Indian movies charm global audiences amid tepid show back home

Recent Indian films may have received lukewarm response from domestic audiences but overseas box office collections have sprung a pleasant surprise.

Movies across languages such as Fighter, Hanu-Man and Malaikottai Vaaliban are doing far better than expected in international markets despite focused release only in countries with sizeable Indian diaspora. 

Trade experts say films featuring mainstream stars and the song-and-dance trope are lapped by overseas audiences in territories such as the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand who aren’t as discerning as those within the country. Higher ticket prices overseas further boost earnings.

Fighter, starring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, has already made over ₹94 crore in overseas gross box office collections since its release late January. Meanwhile, Bollywood romantic comedy Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, released last week, has earned over ₹20 crore so far.

“Big star films have always done well overseas. Audiences there are very clear they want to watch mainstream faces, be it Hindi, Tamil or Telugu cinema and there isn’t that much interest in critically acclaimed, slice-of-life or content-driven films,” film distributor and exhibitor Sunny Khanna said. 

Recent star films such as Shah Rukh Khan’s Dunki and Salman Khan’s Tiger 3, both of which are seen as underperformers in India, found traction overseas, Khanna said. The former made over ₹196 crore in overseas gross, as compared to ₹262 crore within the country, while the latter earned Rs. 120 crore abroad versus Rs. 346 crore domestically. 

On the other hand, a critically acclaimed title like 12th Fail that did not feature big stars, only managed around ₹2 crore overseas, despite resounding success back home. 

The films that do well also tend to be glossy and urban in treatment. Period drama Gadar 2 which crossed the ₹500 crore mark in the Indian market, breathing life into single screens across small towns, had only earned $2.1 million ( ₹18.03 crore) during its opening weekend overseas.

A lot of the big numbers have to do with increasing ticket prices overseas, which have risen to $20 versus $10-12 a few years ago, Khanna added.

Independent trade analyst Sreedhar Pillai said overseas audiences are still die-hard film lovers and are not swayed by reviews or word-of-mouth on social media. For films starring a popular male lead, bookings are made in advance, which explains why ticket sales are opened several weeks before release in markets like the US and the UK. 

Late last year, Vijay’s Tamil film Leo had crossed £100,000 in sales within 24 hours of bookings opening at 120 locations in the UK, 42 days before its theatrical release.

The mass-market tropes of films like Fighter, Salaar and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani  have found favour with overseas audiences, who have always been receptive to Indian content, film producer, trade and exhibition expert Girish Johar said. 

“A similar trend is playing out in Hollywood too, where films are doing far better in the European markets than North America itself,” Johar said.