thought when we first plan a movie outing: “There’s nothing like watching a film in IMAX – that feeling of sitting with strangers, people from your community, all sharing the same moment. It’s almost like going to church - you arrive at a set time, it doesn’t wait for you, and your attention is total… It’s a completely different level of attention.”

And more recently, he said: “The Odyssey was an experience that I just was in it every day and loving it. And the funniest thing happened, which is just all of the things that might have been difficult for me at an earlier point in my life weren’t difficult. They became fun. Like being wet and cold was not a hardship. It was actually something I felt really lucky to be experiencing. It felt temporary and like a gift. So it was very strange. It’s not something I’ve ever experienced. That’s why I kind of sound like a born-again Christian. It’s a feeling that I’ve wanted and finally had.”

Not many actors have spoken of watching cinema, or being part of a movie, in terms that are adjacent to devotion and faith. So one was waiting to sit across Matt to ask him this: Is this just a turn of phrase, or do you actually feel this deeply about this space and your craft?

“Both”, he says. “Both. Because I do feel that deeply about it, and also... you know, it was such a huge part of my life, and the joy of going… And I talked about it in terms of church because I think, in the cinema experience, you have to go at an appointed time. It’s going to start whether you’re there or not. And so, already, that changes the relationship between something you’re doing at home that you can stop and start. And, also, when you’re viewing at home, which we all do, you’re usually in a room where other things might be happening. The lights might be on, kids might be running around, the dogs might be running around. When you go to the cinema (however), you’re stepping into this other place where you’re paying deference to this event that’s occurring. And so, it’s just a different relationship to what you’re watching. And it’s one that I treasure.”

Then he pauses to rewind. “And it was a big part of growing up. Ben Affleck and I would go to the movies – every weekend we would go. And if you got shut out of one movie, you just went to another that was playing. And sometimes stay and see two movies back-to-back. And I love that experience.”

That memory will bring reassurance to all those who have been castigated for the time we supposedly wasted watching movies. Then Matt shifts to the omnipresent post-Covid screen question: “I’m glad that it’s coming back, that it feels like we’re out of the pandemic, and that young people seem to be going again (to the movie theatres). Because I want that experience for them, because it was such an important part of my life.”

Young people? Well, there is a representative of young people right next to Matt, so we ask Tom Holland, who could still easily pass off as a 21 year old, whether he agrees with what Matt is saying, or does that sound like an older person’s perspective?

“No, I relate to what he says”, Tom instantly says, “and I’m, you know, really excited for the future of cinema. It feels like there’s been this kind of competition between streaming and the theatrical experience, and I feel like people have recognized that they’re not two of the same thing. They’re completely different experiences now. Both can exist in the same world,” he is emphatic on that point.

“And for me, to be a part of a movie like The Odyssey, with Christopher Nolan directing and kind of bringing all of those younger people into the theatre is such a pleasure and it feels like something to be so grateful for.”

Then Tom makes a point about what one has been reading a lot about – the younger age group driving the footfalls to halls globally.

“I think being a cinephile now is something to celebrate, especially in, you know, younger communities. And I think something that I’ve been learning – as I’ve been allowed behind the curtain with the producers and the directors – is that there’s such a great deal of respect for audiences. You know, I think that they really understand that people are coming into these movies with such knowledge about how they’re made, and that’s what I love about how Chris has made The Odyssey, because it’s going to challenge their knowledge. There’s going to be things that they see where they leave the theatre and go, ‘How on earth did he do that?’ I almost can’t wait for the secondary press tour where we can spill all the beans about how he made this movie as epic as it is!”

One holds back the urge to make a quip along the lines of yes, Tom, we are all very aware you can’t wait to spill all the beans . But then, serious-looking Matt’s there, and we move away before Tom spills anything.

Every one of us has seen the memes about the cost of Hollywood bringing Matt Damon home. He is forever in a distant land trying to get back home. However, it was back in 2012 or thereabout when he first spoke about how different it is personally. He has a two-week rule: ‘We don’t stay away from family for more than two weeks if I can help it’. So how does somebody with that mindset, when he plays a character like this – how does he imagine he could ever actually live this, could you be away for 20 years from family?

“No, I can’t imagine how it would impact me! It’s one of the reasons why the film Interstellar was so emotional. When I first read that script, that idea that Matthew McConaughey’s character lost the childhood of his own children because he went to that planet and lost all that time, which just was so terrifying to me. And so we did always have a two-week rule. And we always observed it until this film – this film was the first time. The first stretch I was away, I think, for three and a half weeks, before my kids came to visit. And so, yeah, it definitely, for me, it was a shocking experience in that regard, and it certainly helped me relate to the character.”

Nolan keeps saying that The Odyssey is made around ethical dilemmas and impossible situations, and that’s what makes this story work. We ask both the actors to give a sense of what was their ‘impossible situation? Something so far away from their own personal space or your own philosophy that when it was read out to them, they said, ‘okay, how do I create this, this moment, in this situation?’

