Between 2022 and 2024, domestic box-office revenue for Indian films increased a modest 7.2% to ‘11,800 crore, it said.
“Recently, Indian films have been telling stories which have universal emotions and global appeal. These films score well on the parameter of visual presentation of stories. Consequently, Indian films have been crossing language and geographical barriers,” said Adi Tiwary, creative director and partner, Stuart Entertainment, an Australia-based boutique distributor and producer specialising in global content licensing, production and strategic partnerships.
Indian films such as ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ (2024), ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ (2024), ‘Pathaan’ (2023), ‘Jawan’ (2023), ‘Animal’ (2023), ‘Leo’ (2023), ‘Jailor’ (2023), ‘KGF: Chapter 2’ (2022) and ‘RRR’ (2022) collected ‘200-500 crore each in overseas markets.
Experts said these films connected with people around the world because they use some of the same styles and techniques seen in popular Hollywood movies, and they discuss ideas and feelings that people of different ages can relate to.
For instance, ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ is fast-paced and uses several languages. Its style is similar to Marvel superhero movies and action films like ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’. On the other hand, ‘RRR’ appealed to many international viewers by telling a story that felt deeply Indian and rooted in its culture.The mix of global style and Indian storytelling has played a big role in the success of these movies overseas. It’s also helped attract more non-Indian audiences to Indian films, according to industry executives and experts.Rajat Agrawal, COO, Ultra Media & Entertainment Group, said, “Indian films have been gaining popularity even among non-Indians in overseas markets. Given the universal themes of love, family and friendship in Indian films, they have resonated with non-Indian audiences.”
Producer and film business expert Girish Johar concurred, saying, “Apart from stories, Indian films are finding patronage even among non-Indian audiences because of the improved scale and quality of filmmaking.”
Another factor aiding the acceptance of Indian films in overseas markets is their easy availability on global streaming platforms.
Ameya Naik, producer and founder of Fantasy Films, said, “Global streamers have played a key role in familiarising Indian content to overseas audiences. Better subtitles and superior dubbing of Indian films on these global streamers have removed language barriers and provided overseas audiences anytime access to Indian films.”
In addition to global streamers, growing online distribution, social media discussions, targeted marketing and prestigious awards at international film festivals have piqued overseas audiences’ interest in Indian films. In addition, following the Covid-19 pandemic, Indian films rose to prominence as a result of the lull in Hollywood productions caused by the writers’ strike.
In the overseas markets, the success of Indian films relies more on the Indian diaspora settled abroad. But there is demand for Indian films from audiences in non-traditional markets such as the Gulf (the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar), North America (the US and Canada), the UK and Europe (Germany, France and the Netherlands) and Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia). Despite such a wide overseas market, industry experts believe revenue from the Chinese markets will make a material difference to Indian films’ collection given its size.
A testimony to this is the success of the Tamil film ‘Maharaja’ in China. Of its total worldwide collection of over ‘200 crore, it collected ‘91.6 crore from China alone, showing the potential of that market.
