Showing posts with label Kung Fu Panda 4. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kung Fu Panda 4. Show all posts
Warner Bros. Discovery sees highest ever box office collections in India, says country head Arjun Nohwar
9:38 AM
Arijit Barman (THE ECONOMIC TIMES; May 3, 2024)
Riding on the success of Barbie, last year’s biggest movie that grossed over $1.5 billion in box office collections worldwide, including being the “highest ever non-dubbed” English film in India, Warner Bros. Discovery’s (WBD) stellar run seems to continue this year with theatrical hits like Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire already crossing Rs 100 crores in India collections, making it the highest grossing Hollywood film in the first four months of 2024.
The top 3 Hollywood films for 2024 in India including Kung Fu Panda 4 and Dune: Part Two are all from the WMD stable or are distributed by the company, said its top executive of the region.
Together the trio have already grossed over Rs 175 crores in theatres in the country so far. These films made it to the top 10 films for the month of March, as per Ormax, a media consulting firm. This, in a market, where Hollywood productions (including dubbed versions) contribute just a tenth of all-India films.
“With people coming back in droves to theatres, we are seeing 100 percent increase in box office collections for us, and it's the highest ever that WBD’s theatrical and distribution teams in India has ever recorded in terms of revenues,” said Arjun Nohwar, GM, South Asia, Warner Bros. Discovery.
In 2023, with Rs 630 crores gross box office (GBO) collections for Warner Bros. and Universal films, the company cornered over half of the market share. Building on that momentum, though still early in the year, in the first 4 months WBD has dominated the space with more than 90% of the market share in India with Rs 200 crore GBO to date.
Dubbing popular titles into regional languages have helped WB & Universal films to appeal to masses. In 2023, close to 60% of box office billings for Fast X came from dubbed versions while the original English version contributed 41% of sales. For Godzilla x Kong, 21% of sales have come from Tamil Nadu alone, when there were no Tamil films in the Top 10 movies of March. "The popularity of these films is not restricted to the theatres,” said Nohwar. “These films can also be watched on the Jio Cinema platform when released subsequently.”
Instead of launching its own streaming service Max (formerly HBO Max) in India, last year WBD signed a content licensing agreement till 2026 with Jio Cinema last April to showcase its original movie and shows catalogue that includes Succession, Game Of Thrones, Lord Of The Rings and the Harry Potter series among others on Reliance’s app. The development came a month after WBD parted ways with its long time digital partner Disney+ Hotstar. Earlier in 2020, HBO ceased to exist as a linear movie channel across the pay TV universe in the Indian subcontinent.
Despite the theatrical successes of its international movies, WBD is not keen to immediately revive its production arm in one of the largest movie markets in the world after an unsuccessful attempt in 2010-11. Nohwar, however, said it cannot be “ruled out in the near future.”
Following the 2022 spin off of Warner Media from AT&T and merger with Discovery Inc, the priority has been on profitable growth. That influenced the original decision of launching Max – the 2nd most profitable streaming service globally after Netflix -- in India on hold and opting for a strategic content partnership with Jio Cinema instead to tap into their “400 million plus subscriber base.”
Nohwar however remains non-committal if the company is planning to launch Max locally once the time bound agreement ends with Jio, simply saying we will “evaluate” what is the right India thesis for us -- Launching Max, or a partnership or “ by continuing to license.” The challenge he says is to feed a platform with enough local content for it to be a local success, but simultaneously achieve scale and a healthy balance sheet.
WBD, in India, is a unique media conglomerate as it straddles 5 different businesses - more than any of its global peers present in the country. Its largest vertical is the network operations that beams 19 feeds or channels such as Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC; Kids channels like Cartoon Network, Pogo, Discovery Kids; Sports broadcast with Eurosport and its News platform, CNN.
The second vertical is the streaming platform, discovery+ third is the theatrical business that releases, markets and distributes Warner Bros. and Universal Studios movies, while the fourth is the TV distribution and licensing business that licenses shows to OTT players like Jio Cinema. Merchandising or Consumer Products, and Gaming is the smallest but fast growing vertical.
