Mumbai: Hollywood is experiencing a standout performance in India this year buoyed by box-office wins of several releases. Total collections reached Rs. 1,424 crores in the first seven months of 2026, per a study by Ormax Media study, a media and entertainment research firm. Notably, the figure is close to Hollywood's historically high collection of Rs. 1,595 crores in 2019.

Films such as Obsession, Michael, Project Hail Mary, The Odyssey, Evil Dead Burn, The Devil Wears Prada 2, Lee Cronin's The Mummy, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day helped drive the stellar show.

Producers, distributors and film trade analysts are optimistic that the share of international films in India's total box-office collections will reach 20-25% this year, surpassing the historical high of 15% in 2019.

A key aspect in the success of Hollywood films is its appeal across genres. While biopics and epics such as Michael, The Odyssey and original IPs such as Project Hail Mary and Obsession found strong appeal among cinegoers, franchises such as Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Evil Dead Burn proved the power of loyal audience following.

"There is a Hollywood resurgence in India," said Suniel Wadhwa, cofounder and director at Karmic Films.

The share of international films in total box office collections slipped from 15% in 2019, to 9% in 2023, before recovering to 10% in 2025, said film trade analysts.

According to Ormax Media, between this January and July, this share has jumped to 17%. "Hollywood films' share in India's box office will cross 20% market share by the end of 2026," said Wadhwa of Karmic Films.

Producers are confident of the robust momentum sustaining thanks to the release lineup of mass and cult franchise films such as Avengers: Doomsday, Dune: Part Three, Godzilla Minus Zero, and Jumanji: Open World.

"Spider-Man is the highest-grossing Hollywood film in India," said producer Rajesh R Nair. "I estimate Avengers: Doomsday will be another blockbuster. It has already crossed $100 million in pre-sales globally. Indians have loved its trailer. Also, there is Dune: Part Three, which will release in the IMAX format, thereby further boosting collection. So, the overall Hollywood share could rise sharply."

Social media and streaming platforms are increasingly playing a key role in expanding the Indian audience base of Hollywood films.

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.

Despite receiving an encouraging response on the festival circuit, director Ribhu Dasgupta's debut film, Michael, didn't release in theatres across India. However, the young filmmaker is hoping that his second venture, Te3n, will please critics and audiences alike. The emotional thriller, which sees Amitabh Bachchan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui share screen space for the first time and Vidya Balan in a pivotal guest appearance, has already piqued the interest of viewers. In an exclusive chat with Bombay Times, the young filmmaker, who is the son of Bengali director Raja Dasgupta and grandson of Harisadhan Dasgupta, the renowned documentary filmmaker, talks about his foray into Bollywood and why Te3n doesn't share any similarities with Kahaani. Excerpts...

How did Te3n happen?
I was working with my father, in Kolkata. Later, I came to Mumbai when Anurag Kashyap was making Black Friday and assisted him. After a few years, I decided to direct Michael. Though it was screened at various film festisvals, it never saw the light of the day in India. Then, I got an opportunity to direct the TV series, Yudh, which marked Mr Bachchan's debut in the a fiction genre on the small screen. At that time, I met Sujoy Ghosh and we brainstormed about the kind of film we wanted to do with the legend of Hindi cinema. Both of us were supposed to make a another film titled Kerala with him. When we were about to start its pre-production, we discussed the idea of Te3n with him. He liked it and then we thought, 'Let's do this first'. That's how this movie happened.

How did you come to terms with your debut film's fate?
(After Michael) I felt that nothing was happening right. Such phases in life are tricky. They can easily compel you to do something that you wouldn't do otherwise. Luckily, my mind was in the right place and then TV happened. Yudh was well received and I was getting more offers. However, I wanted to try something different. It had been a few years since I made a film, so I decided to get back to writing after I met Sujoy.

Were Nawazuddin and Vidya obvious choices since Sujoy, who is Te3n's creative producer, had worked with them previously in Kahaani?
Nawaz had a cameo in Yudh and after Mr Bachchan gave his nod to the film, he was the first actor we wanted to cast. As for Vidya, Sujoy asked if we could pitch the idea to her, 'Are you joking?' He countered, 'Do you want her in the film?' I said it would be great if she comes on board. So, we sent her the script and met her only after she had read it. The fact that she said yes, even though it's a special appearance, means the script mattered to her.

Why did you choose Kolkata as the setting?
I love Kolkata since I come from there. But when you write a film, it's important to set the story at the right place. After all, the characters should be rooted to the social, political and cultural milieu they belong to. In fact, we wanted to set the film in Goa, but there were some logistical issues. It was Mr Bachchan who suggested that we shoot in Kolkata.

Even Kahaani was a thriller set in the City of Joy. Weren't you apprehensive that this film may look similar to it?
No, because the Kolkata you saw in Kahaani is not what you will see in my film. Sujoy didn't accompany me for the recce. But when he saw the photographs of the places I wanted to shoot at, he wondered how I found those areas. Even Vidya said she hadn't seen those locations before. In Kahaani, her character comes from another city. So you see the metropolis from an outsider's point of view. In Te3n, the characters have been living in Kolkata all along. When you watch it, you'll realise that the city plays the fourth character in the story.

Since you shot at real locations and in natural light, what was the most challenging part?
While we got support from the state government to secure permissions and shoot at various locations, the public would throng to see Mr Bachchan, Vidya and Nawaz at work. Every day, we had about 400-500 cops on location and we'd have to walk through huge crowds before we could actually begin shooting. Yes, the people of West Bengal love cinema and would cooperate when we'd ask them to. But with those huge crowds, darr toh lagta tha.

Though the buzz about your film is encouraging, reports have been rife about your next film. Apparently, you'll be working with Amitabh Bachchan again and are even casting Kareena Kapoor Khan for it.
Who wouldn't want to work with Mr Bachchan again? Right now, till June 10, there is so much happening that there is no time to think about anything else.