Tom goes first. “Well, for me, it would be the idea of growing up without a dad. I was so lucky in my life that my dad was so present. I had both my parents work from home. My dad was a comedian, so his job would exist once we had gone to bed. So, in our minds, dad was home all the time. And I couldn’t imagine growing up in any other way. So, for me, playing Telemachus felt like a huge departure from the personal life that I’ve been lucky enough to live.”

But he goes on to add a caveat, as to why it was not as difficult as it might have been: “We were very lucky, though, with Chris’s script. You know, any of those questions or those unknown or uncharted territory, everything was on the page. You know, we were really spoiled with this script that was full of every detail you could possibly want. And then Chris is so up for discussion. He really, really loved to chat through the characters and all that sort of stuff. So we were really, really spoiled as actors.”

(Bollywood directors, leaving that here for you: be up for discussion, ok, even Nolan is!)

“I would say the same thing about the script”, says Matt, and elaborates. “Something like the song of the siren is something, you know, I’d wondered ever since I read it in the Odyssey, in the poem, what is that song? What does it sound like? What is it actually doing? But Chris’s specificity of what he wanted me to do was so clear. And because he builds the real world around you, what I knew for certain when I read the script was, well, I will be strapped to the mast of an actual ship in the Mediterranean, passing some rocks, with women on the rocks that are calling to me. So he’ll give me every advantage possible so that I can play that kind of existential crisis.”

Given the amount of testosterone-fuelled, macho, angry cinema that has had the box office registers ringing away in recent years, there’s something one had to just ask them. Basically, this: Both of you play warriors of an earlier age, and the sword is your life, so to say, and yet you aren’t afraid to bring tears to your eyes, or be sad and melancholy on the screen. ‘Boys don’t cry’ seems to have returned to cinema of late. When you are a powerful man and a wielder of weapons, and you have this comfort with weakness and emotion, is this a message to the younger audience, men in particular, that being strong doesn’t mean being unsentimental or being afraid of tears?

“I don’t know if that it’s a message, per se”, Matt says, then elaborates. “I think it’s a part of being a human being. I mean, you go through trials and struggles, you know, oftentimes it can be difficult to remain stoic. It’s interesting to see where that happens, right? So, in the case of Odysseus, it’s obviously the siren song is his existential crisis, but it’s the journey home to see his wife and – I don’t want to give too much away – about his own fear in facing her, because he will have to tell her everything. And it’s a reckoning, almost, that’s so powerful, that he’s avoiding it. And so I just think it’s part of being a human being, experiencing all of these things.”

He then pauses to remind us about a philosophical undercurrent in the story: “I don’t think it’s a message about strength – I mean, he’s plenty strong in plenty places in the movie. He’s plenty brave. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t make decisions that he wishes he could take again. And it doesn’t mean that he’s not living with the consequences of those decisions.”

There’s a quaint, almost-poetic touch to the choice of words, that one hasn’t heard in ages.

To conclude, one turns to Tom for what is a fairly obvious query by now.

Tom, was Matt a father figure to you on the set? “He was a father figure to everyone on the set, you know!” Tom laughs. “He’s kind of our fearless leader, and I think Matt really set the tone for the acting department for how we should be tackling every day, and that was with grace and a smile on our face. Regardless of whether Matt was dealing with sideways winds and rain or climbing up a mountain or, you know, being nearly drowned. He always made everyone feel like we belonged and like we were there as a team and that this is going to be really tough, but we were going to have a lot of fun doing it. And I think everyone really respected him for that. And I think that this movie would have been impossible without Matt’s leadership in that.”

Would have been impossible without his leadership? Hmm, that sounded like a member of the crew on Odysseus’ ship, right?

There are two Mumbais every visiting celebrity encounters. One is all premieres, luxury hotels and flashing cameras. The other is discovered through recommendations. Over the past days, The Odyssey director Christopher Nolan and actors Matt Damon and Tom Holland found themselves on the latter trail.

At the Film Heritage Foundation in Ballard Estate on Friday, founder Shivendra Singh Dungarpur took Nolan through the Foundation’s restoration facilities, where the director watched technicians at work on a 70mm print. For a filmmaker who has spent years championing celluloid, it was a rare opportunity to see India’s preservation efforts up close. Nolan, fans would know, has also served on Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation for over a decade. That Dungarpur’s Foundation has grown into one of the world’s leading centres for restoring and preserving films probably made it a fitting stop before The Odyssey reached Mumbai.

Photographer and filmmaker Sunhil Sippy, rarely someone to be overawed by famous names, found himself unexpectedly tongue-tied. He presented Nolan with a signed copy of Opium Of Time, his 2021 coffee-table book of monochrome photographs of Mumbai. “I was nervous when he asked me to sign it,” Sippy says. “I simply wrote, ‘What an honour.’”

That evening, Dungarpur took Nolan and actor Matt Damon to Trishna in Kala Ghoda, that has fed Bombay’s old guard for decades. Nolan was, reportedly, already familiar with that menu, having eaten there with his family on an earlier trip.