“Our greatest strength is our ability to monetize our collection of content in multiple ways through a broad distribution strategy designed to optimize asset value. For instance, we have continued to leverage partnerships locally with players such as Jio, Tata Play Binge and Dish TV Watcho to expand the reach and engagement of the discovery+ platform”, adds Nohwar.
The company continues to invest in Indian originals for their linear and streaming platform, discovery+. “Our investment in Indian originals is geared towards boosting engagement, expanding market share and solidifying our position as the leading network for non-fiction content in India”, says Nohwar. “It’s equally strong even across the network on account of the large global Indian diaspora.”
Talking about media consolidation around the world including India, Nohwar said a lot of this has to do with concentration of capital and the flight of some of that across different markets. Disney chose to consolidate its global operations and as a part of that merged its India business with Mukesh Ambani led Viacom 18.
“India has seen its own fair share of mergers closing and some of them as near misses (Read: Zee-Sony). When we look at the Indian landscape, we will look at opportunistic partnerships that would help us to profitably expand our presence in the market.”
Fenil's Bollywood Talk # 824
7:38 PM
2024'S FIRST QUARTER ENDS ON A HAPPY NOTE
The first three months of 2024 are over and overall, it has been satisfactory though it could have been better. 2023's first quarter saw a Hindi film crossing the Rs. 500 crore mark for the first time with Pathaan. Most of the other films in the first three months last year didn't do well. Yet, the blockbuster numbers of the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer spread cheer in the industry.
2024's first quarter, meanwhile, saw just one film barely crossing the Rs. 200 crore mark - Fighter. It was expected to do more than Rs. 300 crores, looking at the word of mouth. The way it dropped on the weekdays in the first week, it seemed like it might not even reach Rs. 175 crores in its lifetime. Thankfully, it held well in the subsequent weeks.
Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, meanwhile, was a surprise hit. The reviews were mixed. However, the audience took to the film and it ended up collecting more than Rs. 80 crores. Article 370 will also end up with collections in the same range.
Shaitaan, on the other hand, was a rare horror film starring A-listers. It had a superb opening and maintained very well. It is expected to end its run with collections amounting to Rs. 145-150 crores.
Crew, which was released last Friday, had an impressive opening and if all goes well, it will have a lifetime in the range of Rs. 75 and 90 crores.
Another success, albeit a small one, was Laapataa Ladies. Thanks to outstanding word of mouth and the association of Aamir Khan, it slowly attracted a section of the audience. It'll end with Rs. 15 crore collections, which was unthinkable in its first week.
A dubbed version and Hollywood flicks also saw some success. Hanuman was released with low expectations and went on to collect Rs. 50 crores in Hindi. Kung Fu Panda 4 will accumulate nearly Rs. 35 crores or even more. Last week's Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire can cross the Rs. 100 crore mark.
And like any other quarter, there were some disappointments as well. Merry Christmas, Main Atal Hoon, Crakk, Dange, Bastar, Yodha and Swatantrya Veer Savarkar failed at the box office. Madgaon Express got positive reports but has majorly worked only in Maharashtra.
All eyes are now on the second quarter, especially the two big Eid releases - Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan. Since these films will release on Wednesday, April 10, this Friday will see the release of small films. Dukaan is the biggest of them all but doesn't stand a chance due to negligible hype.
The film that has some chance is the Hollywood horror flick, The First Omen. It is a prequel to the 1976 classic, The Omen. Hollywood horror films often surprise though they are released without noise. If The First Omen turns out to be a great entertainer, it will retain shows even after the release of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan.
The first three months of 2024 are over and overall, it has been satisfactory though it could have been better. 2023's first quarter saw a Hindi film crossing the Rs. 500 crore mark for the first time with Pathaan. Most of the other films in the first three months last year didn't do well. Yet, the blockbuster numbers of the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer spread cheer in the industry.
2024's first quarter, meanwhile, saw just one film barely crossing the Rs. 200 crore mark - Fighter. It was expected to do more than Rs. 300 crores, looking at the word of mouth. The way it dropped on the weekdays in the first week, it seemed like it might not even reach Rs. 175 crores in its lifetime. Thankfully, it held well in the subsequent weeks.
Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, meanwhile, was a surprise hit. The reviews were mixed. However, the audience took to the film and it ended up collecting more than Rs. 80 crores. Article 370 will also end up with collections in the same range.
Shaitaan, on the other hand, was a rare horror film starring A-listers. It had a superb opening and maintained very well. It is expected to end its run with collections amounting to Rs. 145-150 crores.
Crew, which was released last Friday, had an impressive opening and if all goes well, it will have a lifetime in the range of Rs. 75 and 90 crores.
Another success, albeit a small one, was Laapataa Ladies. Thanks to outstanding word of mouth and the association of Aamir Khan, it slowly attracted a section of the audience. It'll end with Rs. 15 crore collections, which was unthinkable in its first week.
A dubbed version and Hollywood flicks also saw some success. Hanuman was released with low expectations and went on to collect Rs. 50 crores in Hindi. Kung Fu Panda 4 will accumulate nearly Rs. 35 crores or even more. Last week's Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire can cross the Rs. 100 crore mark.
And like any other quarter, there were some disappointments as well. Merry Christmas, Main Atal Hoon, Crakk, Dange, Bastar, Yodha and Swatantrya Veer Savarkar failed at the box office. Madgaon Express got positive reports but has majorly worked only in Maharashtra.
All eyes are now on the second quarter, especially the two big Eid releases - Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan. Since these films will release on Wednesday, April 10, this Friday will see the release of small films. Dukaan is the biggest of them all but doesn't stand a chance due to negligible hype.
The film that has some chance is the Hollywood horror flick, The First Omen. It is a prequel to the 1976 classic, The Omen. Hollywood horror films often surprise though they are released without noise. If The First Omen turns out to be a great entertainer, it will retain shows even after the release of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan.
Fenil's Bollywood Talk # 822
9:54 AM
WILL MOVIEGOERS HOP ON THE MADGAON EXPRESS?
The performance of the last Friday’s releases was a mixed bag. Yodha put up disappointing numbers, despite the makers providing a buy-one-get-one-ticket-free scheme on Saturday and Sunday. The first-week collections will be around Rs. 22-23 crores and the film hopefully would cross the Rs. 30 crore mark. Bastar - The Naxal Story, on the other hand, is a washout. The last film of this team, The Kerala Story, collected Rs. 6.75 crores on Day 1. Bastar - The Naxal Story, in its lifetime, will struggle to cross 50% of the first-day collections of The Kerala Story and that says it all. However, Kung Fu Panda 4, as predicted last week, collected Rs. 2.50 crores, which is more than the day 1 collection of Kung Fu Panda 3 (Rs. 2.10 crores). The first week collections are expected to be around Rs. 16 crores and it’s bound to have a long run in cinemas. The collections can cross the Rs. 30 crore mark or even the Rs. 35 crore mark.
This week, two diverse films will try their luck in cinemas. The biggest one is Madgaon Express. It marks the directorial debut of Kunal Kemmu and stars Pratik Gandhi, Divyenndu, Avinash Tiwary and Nora Fatehi. The comic caper’s trailer has been well-received and it promises to be a crazy, youthful entertainer. However, the film looks more of an urban flick and not a mass comedy like Dhamaal, Dhol etc. The songs also haven’t worked. The opening, hence, will be in the range of Rs. 1.50-2 crores. On the first day, viewers can get one ticket free on every ticket and this might boost the earnings. A good word of mouth can help the film earn well. The Holi holiday on Monday, March 25, will also benefit.
Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, meanwhile, will have paid previews from tonight, Thursday, March 21 and a full-fledged release from tomorrow. It is directed by Randeep Hooda and also features him in the role of the freedom fighter. The film got into controversy last year when Mahesh Manjrekar revealed that he was supposed to direct the film and he left the project due to interference by Randeep. The producers also got into a tiff with the actor. The issue was then resolved. Meanwhile, Veer Savarkar is a controversial figure and as a result, the trailer has received polarized reactions.
Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’s buzz is limited but it won’t have Bastar - The Naxal Story’s Rs. 35 lakhs type disaster collections on day 1. The number will be slightly more as a section of the audience will be curious to see the film. This target audience’s response is important if the film needs to have a good run in cinemas.
