Spider-Man was always big in India. Ever since Tobey Maguire first swung onto the big screen over two decades ago, India’s love affair with the friendly neighbourhood superhero has sustained. But since COVID, there has been a marked shift in how Spider-Man films have performed in the country. The latest Tom Holland-starrer, Brand New Day, is a good example. In its opening weekend, the Marvel-Sony joint production was outpacing Shah Rukh and Salman Khan’s biggest films in the country. It is on track to net over ₹500 crore in the country, a mark usually reserved for blockbusters like Pathaan, RRR, Animal, and the rest.
As the film continues on its record-breaking journey, HT speaks to Shony Panjikaran, General Manager & Head of Sony Pictures Releasing International, India, about Brand New Day’s success and what it means for the film industry at large. Excerpts:
HT: We all knew that Brand New Day would do well, but even in my most optimistic estimates, I hadn’t thought it would be doing this. Were you also taken aback, or were you bullish about it?
Shony Panjikaran: I would say we were very bullish. We knew that we were going to have quite a big one. Spider-Man is a big brand in India. No Way Home (the previous release) was a huge success, and we knew this was perfect. But having said that, I’m with you. We never thought it was going to be this big. It shows the love Spider-Man and especially this film had from all the Indian fans because India is the only country or the only big country where it’s become the biggest Hollywood blockbuster of all time, and that too, in just 11 days.
HT: Were you surprised by the reactions? For example, what I saw in the south, in some of the theatres in Hyderabad, was full title cards and confetti, which they usually reserve for their big stars like Prabhas, Allu Arjun, Mahesh Babu, or Rajinikanth. That was happening for Tom Holland.
Shony Panjikaran: Yes, honestly, we were very surprised, and when some of this stuff was coming to us, we said, ‘Oh my god, what is happening?’ This is reserved for the biggest of the local stars. Not even a Hindi star would get that kind of reaction in Andhra Pradesh-Telangana. I keep telling people that right now, Tom Holland is the biggest pan-India star. Spider-Man was always pan-India as a character, but Tom has taken it to the next level altogether. He’s huge, and what he’s done for Spider-Man and for the brand is something every fan is really thankful for.
HT: Tom was here (in India) just 15 days before your film (promoting The Odyssey), but he didn’t have the time to come back for you guys. Was there ever a push or an effort from your side to get some Tom Holland in India time for Spider-Man?
Shony Panjikaran: He was there only for 24 hours. If you look at his schedule, it was really jam-packed because he was promoting two films at one time. It was quite tough, and in that time, to manage all that he did was spectacular. I don’t think anybody else could have pulled it off. We were very happy that he was in India, and I’m sure you saw how the fans reacted. Although he had come to promote a different film, his presence definitely helped.
HT: When a Hollywood film does a $50 million gross in India, I see it as a win for India as much as I see this as a win for Spider-Man, because a lot of studios will notice this. Is it setting a benchmark for an entire industry or a market?
Shony Panjikaran: I wouldn’t like to take all the credit for that. There has been a big shift in Hollywood films in India. In the recent past, they have been delivering some really good numbers at the box office. It probably started last year with our own film, Demon Slayer. It was an anime film doing about $9 million. Then this year, Project Hail Mary did $10 million, and Obsession – a Universal film – also made $10 million. That is a great shift for Hollywood, and this is obviously being noticed by people worldwide.
HT: Do you think it’s not far off for a Hollywood film to do $100 million in India, which only China and Europe have done in the past?
Shony Panjikaran: It will definitely happen soon. But I think $60 million itself is a big number. We are the fourth biggest international market in the world. We consistently see India among the top 5 or 10 markets worldwide for all the films I mentioned. So obviously, we are there on the radar in terms of business. We are huge, but the good news is that it’s now getting so big that we will be able to do so much more.
HT: What I found so good was that Spider-Man Brand New Day wasn’t competing with Hollywood at the box office. It was competing with the biggest Indian films in terms of what it was doing in its opening weekend, with Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan films. That is unheard of for a Hollywood film in India.
Shony Panjikaran: I would say that post-COVID, there’s been a big shift. We always used to say it was a global market and that people had access to everything. But right now, I think it’s truly become global, thanks primarily to OTT and the social media revolution. What has happened is that, typically now, if the film that comes out is good, it doesn’t matter which market it’s coming from or whether it’s Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, or English. Our youth are well-connected to the world. This is great for the audiences and for the exhibitors, but also for our local producers. They also know that they are not just competing against each other; they are competing against the world. This is a wonderful place. Everyone will push each other, and we’ll have some great content coming out.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day continues its run in India this week, having earned ₹471 crore net ($59 million gross) in the country.
