Spider-Man: Brand New Day has rapidly become a box office sensation in India, surpassing ₹500 crore gross within three weeks of its release. The film, starring Tom Holland, has reportedly accumulated a net collection of ₹457.45 crore and a gross collection of ₹546.92 crore over 17 days. On its 17th day in theatres, the film added ₹10.15 crore net, marking its strong performance during its third weekend following a minor decline on Friday.

Debuting in India on July 30, the film launched a day ahead of its global release and has overtaken Avatar: The Way of Water to secure the position of the highest-grossing Hollywood film in India. Additionally, it has achieved more than $2 billion in global earnings in just three weeks, making it the second film to reach this milestone after Avengers: Endgame, which accomplished this in 11 days.

Shony Panjikaran, General Manager and Head of Sony Pictures Releasing International, India, expressed that the film’s reception in India exceeded their expectations, acknowledging the strong following of the Spider-Man franchise among Indian audiences. He highlighted the film’s excellent quality and large fan base, noting that “Indians just love Spider-Man and they love Tom Holland.”

Innovative Premium Format Strategy

The film’s release in India was extensive, covering approximately 5,300 screens, with a notable focus on premium formats. Panjikaran indicated that this strategic choice was made at a time when IMAX was unavailable in India during the opening phase. He explained the importance of premier formats, stating, “When it’s a good film, then people will consume it.”

In collaboration with exhibitors, the team worked to raise awareness around Premium Large Format (PLF) screens, which are abundant in India, along with 4DX screens. Although these premium formats constituted about two per cent of the total screens available, they represented over eight per cent of the business during the recent interview.

Ticket pricing also reflected a premium approach, with reports indicating tickets in Delhi-NCR peaked at ₹2,800 and select tickets in Mumbai reached ₹2,700. Panjikaran noted that this challenges the common belief that Indian audiences are unwilling to pay high prices for theatrical tickets, asserting people are willing to spend if they believe the product is worth it.

Multilingual Release Enhances Audience Reach

The film was launched in six languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada. At the time of the interview, English accounted for 53 per cent of the earnings, while Hindi made up 34-35 per cent. Contributions from Tamil and Telugu were approximately five per cent each, with Malayalam and Kannada combined contributing around one per cent.

Panjikaran emphasised the notable performance of the Hindi language version, remarking on its growth and significantly high occupancy rates. He explained that the decision to release the film in multiple languages was not solely profit-driven but aimed at offering audiences the option to view the film in their preferred language.

Reflecting on their strategy, Panjikaran mentioned the earlier success of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which was dubbed into ten Indian languages. He suggested that positive audience reception might encourage future releases in even more languages for the franchise.

Changing Landscape of Indian Box Office

Panjikaran pointed to the success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day as indicative of a broader shift in the Indian film market, where viewers are increasingly willing to appreciate films regardless of origin. He remarked that the film’s opening weekend figures placed it among the top openings for any Indian film.

He described audiences as becoming “language agnostic”, showing enthusiasm for quality content regardless of its language. As an example, he referenced the unexpected success of the anime film Demon Slayer, which grossed significantly more than initial forecasts.

When discussing the film’s potential longevity in theatres, Panjikaran opted not to predict a specific revenue figure, expressing confidence in its ongoing appeal. He stated, “If you’ve got the right product with the right kind of emotions in the film, then sky is the limit.” Currently, Spider-Man: Brand New Day stands at ₹546.92 crore gross in India and continues to draw audiences.

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