If Friday belonged to cinema, Saturday belonged to Mumbai. Hours before the premiere, Nolan, Damon and Holland walked into Olympia Coffee House in Colaba. Founded in 1918, the Irani café has changed little over the decades. Its marble tables have welcomed everyone from taxi drivers and office-goers to politicians and film stars, while regulars still arrive early for bun maska, chai and its famously limited roast mutton. When Mirror met owner Mufti Ilyas Abul Rahim Saji, 56, last evening, he laughed at how ordinary the afternoon had seemed.

“Around 2.30 pm, members of their team started coming in,” he says. “We thought they were regular customers. They had tea and snacks, left, then returned again.”

Only around 6 pm did anything seem unusual – because security personnel gathered outside before a van pulled up. “We didn’t recognize them,” Saji says with characteristic matter-of-factness. “They came in, sat down, had tea and spoke among themselves. Then it was time for my prayers, so I left.”

The advance team had told Olympia only that a few VIP guests would be dropping in and requested chai and bun maska. True to the café’s old-school hospitality, Saji decided that wasn’t quite enough. He asked the kitchen to send out saffron phirni and custard as well.

The Saji family bought a 50% stake in Olympia from its Iranian owner, Mohammad Mirab, in 1954, when Mirab and his cousins were returning to Iran. Three generations later, copper vessels are still used here, because, Saji insists, “the taste changes if the pot changes.”

What has never changed, he says, is the place’s philosophy. “Our customers range from taxi drivers to celebrities, but everyone is our customer and we treat them alike. Everyone gets the same service,” says Saji, explaining that they go by the principle of equality taught in Islam.

Manager Inayat Maridiya, 40, knew only that “VIP guests” were arriving. “They stayed for seven or eight minutes,” he says. “As they left, Tom Holland gave me a thumbs up. Only later did someone tell me he was Spider-Man.”

Saji laughs. “I’ve never watched the Spider-Man films.”

By the next morning, celebrity had worked its familiar magic. Customers arrived asking for the table where Nolan, Damon and Holland had sat, and even the cups they had used. They were out of luck. “They’d already gone back into the kitchen and were mixed with the rest of the dishes, obviously,” says 30-year-old waiter Shahbuddin Khan. There were even those who hugged Shahbuddin, as though a little of Hollywood glamour might have rubbed off on him.

In less than 48 hours, three of Hollywood’s biggest names had visited three very different Mumbai institutions: one preserving the history of cinema, the other preserving the city’s everyday rituals.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Christopher Nolan arrived in Mumbai over the weekend for the first-ever India premiere of one of his films, The Odyssey. The director behind The Dark Knight trilogy (2005–2012), Inception (2010), Interstellar (2014), Dunkirk (2017) and Oppenheimer (2023) remains one of the few filmmakers whose name alone can turn a movie into a global cinematic event. Known for pairing ambitious storytelling with immersive big-screen spectacle, Nolan spoke exclusively to HT City during his visit about The Odyssey, audience interpretations and the enduring appeal of cinema. Excerpts:

(Laughs) The fun thing is that if you leave room for interpretation, you engage the audience more. It is also important that I don’t judge those interpretations. I accept the idea that I’m putting things out there for people to make their own. With The Odyssey, it is no different. I make films for the cinema audience. Thousands of people have worked on the film, but it isn’t finished until it goes out to the audience and they tell me what they think.

It’s interesting to see how things emerge in culture, when a film first releases and then over time. With Interstellar, which was re-released in India not so long ago, it has been very interesting to see its relationship with the audience evolve. That’s pretty satisfying as a filmmaker.

What I like about telling an adventure story and putting it on the biggest screens possible is that this generation of young filmgoers may not have seen a film made on this scale before.

I see young audiences engage with cinema in incredible ways. I look at the work of Curry Barker with Obsession and Kane Parsons with The Backrooms. With The Odyssey, I’m hoping to open cinema screens to a large-scale story and a style of filmmaking they may not be familiar with. We’ll see how that goes.

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Christopher Nolan is an avid consumer of fine Earl Grey tea. Christopher Nolan was relishing a very clearly non-Earl Grey chai with bun maska in Mumbai. Christopher Nolan’s films are so cerebral that they are interpreted and decoded and deciphered and analysed. Christopher Nolan’s film collections are as often bigger than those of the massiest, most dumbed-down cinema ever made.

There are many truths to Nolan’s persona and cinema that coexist simultaneously, and he is as layered a mind as the stories he tells.

And perhaps, The Odyssey is as layered a tale as he has ever told.

There is something about grand tales that delve into ethics, morality, philosophy and truths that transcend the barriers of both time and culture. It is on that account, perhaps, that our conversation in Mumbai with Nolan did not feel very ‘foreign’. The emphasis he places on the Greek concept of Xenia, of the thought that one should be respectful even to a humble beggar who comes at your door since he may be a god walking the earth in disguise, reminds one of Tulsidas’ ‘Na jaane kis vesh mein Narayan mil jaye’. The focus in his story on how a guest should be treated reminds us that ‘atithi devo bhava’ existed as a sacred thought across the world long before it became a tourism punchline. The stories of characters living on earth whose parents are gods, or at least non-human, reminds us of so many characters in the Mahabharata. The remorse that Nolan’s primary protagonist suffers even after engineering a famous victory reminds us of the name behind the Indian national emblem – how Asoka the Great’s remorse post-Kalinga shaped what he, and the land he ruled, have stood for a very, very long time.

