Showing posts with label Moana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moana. Show all posts
Hollywood returns to India box office spotlight with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Odyssey and others
3:05 PM
Packed slate of major releases could help exhibitors rake in robust collections in the coming weeks
Rajesh N Naidu (THE ECONOMIC TIMES; July 15, 2026)
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.
(Crisp) Movie Review: MOANA by FENIL SETA
12:52 PM
Moana is visually spectacular. Director Thomas Kail has made sure the characters look convincing and are as similar as possible to the animated Moana. A few dialogues are newly added and were not there in the original version. But the biggest issue with the film is that, more or less, it's the same film. The 2026 version is 'ahead of its time' as it comes too soon. The original animated film is still fresh in the minds of viewers. In fact, Moana 2 released less than 2 years ago, while Moana 3 is in the works. In the midst of this, the need for a live-action remake makes little sense. Moreover, the original gave the makers scope to add lot of humour and cuteness. The remake falls short in that regard. Even the songs were better in the animated flick. In terms of look and personality, Catherine Laga'aia is aptly cast. However, her performance is inconsistent. Dwayne Johnson is highly entertaining and, in many ways, the saving grace of the film. Rena Owen tries her best but fails to convincingly play the part of the crazy village lady. All in all, Moana should be watched only by those who have not seen the original animated film.
My rating - ** out of 5!
My rating - ** out of 5!
'Golden Man Of India' Bappi Lahiri reacts to gold prices shooting up post cash crunch
7:47 AM
Soumya Vajpayee Tiwari (MID-DAY; November 22, 2016)
Bappi Lahiri is as much popular for peppy tracks as — if not more than — his flamboyant dressing and penchant for bling. The veteran composersinger sports chunky gold chains, bracelets and rings since he considers the yellow metal lucky for himself.
When hitlist got in touch with Lahiri, who’s currently in the US, to react to a sudden spike in gold prices following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation announcement, he said, “I am the golden man of India. Gold has been my lucky charm for close to four decades. The entire world knows about my style and image. The fluctuation in gold prices doesn’t bother me.”
In fact, Lahiri has been in the news for singing Shona (literally translates to gold in Bengali) for a Disney animation film titled Moana. “Since I love gold so much, I enjoyed singing ‘Yes I Love Shona’ for the Hollywood movie,” he added.
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