Swatantrya Veer Savarkar will also be released in Marathi.
The performance of the last Friday’s releases was a mixed bag. Yodha put up disappointing numbers, despite the makers providing a buy-one-get-one-ticket-free scheme on Saturday and Sunday. The first-week collections will be around Rs. 22-23 crores and the film hopefully would cross the Rs. 30 crore mark. Bastar - The Naxal Story, on the other hand, is a washout. The last film of this team, The Kerala Story, collected Rs. 6.75 crores on Day 1. Bastar - The Naxal Story, in its lifetime, will struggle to cross 50% of the first-day collections of The Kerala Story and that says it all. However, Kung Fu Panda 4, as predicted last week, collected Rs. 2.50 crores, which is more than the day 1 collection of Kung Fu Panda 3 (Rs. 2.10 crores). The first week collections are expected to be around Rs. 16 crores and it’s bound to have a long run in cinemas. The collections can cross the Rs. 30 crore mark or even the Rs. 35 crore mark.
This week, two diverse films will try their luck in cinemas. The biggest one is Madgaon Express. It marks the directorial debut of Kunal Kemmu and stars Pratik Gandhi, Divyenndu, Avinash Tiwary and Nora Fatehi. The comic caper’s trailer has been well-received and it promises to be a crazy, youthful entertainer. However, the film looks more of an urban flick and not a mass comedy like Dhamaal, Dhol etc. The songs also haven’t worked. The opening, hence, will be in the range of Rs. 1.50-2 crores. On the first day, viewers can get one ticket free on every ticket and this might boost the earnings. A good word of mouth can help the film earn well. The Holi holiday on Monday, March 25, will also benefit.
Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, meanwhile, will have paid previews from tonight, Thursday, March 21 and a full-fledged release from tomorrow. It is directed by Randeep Hooda and also features him in the role of the freedom fighter. The film got into controversy last year when Mahesh Manjrekar revealed that he was supposed to direct the film and he left the project due to interference by Randeep. The producers also got into a tiff with the actor. The issue was then resolved. Meanwhile, Veer Savarkar is a controversial figure and as a result, the trailer has received polarized reactions.
Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’s buzz is limited but it won’t have Bastar - The Naxal Story’s Rs. 35 lakhs type disaster collections on day 1. The number will be slightly more as a section of the audience will be curious to see the film. This target audience’s response is important if the film needs to have a good run in cinemas.
Swatantrya Veer Savarkar will also be released in Marathi.
Fenil's Bollywood Talk # 821
8:38 AM
WILL THE NEW RELEASES ALSO BRING CHEER TO THE INDUSTRY?
Last week’s Shaitaan has emerged as a big hit. It was expected to open well but very few could predict pre-release that it would collect Rs. 15 crores on the first day. The collections got a boost due to the Mahashivratri holiday and yet, the collections didn’t fall or remain the same on Saturday. The film collected Rs. 19 crores and Rs. 20.50 crores on the second and third day respectively. The Monday drop was normal – Rs. 7.50 crores. The film is expected to collect around Rs. 80 crores in its first week and depending on the performance in the subsequent weeks, the lifetime earnings can be in the range of Rs. 125 crores and Rs. 145 crores. For a mid-sized film, these collections are extraordinary.
All eyes now are on the three major releases tomorrow, two in Hindi and one in English. The biggest release is Yodha, starring Sidharth Malhotra, Raashii Khanna and Disha Patani. It is produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and is a hijack drama. The film was shot way back in 2021-22 and was scheduled to release in September 2023 and later December. Due to overcrowding, it moved to March 15. The trailer was launched two weeks back mid-air in a grand fashion. The promo is interesting while the songs are decent. But the excitement among the public is minimal and they would adopt the wait-and-watch strategy. Hence, the opening won’t be huge and would be around Rs. 4-5 crores. It might go higher if moviegoers come out in huge numbers in the evening and night shows. It’ll need a positive word of mouth to grow on the weekdays and sustain.