I think it’s one of the eternal human contradictions. Love and war, essentially, that fuel drama and has fueled literature for thousands and thousands of years. I mean, the Odyssey is 3,000 years old, and I think it taps into very human truths.

I think that in my adaptation, I feel that – without going into spoilers, people haven’t seen it – but I think the character of Circe is given some things to say about that, and about that contradiction, that I think is very relevant to the overall story, because there is that contradiction of the qualities that make a good soldier.

Loyalty is one of them, loyalty and obedience and bravery and so forth, all these sorts of positive qualities – but aimed at this incredibly negative end, which is to inflict harm on somebody, to bring death and destruction, and so forth.

And that contradiction, I think, is one of the most interesting and evocative things that storytelling can deal with.

When I came to adapt the Odyssey, I found that that contradiction underlies everything really in the poem. And so, in different ways, I’ve tried to bring that out in the film, including the feel of the experience of the audience as well, in terms of what the audience’s relationship is with the adventure of the piece, but then also the gravity of the seriousness of war, of death, of destruction, all these things that are happening...

But I think it’s an eternal conflict that fuels drama in a very compelling way.

I mean, I think – even more complicated than that – I think within the same individual, there can be the element of remorse, there can (also) be element of inappropriate enjoyment of violence. Different attitudes towards violence at different times can exist within the same individual. And I think that’s one of the things that we’re dealing with, with the character of Odysseus, for example.

One of the reasons I wanted Matt Damon to play the part is, Matt, I mean, he’s a brilliant actor, that sort of goes without saying, but for me, even more than that, I wanted to retain the complexities and contradictions of the character of Odysseus, which are not the traditional characteristics of the hero of an epic.

And Matt is able to open that to the audience and bring the audience in, so you can retain those contradictions and complexities, but he can make you feel that you’re seeing the world through his eyes and you’re experiencing that with him.

And I think part of that is the idea of feeling grounded ethically in a character’s worldview, and then having that challenge, and especially retroactive, looking back at things you’ve already seen in the story, and maybe look at them in a slightly different way at the end of the film than we did at the beginning of the film. And that’s the kind of storytelling I very much enjoy.

Well, for me, you know, the film has something of a contradiction in this sense, because I have embraced the fantastical elements of the story, the creatures, for example, the cyclopses in the film, those things… But when it came to the gods and the portrayal of the gods, what I became interested in was something that you find in the poem.

It’s a Greek concept known as Xenia. In the film, we refer to it as Zeus’s law, very specifically, and it’s essentially the golden rule. It’s the idea that we have to treat each other with mutual respect.

And the theological underpinning in that Bronze Age is you may look like a humble beggar, but you might be a god in disguise. And so, I have to treat you the way I would want to be treated. In the modern world, we don’t necessarily have that theological underpinning, but of course, what I came to realize is it’s so essential for the story that modern civilization is founded on exactly the same principle, mutual respect.

But the fact that it’s a strong theological underpinning in the Bronze Age led me to want to portray the gods in the way that those people might have experienced them, through nature, through the evidence of the gods, that the sun rises in the morning, that the wind blows, that the tides come in. That’s all evidence of divinity. That’s evidence of gods.

And people walking amongst them may also be gods in disguise. They may be seeing gods in men. And I wanted to keep to that view of the gods, essentially, rather than portraying them as separate, in their own world, up on Mount Olympus or whatever, talking and so forth, as sometimes has been the case in older films.

I really wanted to stay within that mindset of the characters. I wanted to give it, because I think that idea of Xenia, that idea of Zeus’s law, by the end of the film, you realize how important that is. And I felt like portraying the gods in that way would make that more obvious.

I mean, I’m always interested in any great story. And I know that Indian culture is full of incredible great stories. But as far as the specifics of what attracts me to a project, I don’t know. I mean, there are commonalities in the Odyssey with, as you say, and the Mahabharata. But I have certainly enjoyed dealing in a mythological landscape, yes.

I mean, I came very late to Satyajit Ray, Pather Panchali. It’s a masterpiece. It’s as good a film as I’ve ever seen. And I was, I did not realize, I think, how… obviously I’d heard of Ray, but some years ago, right before I came to India the first time, I watched that film for the first time, and it’s as fine a film as I’ve ever seen. He was an absolutely extraordinary filmmaker.

(Pauses) I think that’s a very tough question for this kind of interview! (laughs)

I mean, we’re all complicated… we’re all complicated the way that Odysseus is complicated… (but) I do not think the word that is most often applied to Odysseus, I don’t think people would necessarily apply that to me. And that word is wily. And, you know, it’s that idea of the trickster or somebody who’s always got – he’s hiding his motive, and has a sort of ulterior motive.

