"Dangal" released worldwide in December 2016 and in China in May 2017.
Last year, "Dangal," featuring superstar Aamir Khan, became the highest grossing non-Hollywood foreign movie of all time in China, according to the Deloitte-MPDA report. But that hasn't affected the success of Indian movies in China. and 1.5 million in the U.K., according to the Deloitte-MPDA report.
The Indian community in China has only about 15,000 people compared to 2.5 million in the U.S. In 2017, Bollywood film "Secret Superstar" reaped nearly $120 million in China, according to a report from Deloitte India and the Motion Picture Distributors Association (India).Īlthough China is not a conventional market for Indian movies, it has seen growing interest in Indian films over the last decade. "Baahubali 2" is the only non-Bollywood film in the list. Still, four of the top five grossing Indian movies in 2017 were Bollywood, according to Box Office India. Tamil action-thriller "Mersal" and Telugu action-drama "Jai Lava Kusa" were two other non-Hindi movies that reaped high box office collections in 2017, according to the EY-FICCI report. "Baahubali 2" originally released in Tamil and Telugu and was dubbed in several languages including English, Hindi and Malayalam. While some Tamil and Telugu movies did well in international markets in 2017, and Tamil superstars like Rajinikanth have a huge following in different parts of the world, other films proved unpopular with audiences, said Abhishek.Įxcluding the earnings from "Baahubali 2" last year, the total overseas box office collections of Tamil and Telugu movies would have declined from 2016, he said. "(The) problem with regional movies is that their budgets at times can be limited." "Hindi movies do well because they have a larger appeal," Abhishek said. Hindi-language movies, popularly known as Bollywood films, earned more in international markets in 2017 compared to their counterparts in other languages such as Tamil, Telugu or Punjabi, Abhishek said. "I also see a lot of Americans in the audience who come to see Indian movies." "I am proud that Indian movies are being shown in various American theaters, unlike the old times where some Indian would buy an old Indian cinema house and we were stuck with that," said Pawar, who spent about $150 on nearly a dozen Indian films last year.
Those factors are helping some Indian films earn showings at more mainstream theaters in countries like the U.S. Indian movies may find success overseas from the backing of well-known celebrities and big production houses - factors that attract international viewers, he said. Higher overseas box office collections for domestic-made movies boosts Indian tourism, creates new jobs and adds value to the Indian economy through taxes, said Abhishek, who only goes by one name, and is a partner and consultant at Deloitte India.
In 2017, box office collections for Indian films overseas took $367 million - up almost three times from $125 million the year before, the report said.Įarnings this year are expected to do just as well and may rise to $411 million in 2020 - up by 12 percent from 2017, according to the report.
The Indian film industry grew 27 percent in 2017 on the back of box office growth in both domestic and international markets, according to a report by EY and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI). Indian films featuring megastars with a global appeal, coupled with the backing of affluent production houses, garnered millions of ticket sales around the globe last year.