Avengers: Infinity War is more than a movie; it's an event: Trade analysts on film's success in the Indian market

Disney/Marvel’s box-office juggernaut Avengers: Infinity War has vaulted over the $800 million mark worldwide gross until Tuesday.

As India has emerged as the fifth highest-grossing overseas market for the film with its 5-day total of $26 million (Rs 173.32 Cr), we analyse, with trade experts and exhibitors, how the most ambitious crossover event in the history of cinema has created an impact at the Indian ticket window.

The film has earned Rs 122 Cr in its opening weekend in India, surpassing the likes of Bollywood films such as Padmaavat and Baaghi 2 by a vast margin. Until Tuesday, the top-grossing overseas markets for the film include South Korea ($48.7 million), the UK ($48.3 million), Mexico ($36.4 million), and Brazil ($26.4 million), followed by India ($26 million), Australia ($25.7 million), France ($24.1 million), and Germany ($21.1 million).

Senior trade analyst Taran Adarsh points out that the tremendous hype and cult-following for the film worked in its favor. “Avengers, or any Marvel film, has a great fan following here. In my personal opinion, apart from all the favorite superhero films, Avengers: Infinity War had a strong villain with an emotional side too. Thanos was a very powerful entity, and he was not very easy to defeat. I think it surely grabbed the attention of viewers. Also, it is a very well-made and a much-awaited film,” Taran told Firstpost.

While the film is raking in the moolah in North Indian box office and also in Tamil Nadu, the Russo brothers-directed spectacle has not towered above big Telugu films such as Rangasthalam and Bharat Ane Nenu in the Telugu states.

K Deepak, who runs the box-office measurement portal AndhraBoxOffice.com, observes, “Avengers: Infinity War is doing well in Andhra but it is not comparable to the business of popular Telugu films or other South Indian dubbed films. Here, the preference for superhero films is less compared to the homegrown hits. Avengers has got around 350 screens here including Marathwada (few zones of Maharashtra).”

Although Bharat Ane Nenu released only a week before Avengers: Infinity War, Deepak says the audiences are different for both films, and the latter did not eat into the former’s screens. “I don’t think Avengers has affected Bharat Ane Nenu’s screens because it is not a regular popcorn-film but a political thriller. And, the footfalls have already started to reduce from last Thursday.”

In Tamil Nadu, the film has registered a mighty Rs 21 Cr for five days and is still going strong in major centers.

Indian film industry tracker Ramesh Bala said we can expect the same kind of opening for local films such as Rajinikanth’s 2.0 and Aamir Khan’s Thugs of Hindostan. “Avengers: Infinity War is more than a movie; it’s a movie event since several superheroes were coming together for the first time on screen. All the fandom ensured the excellent opening weekend figures,” he said.

In Chennai’s popular entertainment hotspot Mayajaal, Asia’s second-largest multiplex which houses 16 screens, the film has grossed Rs 61 lakhs from five days and is surging towards the Rs 1 Cr mark by this weekend.

B Udeep, Managing Director of Mayajaal Cinemas, said, “It’s doing phenomenal business. And, we have screened all the versions of the film: Tamil, English, Hindi, and Telugu since we wanted to bring an array of audiences. It’s already performing on par with some of the best Tamil films. By this weekend, it will cross the figures pulled in by Suriya’s Thaanaa Serndha Koottam this year on our property. The advance booking was quite massive and was almost similar to a big hero Tamil movie.”

Earlier this week, ticket-selling platform BookMyShow announced that Avengers: Infinity War outperformed all Hollywood films in India to create a new record for the highest ever advance sales on its platform. The movie had already sold 1 million tickets on BMS and was only behind Baahubali: The Conclusion in all-time advance sales bookings.

“While metros like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru are leading the advance sales, an exceptional response is also being seen from Tier 2 towns such as Bhubaneshwar and Trivandrum. The regional language versions of the film have contributed to 25% of the overall advance ticket sales with its Hindi version leading the way. Also, BookMyShow has alone sold close to 65% of the total IMAX ticket inventory available for the opening weekend of the film,” a statement from BookMyShow read.

Interestingly, the quality dubbing of regional versions has also played a significant role in the film’s box-office numbers this time. Adarsh said he enjoyed the Hindi version more than the film’s English version. “The strategy of releasing the film in multiple languages also works. I actually enjoyed the Hindi version more. With Tamil and Telugu versions, the film has become truly pan-Indian and is not just restricted to hardcore Hollywood fans,” he noticed.

Udeep also concurred with Adarsh and noted that Tamil dubbed version has improved in quality. “Earlier, there was a mindset that Tamil dubbed versions of English movies are suited to only B and C centers. Now, the dubbing quality is excellent since Disney is involved and the UA certification also helped a bit,” he said.

Deepak said it’s entirely reasonable for one or two Hollywood films to create box office records in South occasionally. “However, unlike north India, where the craze for English films is relatively more, Hollywood tentpoles won’t affect the collection of our regional films. As of now, Avengers: Infinity War has grossed Rs 11.7 cr in Telugu states including Marathwada. Jungle Book is the highest grossing Hollywood film with Rs 32 cr, and it had a long run of over five to seven weeks here,” avers Deepak.

Bala sounded positive about the film breaching the Rs 250 Cr net mark in India. “There is a very good possibility for Rs 250 Cr since the second-weekend booking across the country is very good,” he said.

Adarsh said the film would cross the Rs 200 crore mark for sure very soon. “If it does well in the second week, definitely it will go beyond the Rs 250 Cr mark and even Rs 300 Cr,” he said, adding that the success of Avengers: Infinity War is a wake-up call for Bollywood.

Adding further, Adarsh said, “The bottom line is that Hollywood films offer extraordinary visual imagery, technological advancements, and spectacular setpieces. Everyone in the film industry needs to wake up to the competition. People need quality entertainment and value for their money. They need to realize that these qualitatively strong films from Hollywood will eat into the business. Avengers is just the tip of the iceberg. This is just the beginning, and there’s more to follow.”

The five-day Tamil Nadu gross (Rs 21 Cr) comprises nearly 12% of the film’s India total of Rs 173.32 Cr. It is a notable feat since the exhibitors are happy that audiences have gradually started coming to the theaters again after the two-month-long shutdown.

“Avengers: Infinity War release has helped a lot as this is the first time a big movie has released since the strike. The Tamil dubbed version is also doing well, and everyone is happy,” said Bala.

However, Udeep shared an interesting perspective and said that the audiences are entirely different for Avengers: Infinity War and agreed that it has helped to an extent.

Detailing the same, Udeep explained, “For Avengers: Infinity War, the age group of moviegoers is majorly 18-25, and 65% of them were men. But eventually, our audience will come back once a big film like Kaala releases. Since there was a long gap of two months, audiences did find various ways to keep themselves engaged with other entertainment platforms. This particular movie audience was not our typical Tamil Nadu box-office audience. Now, we have been hearing that Amazon and Netflix will make a dent in the theatrical box-office. But, these are the people who have come and watched Avengers: Infinity War in theatres. Because it’s an event movie and the scale is huge. Likewise, we need a big event film like Kaala which would attract audiences back to theaters across all centers.”