F9 Zooms to the Top of Box Office

Over-taking the benchmark blockbuster Godzilla vs. Kong, F9 has zoomed its way to the top of Box Office within its first week of release!

The ninth installment in Universal’s Fast and Furious franchise – F9, clocked in the biggest international debut for a Hollywood title since the pandemic, garnering a total of $162.4 million across eight overseas markets in its first weekend of release – nearly doubling Godzilla vs. Kong‘s debut in those markets.

Here’s a detailed look at how successful the blockbuster has been in its opening weekend thus far:

Of the $162.4 million across eight markets, Imax screenings contributed $14 million, the second-highest May opening for a title in the premium format behind Captain America: Civil War – which had the advantage of opening in 26 additional markets in its 2016 debut.
In China, F9 became the first Hollywood title since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame to claim a $100 million debut in the market, and $12.4 million of the global Imax gross came from China alone.
South Korea brought in $9.9 million, being the first major market to open the film on May 19. F9 also opened in Hong Kong on May 19, where it earned $2.4 million to record the biggest opening weekend during the pandemic in the market.
The blockbuster’s second batch of premieres took place in Russia and across select markets in the Middle East. The film earned $8.2 million in Russia, and also set several records in the Middle East, where it earned $6.2 million across the region – the highest opening weekend ever in Saudi Arabia ($2.6 million), the highest opening weekend since the pandemic in the United Arab Emirates ($2.7 million), and in $300,000 in Egypt.

F9 is set to release in a total of 62 markets throughout the rest of the summer, but won’t be releasing until it reaches Australia on June 17, followed by UK and US on June 24 and 25 respectively, and a host of key European markets in July.

Unlike most other blockbusters that have committed to a hybrid release format due to the pandemic – cinema and streaming platforms, F9 will solely release in cinemas.

Owing to the record-breaking collections of Godzilla vs. Kong and F9, upcoming blockbusters are anticipated to follow similar patterns and garner similar attention from audiences and shine at Box Office. Contact us to plan ahead and place your brand alongside upcoming blockbusters to reach your optimal audience.

Sources: Box Office Pro, Deadline,Variety, Screenrant and First Post

(more…)

Roohi – Bollywood’s Big Return to Box Office

With a movie budget of USD 4.83 million, Roohi is Bollywood’s first big film this year

Due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, last year witnessed a majority of Bollywood blockbusters either pushing their release dates, or releasing on OTT platforms. Indian blockbusters such as Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, Dil Bechara and Shakuntala Devi opted for the later in 2020, with Laxmii featuring Akshay Kumar being the only Bollywood blockbuster to release in hybrid format – Disney+Hotstar release in India and a simultaneous theatrical release in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and UAE. The theatrical release of Laxmii was successful, especially in the UAE where it made a total of USD 200,000, but the latest horror comedy film Roohi – by director Hardik Mehta, which went straight to cinemas both locally and internationally, has taken the top spot at box office since the pandemic, with a collection of USD 345,000 on its first day in India – despite most theatres still operating between 50-75% occupancy. According to boxofficeindia.com, its total collection thus far has been USD 2.26 million domestically, and USD 150,000 internationally.

#Roohi is looking at approx ₹ 17.50 cr total in its *extended* Week 1… A respectable number, in view of the #Covid scenario… Thu 3.06 cr [#MahaShivratri], Fri 2.25 cr, Sat 3.42 cr, Sun 3.85 cr, Mon 1.35 cr, Tue 1.26 cr, Wed 1.22 cr. Total: ₹ 16.41 cr. #India biz.

— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) March 18, 2021

As stated by Chauhan, a local exhibitor from Bihar, India: “Before Roohi‘s release, we would have no idea how much a film would do in these pandemic times. We would look at each other’s faces wondering how much a film would earn at the box office. But now we have a benchmark. And Bollywood needed this dose of confidence.”

Girish Johar, film producer and trade business analyst, pointed out that Roohi has witnessed a good response at the box office despite being one of the first big Indian films to release post theaters being opened. With Roohi seeing strong footfalls, exhibitors in India are now hopeful for business to slowly get back on track.

Roohi‘s opening day numbers will set the stage for the extensive line up of highly anticipated Bollywood blockbusters set to hit the big screen in 2021, including Mumbai Saga (March), Bunty Aur Babli 2 (April), Sooryavanshi (April), Radhe (May), Bell Bottom (May), 83 (June), Maidaan (October) and Laal Singh Chaddha (December) among others.

Click here to access a list of Indian Movies set to release in 2021, and contact us to advertise your brand alongside these upcoming blockbusters

Sources: Business Today, Box Office India, Forbes, Times of India and ABP Live

Roohi – Bollywood’s Official Return to the Big Screen

Produced by Maddock Films and Jio Studios, Roohi is Bollywood’s ha-ha horror movie that promises to take the audience on a rollercoaster of emotions.

Set to be Bollywood’s official return to the BIG screen after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 induced lockdown, the trailer of the much-awaited horror-comedy film – Roohi, is finally out!

Starring Janhvi Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao in lead roles and, Varun Sharma in a supporting yet pivotal role, Roohi marks the directorial debut of Hardik Mehta, and is set to release across cinemas in the Middle East on 11 March, 2021. The film depicts the story of two small-town boys – Hitesh and Lakiresh, who meet a girl named Roohi, and the twist in the tale takes place when they realize that Roohi is possed by a ghost. The movie follows a similar format to Stree, the horror-comedy released in 2018 by the same production house – Maddock Films.

The trailer begins and ends with a comic scene, accommodating plenty of jump scares and curiosity inducing moments, making it look promising. Since none of the theatrical releases in Bollywood have so far inspired audiences to return to cinema at large, Roohi could be the first bonafide box-office success since COVID-19 struck.

Bucking the idea of releasing on an OTT platform, Producer Dinesh Vijan said, “The biggest win of this trailer is that everyone, right from the film industry to true blue cinephiles are looking forward to catching Roohi on the big screen.” The trailer successfully crossed over 14 million YouTube views within 24 hours, and its has also received support from numerous movie critics and Bollywood celebrities including Taran Adarsh, Ranveer Singh, Varun Dhawan, Deepika Padukone and Shraddha Kapoor.

#ROOHI TRAILER ARRIVES TODAY… #FirstLook posters of #Roohi… Stars #RajkummarRao, #JanhviKapoor and #VarunSharma… Directed by Hardik Mehta… Produced by Dinesh Vijan and Mrighdeep Singh Lamba… #Jio Studios presentation… 11 March 2021 release. pic.twitter.com/cbBsXNRt0A

— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) February 16, 2021

Contact us for cinema advertising opportunities alongside this Bollywood blockbuster.

Sources: Koi Moi, Wikipedia, India Today, Times of India, GQ India and IMDB.