I don’t think, I don’t think I share that.

Well, possibly because that’s how I would feel. This is… (laughs) Now I feel like I’m on the psychoanalyst couch!

Yeah, I think so. But I also think that, you see, he’s aware of it, in a way, the whole film. But you still see him enjoying his intelligence and enjoying his way of working around things.

And so it’s that thing of somebody who knows what they should be doing and still perhaps isn’t doing it.

And, you know, we all share that.

(And as we wrap it up there, Nolan has a concluding take with a laugh: ‘That’s some tough questions!’ )

Mumbai: Hollywood’s tentpole films have steadily gained ground at the Indian box office over the past 18 months, a trend industry insiders expect to accelerate this month as a cluster of major releases arrives within a fortnight, boosting overall collections.

From superhero spectacle Spider-Man: Brand New Day and auteur-driven The Odyssey to kids and family entertainment Moana and horror genre Evil Dead Burn, Hollywood films offer exhibitors strong potential for robust collections in the coming weeks, exhibitors, film trade analysts and producers told ET.

“Hollywood has enjoyed a strong run in 2026, with films such as Obsession, Project Hail Mary and Michael, among others, reaffirming the strength of the English-language box office in India. The upcoming line-up is also remarkably diverse,” said Gautam Dutta, chief executive, revenue and operations at PVR Inox.

Diverse themes and audience segments are likely to play a pivotal role in the success of these event films, trade insiders said.

They foresee a highly favourable response, especially to Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, given their loyal fan bases.

“There is a large fan base for director Christopher Nolan, actor Tom Holland and Marvel films in India,” said producer Rajesh R Nair. “The success of Hollywood films over the past year has become even more visible because of the weak content coming from Hindi cinema. In July, these four films are likely to perform well as there is almost no competition, even from regional cinema,” he added.

According to trade sources, Spider-Man: Brand New Day has already generated pre-sales of Rs 5 crore in India, while The Odyssey has recorded pre-sales of around Rs 2 crore.

Distributors said the two films will be showcased extensively in premium-format screens, which is expected to further boost box-office collections in July.

“These Hollywood films will be released across premium large-format screens such as IMAX, ScreenX, 4DX and P[XL]. Ticket prices in these formats range from Rs 700 to Rs 3,300,” said Shaaminder Malik, distributor and film business expert.

“One must also bear in mind that they will be released in multiple Indian languages. Therefore, these global tentpole releases are likely to drive repeat visits to theatres, thereby boosting occupancy and collections.”

Film trade analysts estimate that, cumulatively, these four films could contribute close to Rs 400 crore to the Indian box office. They pointed out that a collection of Rs 20-30 crore is generally enough for a Hollywood film to be considered a hit in India.

“I expect The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day to outperform the other Hollywood releases in the coming weeks. Both films can easily collect at least Rs 300 crore, given the high level of audience interest,” said Girish Johar, producer and film business expert.

This week, when it was announced that Christopher Nolan had included India among the four stops on the world premiere tour of The Odyssey, old videos from his 2018 visit began doing the rounds again. Back then, there was considerable chatter around India getting 70mm IMAX screens before Nolan’s next trip. Fast-forward eight years, the filmmaker is indeed returning, but the screens appear to have missed the memo. Fans were quick to point out that not a single 70mm IMAX screen has materialized.

A few years ago, exhibitors had to release explainer videos detailing why IMAX and premium format screens offered a superior viewing experience. They even suggested where moviegoers could watch films in the format intended by the filmmaker. Today, the situation is different. Audiences are driving demand for specialized formats, often choosing them over conventional screenings.

Exhibitors say formats such as IMAX and PXL bring viewers closer to the filmmaker’s vision, offering a more immersive, detailed and impactful experience. Films designed for these formats provide a better experience.

The premium-format availability is now a key talking point around major releases. This week, comments attributed to Sony Pictures began circulating online, suggesting that Spider-Man: Brand New Day would not be released in IMAX in India, although it would be available in other premium formats. Exhibitors say such discussions indicate just how aware audiences have become of the different viewing options available to them.

Apart from IMAX, India also has PXL screens, which offer precision-engineered sound and exceptional image clarity Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, Executive Director, PVR INOX Limited, tells us, “In today’s cinematic landscape, the growing preference for premium formats like IMAX and PXL reflects a clear shift toward immersive, high-quality storytelling. What sets these formats apart is their ability to deliver a truly differentiated experience through expansive screen sizes, exceptional image clarity, deeper contrast, and precision-engineered sound that goes far beyond conventional formats.”

Hollywood executives say the preference for specialized formats has grown so much that a substantial share of a film’s box-office earnings now comes from these screens. One reason is that tickets for these formats are priced at a premium compared to regular screenings.

A Hollywood executive tells us, “One of the reasons why Obsession’s box-office performance surprised the industry was because the film was not released in any premium format, unlike earlier horror releases. At present, specialized formats contribute a major portion of a film’s earnings.”

Cinema business analyst Girish Johar adds, “In India, the demand for premium screen formats has grown a lot over the last couple of years and has become an integral part of the theatrical viewing experience. While a number of premium screens have been added, we still have a long way to go.”

