New Delhi: Hollywood superhero flick Avengers: Endgame has more than made up for the dismal performance of Bollywood offerings this April. At ₹189.70 crore, the Marvel movie is one of the highest trending films in the Indian market within four days of release, and is looking at smashing records not just set by Hollywood but local Indian releases as well.
“2018 was the year of Avengers: Infinity War and this year Marvel has returned bigger and better with Avengers: Endgame. The film has shattered all records and is without a doubt the movie of the month," said Ashish Saksena, chief operating officer-cinemas at online ticketing site BookMyShow.
Saksena said the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has created a tremendous fan base across age groups in India. While older generations have grown up reading Marvel comics, younger audiences have grown up watching these superheros come alive on screen.
“After half the universe was wiped out in Avengers: Infinity War, fans were anxious to see their heroes reunite to save the world once again and Endgame did not disappoint them one bit. At three hours, one would think the movie's run time was long, but it entertained audiences every second. We had round-the-clock shows in some states which was a great development and it is truly remarkable that with limited screens, Endgame has become the third highest opening film in the country," Saksena said.
The same did not hold true for Bollywood releases of the month including big-budget period drama Kalank and John Abraham’s spy thriller Romeo Akbar Walter (RAW) which finished at ₹74.23 crore and ₹38.70 crore respectively. Mystery thriller The Tashkent Files managed some good reviews, besides ₹9.72 crore in box office collections. Others like Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aaata Hai?, Blackboard v/s Whiteboard, No Fathers in Kashmir and Chousar Firangi, barely made a mark.
“I think the concept of Kalank turned out to be too dated for the audiences and they couldn’t connect with it despite great promotion, songs and a big star cast that ensured a grand opening," said film trade and exhibition expert Girish Johar.
As far as non-Hindi local releases go, Malayalam film Lucifer starring Mohanlal directed by actor Prithviraj Sukumaran has collected more than ₹135 crore worldwide while Telugu films Jersey and Majili earned ₹27.8 crore and ₹29.1 crore in their first weekend alone.
To be sure, there is much to look forward to next month. Romantic youth film Student Of The Year 2, Ajay Devgn’s romantic comedy De De Pyaar De, Arjun Kapoor’s action thriller India’s Most Wanted, Hollywood film Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Mahesh Babu’s Telugu film Maharshi will all compete for audiences’ attention.
“It looks like a fabulous summer month," Johar said.
All figures have been sourced from movie website Bollywood Hungama.