Bastar - The Naxal Story reunites The Kerala Story team – actor Adah Sharma, producer Vipul Shah and director Sudipto Sen. It is about the Naxalite movement and how it has wreaked havoc in the country. The trailer is quite disturbing. The Kerala Story also promised a lot of uncomfortable moments and this factor appealed to the audience. But the same kind of curiosity is missing with The Kerala Story. Due to negligible buzz, it has got very limited shows. The opening will be around Rs. 1 crore and the makers can hope for a terrific word of mouth so that it gets a good jump from Saturday.
Finally, Kung Fu Panda 4 will also see a release tomorrow. It is a successful animation franchise and probably the second biggest in India after Frozen 2. Kung Fu Panda 3 had a very delayed release in India and yet, it collected Rs. 32 crores. This stunned the industry since animated films rarely do well in the country. Hence, the expectations are immense from Kung Fu Panda 4 and the advance ticket sales are also healthy. Kung Fu Panda 3 opened at Rs. 2.10 crores and the fourth part’s day 1 collection might surpass this figure.
Last week’s Shaitaan has emerged as a big hit. It was expected to open well but very few could predict pre-release that it would collect Rs. 15 crores on the first day. The collections got a boost due to the Mahashivratri holiday and yet, the collections didn’t fall or remain the same on Saturday. The film collected Rs. 19 crores and Rs. 20.50 crores on the second and third day respectively. The Monday drop was normal – Rs. 7.50 crores. The film is expected to collect around Rs. 80 crores in its first week and depending on the performance in the subsequent weeks, the lifetime earnings can be in the range of Rs. 125 crores and Rs. 145 crores. For a mid-sized film, these collections are extraordinary.
All eyes now are on the three major releases tomorrow, two in Hindi and one in English. The biggest release is Yodha, starring Sidharth Malhotra, Raashii Khanna and Disha Patani. It is produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and is a hijack drama. The film was shot way back in 2021-22 and was scheduled to release in September 2023 and later December. Due to overcrowding, it moved to March 15. The trailer was launched two weeks back mid-air in a grand fashion. The promo is interesting while the songs are decent. But the excitement among the public is minimal and they would adopt the wait-and-watch strategy. Hence, the opening won’t be huge and would be around Rs. 4-5 crores. It might go higher if moviegoers come out in huge numbers in the evening and night shows. It’ll need a positive word of mouth to grow on the weekdays and sustain.
Bastar - The Naxal Story reunites The Kerala Story team – actor Adah Sharma, producer Vipul Shah and director Sudipto Sen. It is about the Naxalite movement and how it has wreaked havoc in the country. The trailer is quite disturbing. The Kerala Story also promised a lot of uncomfortable moments and this factor appealed to the audience. But the same kind of curiosity is missing with The Kerala Story. Due to negligible buzz, it has got very limited shows. The opening will be around Rs. 1 crore and the makers can hope for a terrific word of mouth so that it gets a good jump from Saturday.
Finally, Kung Fu Panda 4 will also see a release tomorrow. It is a successful animation franchise and probably the second biggest in India after Frozen 2. Kung Fu Panda 3 had a very delayed release in India and yet, it collected Rs. 32 crores. This stunned the industry since animated films rarely do well in the country. Hence, the expectations are immense from Kung Fu Panda 4 and the advance ticket sales are also healthy. Kung Fu Panda 3 opened at Rs. 2.10 crores and the fourth part’s day 1 collection might surpass this figure.
(Crisp) Movie Review: KUNG FU PANDA 4 by FENIL SETA
8:13 AM
Kung Fu Panda 4, like the previous parts, is cute and funny and doles out some important life lessons without sounding preachy. A few scenes surprisingly will remind viewers of Pathaan and Welcome. The bond shared by Po and Zhen forms a major chunk of the film and is lovely. The villain track is fiery but sadly, the climax fails to do justice to the powers of the antagonist. The plot is also convenient and lastly, though a lot is happening, one can't help but miss the Furious Five. The voiceovers are just right, be it Jack Black (Po), James Hong (Mr Ping), Bryan Cranston (Li Shan) or Viola Davis (The Chameleon). Awkwafina’s (Zhen) voiceover is terrific and stands out. All in all, Kung Fu Panda 4 is a fun film and a must for the fans of the series.
My rating - *** out of 5!
My rating - *** out of 5!
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