IMAX, short for Image Maximum, is the go-to format for the majority of moviegoers, especially when it comes to superhero films. It is a motion picture projection system that delivers stunning images and 12-channel sound. The 12-channel sound means you can hear sound coming from overhead. In short, IMAX provides sound that you can feel. 70mm IMAX is considered the highest-quality IMAX format.

Source: IMAX

It’s not every day that you spot three Hollywood heavyweights — American actor-producer Matt Damon, British-American filmmaker Christopher Nolan and English actor Tom Holland — sipping chai and tucking into bun maska at a local eatery in India. But that’s exactly what happened on Saturday, when the trio visited the 108-year-old Olympia Coffee House in Mumbai amid promotions for their upcoming film, The Odyssey.

As photos and videos of their visit went viral, Olympia Coffee House manager Inayat Maredia shares what it was like to host the stars, and reveals that they didn’t even recognise them at first!

“Unn teenon ke guests jo the (their team), woh pehle 2:30 baje naashte ke liye aaye, uske baad se voh khade the cafe ke baahar hi. Humko toh pata bhi nahi tha ki jinki woh wait kar rahe hain, woh itne bade hain. Baad mein jab Google kiya toh maloom padha ki Tom Spider-Man wale actor hain,” he says.

It was only when Damon, Nolan and Holland walked into the cafe at 6 pm, suited up, and the crowd began to swell, that the staff realized they had some pretty famous people amidst them. “The three of them came. Chai peeya, bun maska khaaya, very light snacks. Zyaada der nahi ruke kyunki bheed bahot aa gayi thi. Bodyguards aaye the, police thi. 10-15 minutes se zyaada nahi ruke,” Inayat shares.

At The Odyssey press conference on Saturday, Matt Damon revealed he still regrets missing the chance to work with filmmaker Shekhar Kapur after having to turn down his 2002 directorial The Four Feathers because he had already signed another film. “He’s has always been on my list and I would like to have another go,” Damon said.

Reacting to the actor’s remarks, Kapur tells us, “I hope the collaboration happens. It’s Time Matt, and I finally collaborate.”

Few filmmakers inspire the kind of devotion among Indian audiences that Christopher Nolan does. These are the fans who turn up unfailingly for every Nolan retrospective, pack theatres from the earliest morning shows to late-night screenings, and can transform a decade-old film like Interstellar into one of the country's most talked-about cinematic events, as they did last year. And Nolan is well aware of that affection.

The relationship has long felt re-ciprocal. Over the years, Nolan has repeatedly acknowledged the passion his films inspire in India - from recording a special message for audiences ahead of Tenet's release to giving Indian moviegoers early access to IMAX bookings for The Odyssey. During the initial rollout, India was the only market outside the US to receive that privilege.

This July, Nolan is set to visit Mumbai to meet his fans. Studio sources confirmed that the filmmaker will visit India next month, ahead of the release of The Odyssey as part of the film's global tour. Given his immense popularity in India, Mumbai has been included as a key stop on the international tour, with Nolan set to meet fans and attend the film's premiere in the city.

The schedule, however, is yet to be finalized. Sources say the action-fantasy film will be the first Nolan film to premiere in India.

He will be accompanied by cast members Matt Damon and Tom Holland Holland, along with Academy Award-winning producer Emma Thomas.

"The film's Mumbai premiere marks one of the most significant Hollywood visits ever staged in India," sources from the studio share.

Before ‘The Odyssey’ arrives in cinemas on July 17, it may be bringing Mumbai an evening to remember. Word is that acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan may host a grand India première of his epic adventure drama in Mumbai. Universal Pictures, which has co-produced the highly anticipated movie, is said to be in early discussions to have the event in Mumbai in mid-July, with cast members Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, and Tom Holland expected to be in attendance.

While it hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, industry chatter suggests the studio is exploring venue options in the city and has initiated preliminary conversations with Indian partners regarding logistics, security, and venue planning.

A source told mid-day, “The heads at Universal Pictures know that Nolan has a passionate fanbase in India. The idea is to create an event that feels global, but still uniquely Mumbai. There have been conversations around keeping it curated and high-profile. Right now, everything, especially travel plan, depends on the West Asia conflict.” 

An official announcement from Universal Pictures is expected closer to the film’s marketing launch window.

mid-day reached out to Universal Pictures, which declined to comment.

In March 2018, filmmaker Christopher Nolan of ‘The Dark Knight’ trilogy fame visited India to advocate the preservation of photochemical film. The director made an appearance at IMAX Wadala, where his movie ‘Dunkirk’ was being screened.

Comic Con Mumbai kicked off over the weekend, bringing together immersive booths, creators, fans, and cosplayers in a vibrant celebration of pop culture. Babil, who recently returned to movies after a brief hiatus, made a special appearance for BT and soaked in anime culture’s soaring popularity among young fans. Warm and unassuming, Babil happily posed for selfies and responded to every fan who enthusiastically spoke about their love for his father, the late Irrfan.

