Hollywood trumps Kollywood

Looks like Kollywood���������s filmmakers and producers have made a grave error! If you are wondering what it is, it is their decision to play it safe this summer, the best season for movies, on account of the elections and the IPL. And with the season coming to an end, one can clearly declare the winner ��������� Hollywood. Yes, a string of Hollywood films have capitalized on the absence of significant competition from Indian films and are raking in the moolah at the box office.While there have been almost half-a-dozen Hollywood films (the fourth Pirates Of The Caribbean movie, The Hangover Part II, Kung Fu Panda 2, Fast & Furious 5, Thor, Priest, Source Code) that have become superhits, there has been only one Tamil film that the trade pundits accept as a superhit ��������� Ko. The rest, including star-driven fare like Vaanam, Engeyum Kadhal and Maapillai, they say, have done only from above average to ordinary business. Says Swaroop Reddy, managing director of a leading multiplex in the city, ���������Given that it���������s summer , audiences seem to want to explore movies that have a universal appeal, in addition to their regular choice of films. People come to the movies for entertainment and these movies have delivered on that.��������� What has also been a factor is that there were just a few superstar-driven Tamil films this summer. On the other hand, most of the Hollywood films were sequels which tilted the must-see factor in their favour. ���������The content of the Hollywood films released this May had a far better connect with today���������s audiences in Tamil Nadu than the recent Tamil releases. There was not enough star power in the films that released this summer,��������� says a well-known distributor on condition of anonymity.
���������Sequels and franchises have an in-built audience, who are familiar with the storytelling and the characters and that helps a film in the current market scenario ,��������� says K Seshasaye, executive director of the Hollywood studio behind the Pirates franchise.
���������Dubbing films in regional languages, more localized marketing, 3D and other cutting-edge technology, the growth of multiplexes, a more globalised audience ��������� these are some of the factors helping Hollywood in India,��������� says Kercy Daruwala, managing director of a Hollywood studio. The fact that Hollywood films are releasing on the same day as their US release is also helping. Not only does it help combat piracy, but the film also profits locally from the international release buzz, says Daruwala. ���������Breaking new ground, we will be releasing Spielberg���������s The Adventures of Tintin (3D) on November 11, six weeks before the US release,��������� he adds.