According to trade website Box Office India, the latest James Bond film No Time to Die did well in India, grossing between 2 crore and 2.25 crore on its first day. The southern states continue to lead in box office receipts, although numbers have improved in recent weeks as north Indian regions such as Delhi contribute more than they did previously.
To be sure, the franchise is hoping to profit from the positive feeling in the Indian exhibition industry, which has been boosted by reports that Maharashtra cinemas would reopen on October 22. Thanks to 3-D versions in dubbed local languages such as Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada, the Daniel Craig picture, which has been distributed in over 1,000 theatres, is anticipated to reach even tier-II towns.
Furthermore, unlike many recent Hollywood films, No Time to Die is being released simultaneously worldwide and in India, making it an appealing proposition for young audiences and ensuring that no pirated prints are circulating, as was the case with the other recent Hollywood action film Fast & Furious 9.
The most recent James Bond film, Spectre, was released in 2015 and grossed 36.88 crore at the box office, with an opening day gross of $8.4 crore, which was the franchise’s best opening day total to that point. In India, the older picture was released later than in many other countries, and it benefitted from the controversy surrounding some of the kissing sequences, which were judged excessively lengthy by then-censor board chairman Pahlaj Nihalani.
With a spate of major projects slated till December, the James Bond series is also laying the stage for Hollywood’s rebirth. The 3-D version, which was unveiled only days before the film’s theatrical release, is the first for a James Bond picture and is clearly designed to entice people to the theatres in these unusual times, according to industry experts. The reopening of south Indian states such as Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka has already benefited Hollywood in recent weeks, with Marvel’s Chinese origin superhero film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which earned a total of 23.58 crore at the time of writing, seeing the most gains from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Mysuru.