Babil’s connection with superheroes is also deeply personal because of his father’s association with The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), which starred Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker. Speaking about it fondly, he said, “We know from the Spider-Verse that there’s an Indian Spider-Man. Seeing my dad in the film was surreal, but not as crazy as him telling Christopher Nolan he didn’t have dates for Interstellar because he was already committed to another wonderful film – Piku with Shoojit Sircar.”

He added, “Spider-Man is my favourite superhero because he’s human in a very real way. He goes through all the emotions of being a kid growing up and coming to terms with being handed this immensely heavy responsibility and legacy. I relate to that deeply.”

Babil believes the enduring appeal of superhero films lies in the hope they inspire. “I’m not sure if good always triumphs over evil,” he reflected, “but the fact that superhero films make you hope for that is enough to keep you going and striving towards the right path.”

While superhero cinema is often critiqued for relying heavily on CGI spectacle, Babil sees its value differently. “Sometimes, it’s not about how technically sound or inventive a film is,” he said, “Sometimes, it’s simply about the feeling it leaves you with – and superhero films make you want to become a better version of yourself. I think that matters.”

Admiring the passion and effort behind cosplayers’ creations, Babil said, “To believe your way into creating worlds and characters is what I do for a living as an actor, so I feel at home at Comic Con. There’s also a certain bravery and rebelliousness to cosplay. It’s about standing up against the rigidity of reality and refusing to let go of imagination – and all the magic that comes with it. Sometimes, our souls need a little magic.”

For the actor, superheroes represent more than pop-culture. He revealed, “I was always that weird kid no one spoke to. It was difficult for me to make friends. I was often bullied, and for any child going through that kind of loneliness, superheroes and the imagination that came with them became the friends I desperately wanted. They created an inner world for me where resilience became my superpower.”

Saurabh Shukla believed he would need Lady Luck to get his desired actors for his directorial venture, Jab Khuli Kitaab. Who knows whether it was good fortune or the power of a good script, but Pankaj Kapur and Dimple Kapadia agreed to front his family comedy in days.

Revealing that he went to Kapur’s Versova office to hand the script — that revolves around an aged couple whose marriage is shaken by the unravelling of a secret — to him, Shukla recalled, “Pankaj said, ‘I will read it and tell you.’ Within a week, he said yes.”

When Kapadia’s name was suggested for the female lead, the writer and director initially shot down the idea. He thought she would be too big to front his mid-size movie. “She is such a huge star! At that time, she had done [Christopher] Nolan’s film [Tenet] and would have had no shortage of films. I would give my right arm to get her! So, we sent her the script.”

Then came the twist in the tale. “On the third day, I got a call and she said in her beautiful, sexy voice, ‘Saurabh, I’m doing this film, nobody else will do it.’ I couldn’t believe it. Later, we had a chat where she discussed every nuance of the script. In her, I saw a woman who is not only talented, but has also lived a full life.”

Jim Sarbh’s uninhibited performances speak a language of their own. Ram Madhvani’s Neerja put him on the map, and he has continued to prove his mettle in films and web shows like Padmaavat, Made in Heaven, Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway and Rocket Boys, to name a few. Recently, Jim was nominated for an International Emmy in the Best Performance by an Actor category for his role of nuclear physicist Dr Homi Bhabha in Rocket Boys. Excerpts from a conversation...

I don’t think we ever shot it but there was a scene in the original version (of Rocket Boys) where Dr Bhabha went to see Oppenheimer. The story changed direction a little bit. I have liked Cillian for a long time. He was scary and strange in Batman Begins as the Scarecrow, and you must see him in The Wind That Shakes The Barley (2006).

As far as Rocket Boys is concerned, I am overwhelmed and excited to be nominated for an Emmy. It is an honour to be recognized amongst such talented individuals from across the world. The series salutes some of India’s scientists, artists and leaders, the pioneers of a newly birthed nation. I am so glad the makers believed in this project, and in me.

A film should be a creative collaboration between all the partners. Of course, you have a captain of the ship, but the best directors that I have worked with are the ones who encourage and enjoy collaborations. If you know your lines, if you are not forgetting your cues or are not changing the rhythm of the scene too much, within that frame, you have a choice as to how you want to interpret a moment. Good directors are always open to listening. Filmmaking requires expertise in general across the board. An incredible editor or a production designer can change your film and hide all potential flaws. I believe in that kind of culture.

I think it’s more of mounting frustration and eventually, the fact that I can’t stop myself from saying something. I know that the wiser choice would be to act cool or make jokes about it or pretend that it’s someone else’s problem. I just get frustrated and if I am in a bad mood on a particular day, I will eventually say something. I remember when I was doing interviews for Padmaavat, I was asked three standard questions. 1) What was it like to work with Ranveer Singh? 2) What was it like to work with Deepika Padukone? 3) Were you afraid of playing gay? These are such shallow questions. I think there is a trend worldwide of dumbing down art into content or entertainment purposes only so that no one thinks too deeply.

