MUMBAI: The culmination of the Hindi film industry strike has also sent Hollywood studios in an overdrive mode to start finalising dates for all the movies lined up for release in India.
While Hollywood studios are not allowed to take part in a strike as they are bound by the US anti-trust law, most studios had nevertheless held on to the release of their English films here in a show of solidarity towards the producers and distributors.
The first Hollywood movie that has released post the strike (apart from Paramount Films of India’s movies, which was the only studio to release films during the strike period) is Sony Pictures’ Angels & Demons from 8 June onwards. It may be recalled that the movie failed to release in Indian multiplex chains as the revenue sharing terms were not agreed upon. This was prior to the strike being called off.
At the meeting between the core committee of the United Producers & Distributors’ Forum, the revenue sharing terms for Hollywood films releasing in India were also decided upon. English movies, which release with more than 30 prints in India, will get the same terms as the Hindi films (50, 42.5, 37.5 and 30). However, in case an English movie is released with less than 30 prints, the terms will be 45, 35 and 30.
Even thought Paramount Films of India released their films during the stand-off period, multiplexes will provide the same terms to them. "Paramount was the only studio that released films in our properties during the strike period. Those movies got us footfalls and hence we will be providing the same terms that have been decided upon to them too," said a multiplex official.
Post the strike, Hollywood studios like Fox Star Studios India, Warner Bros India, Walt Disney Studios India and Sony Pictures Releasing of India have more or less decided on their line-up. Warner Bros will release its movie titled 17 Again this week on 12 June and Nights in Rodanthe thereafter on 19 June.
On the other hand, Fox Star Studios will also release the Hugh Jackman starrer X-Men Origins: Wolverine on 19 June. Anne Hathway and Kate Hudson starrer Bride Wars is tentatively slated for release on 26 June, whereas Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs will have a day and date release in India on 3 July. Fox will release Night At the Museum 2 on 24 July.
Disney will release Bolt on 26 June, The Proposal starring Sandra Bullock on 10 July and Race To Witch Mountain on 31 July.
The release date of Sony Pictures’ Terminator Salvation starring Christian Bale is set for 26 June. The movie will release in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
