Bollywood capers rule North America, Canada

Phil Contrino

Moviegoers pretty much turn off their brains during the summer. In between barbecuing and trips to the beach, the average North American film fan is looking for something easy to digest. Corny one-liners! Lots of explosions! Indian films that open in North America are not immune to this reality.

The first full weekend of May always marks the unofficial start of the summer movie season - moviegoers are trained to expect the first major tentpole of the season to open that weekend. This year, The Avengers kicked off the summer in grand style with a record-setting $207.4 million (Rs 1,175 crore) debut. Yet even with all the fuss around Hollywood blockbusters, the audience for Indian films does not go away.

Eros International opened two films right before the summer season began: Vicky Donor (released April 20 in North America) and Tezz (released April 27 in North America). Donor played on only 50 screens compared to Tezz's 97, but it was still able to gross $549,000 to Tezz's $229,931.

The relatively weak performance of Tezz comes as a bit of shock given that star Anil Kapoor is a recognisable face in North America thanks to his supporting turns in Slumdog Millionaire and Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol. Comparing Vicky Donor to Tezz proves that North Americans want escapism during the summer - even when it comes to foreign films.

Beating the French

UTV saw this trend first hand in May when Kalakalappu @ Masala Cafe, a comedy about two brothers trying to save their cafe, grossed $30,949 from 10 locations while Grandmaster, a serious action thriller, managed $17,077 from nine locations.

On June 1, UTV opened the action/comedy Rowdy Rathore to a solid $381,784 opening weekend. The film has since hit North American earnings of $744,164. Rowdy Rathore is actually the most successful foreign-language to open in North America since May 4 - no small accomplishment. Other countries have pretty much stayed away from the summer season. The closest foreign earner to Rowdy Rathore is France's Polisse with $171,320.

UTV didn't have as much luck with Arjun: The Warrior Prince, a dramatic animated film. Arjun managed only $10,017 from 10 locations. Still, it represents a very promising step for the world of Indian animation. "This is just the beginning for animated films from India," says Vajir Singh, editor of Box Office India. "The cost of production is very high, so is the technology. We're getting better and better with each passing Friday. Earlier, we used to face tough competition from Hollywood movies as their technology is much more advanced. Not anymore."

Animation's Hot

Animation is always incredibly popular during the summer because it represents an event - much like going to an amusement park or a baseball game - that is safe for the whole family to enjoy. Indian filmmakers would be smart to stay with the format while also taking notes on what Disney/Pixar, DreamWorks and Universal are doing. DreamWorks has already turned Madagascar 3 into a $290 million-plus worldwide hit. Meanwhile, Disney/Pixar's Brave is poised to do serious business well into July.

"Kids enjoy watching comedy movies. And for every kid, three tickets are sold as they come with their parents," says Singh.

This past weekend, Eros opened producer Vinod Chopra's Ferrari Ki Sawaari to a healthy $240,792.

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