My grandmom told me to speak the truth. That was most important to her, and my mom tells me to lie instead (laughs). She tells me (mimics her), “You don’t have to tell me everything no, Jim. Learn how to lie a bit.” I will send her this article.

If something comes a close second to his love for filmmaking, it’s his love for film festivals. Since May, Anurag Kashyap has been doing the festival rounds with Kennedy, the latest being at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. For someone whose latest movie got a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival, does he harbour fears as a filmmaker?

“My producers feel the pressure because my movies don’t make enough money for them. I do what I want to do. I work with people who are available. I don’t have access to stars. Also, there’s a persistent fear that I may make a Bombay Velvet [2015] again. When you don’t have stars, the resources are limited and you get a free hand with the story,” smiles Kashyap.

It’s true for Kennedy. The noir thriller was originally written for Tamil superstar Vikram, even borrowing the title from his nickname. But things didn’t work out, and Kashyap went on to cast his Ugly (2014) actor Rahul Bhat.

“I can’t chase stars. I don’t want to pressure anyone to do a film, I want them to joyfully submit to it. I reach out to stars, but if they say, ‘Pata nahin,’ I don’t pester them. Rahul did Kennedy because he trusts me. Vikram keeps changing his number. When he was shooting for Ponniyin Selvan 1, Sobhita [Dhulipala] told him that I reached out to him. [That’s when] we figured out that I texted him on a number that was three years old. My cast was locked by the time Vikram reached out to us, but he gave his blessings.” 

Another quality that is common to most Kashyap films is their political undertones, his last offering Almost Pyaar With DJ Mohabbat being a prime example. “All my films factor in the social context of its milieu. Almost Pyaar has strong social undertones. But I am not deliberately trying to make a political film. Politics will seep in naturally, given the setting. Kennedy is set during COVID-19, so it reflects its times.”

It has been a rich 25-year run at the movies for Kashyap. As an artiste, how does he view the current stage of his career? “I’m at a stage where I don’t feel the need to compete with anyone. People want to box me, but I like every genre. I loved Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. I loved Barbie more than Oppenheimer. Christopher Nolan delivered what’s expected out of a film, but Greta Gerwig delivered something novel with a doll! I fight to keep creativity soaring in filmmaking.”

From Mirzapur and Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein, it is evident that Shweta Tripathi Sharma loves taking up dark roles. She believes such parts offer her the opportunity to explore deeper as an artiste. Naturally then, the Batman series is right up her alley. Tripathi is ready to bring the story of Batgirl to listeners with the Spotify podcast, Batman: Ek Chakravyuh. Talking to mid-day, she explains the challenges of recording for an audio medium, and why the Batman series is close to her heart.

Edited excerpts from the interview.

I had this knowledge beforehand that acting is not done only through your body, it is also what you hear. Once, I couldn’t dub for an ad because I was travelling for a shoot. That made me upset. For me, the voice completes a performance. I had also done an animation show called Birds Like Me before any of my acting gigs. Since then, it has been on my mind to give my voice to characters. When Batman: Ek Chakravyuh was offered to me, I couldn’t say no. It was a different experience altogether. It’s a solo act where there is no co-actor to give cues. There are a lot of things I have learned, which I will now take to my set.

I am a fan of Christopher Nolan’s Batman series. He is one of my favourite characters. When I started reading the script, I [started] understanding Batgirl more.

I want to do both audio and video. I want to wear a costume. Performing with Christian Bale and the entire cast would be on another level. Of course, I am the one to replace Anne Hathaway [laughs]. I usually get a lot of dark content. Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein, Mirzapur, Laakhon Mein Ek — they are all real and rooted shows. When I began reading the script of Batman: Ek Chakravyuh, I realised it is also dark. When I went to Mantra’s [director] studio and heard the sound effects, [I realised] it is an immersive experience. Everyone who has heard it, says they could imagine it visually. If we managed to create imagery through voice-overs, then I think the job is well done.

Barbara Gordon is a cop. I had to figure out my character’s pace and pitch. When the Hindi version of Jurassic Park had come out, the dialogues went: “Bhaago, bhaago, Tyrannosaurus aa raha hai” [laughs]. I didn’t want to do a show like that. It needed to sound more convincing than that. Also, I like to keep my acting restrained. In this scenario, the emotion has to be conveyed through your voice without help from any other department — hair, make-up, or lighting. Your voice, sound effects and direction are the only things at your disposal.

I usually prefer to watch [offerings] in the original language — be it Squid Games, or Money Heist. The emotion you find in the original language is different. So, there is a sense of responsibility when you are dubbing something. 

 

Batman and his world have a lot of fans, but [so far] they may be unable to follow it fully because of a language barrier. So, they will be excited about a [Hindi version]. My heart breaks when children think Hindi, as a language, is not cool. We should take pride in our language. For example, at an international film festival, a French director will speak in French, and he will have an English translator. In contrast, if an Indian director doesn’t know how to speak in English, he will struggle to speak the language. The effect may be lost on the listeners. I am hoping that the coolness of The Batman in Hindi will bring in a lot of listeners.