Hollywood studios postpone English movie releases in India

MUMBAI: Until now there wasn't any clarity on the stance that Hollywood studios operating in India were taking with regards to the standoff between producers, distributors and multiplexes. It is now learnt that some studios are postponing the release of their films in India.

Warner Bros' Nights in Rodanthe that was slated to release on 10 April and Fox Star Studios' Dragon Ball that was to release on 17 April did not hit theatre screens. On the other hand, Paramount Films of India did release Monsters Vs Aliens last week. Sources inform Businessofcinema.com that due to unavoidable circumstances, Paramount could not hold back the release of the movie in India.

As was reported by Businessofcinema.com, as per the anti-trust law in the US, Hollywood studios are not allowed to participate in a strike. While studios are not coming out in the open and siding with the producers and distributors, some of them have delayed their film releases.

A source informs that Fox Star Studios has also postponed the release of its upcoming flick X-Men 4: Wolverine, which was to release in India on 1 May. Warner Bros India was looking at releasing two Hollywood films in Bombay and Delhi on 17 April. However, these movies are not playing at any multiplexes as of 20 April.

Other Hollywood films lined up for release are Paramount Films of India's Star Trek (8 May), Sony Pictures' Angels & Demons (15 May), Terminator Salvation (29 May) and Fox Star's Night At the Museum 2 (29 May). Warner's next big release is Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in July, whereas Walt Disney's next film Race to Witch Mountain and Bolt are slated to release in April end or May.

At the time of filing this story, none of the Hollywood studio heads in India were available for comment despite repeated attempts and hence the release status of these films remains unknown.

Sources also inform that after the Aamir Khan - Shah Rukh Khan press conference that was held on 7 April, there...

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