Hindi
Paramount Films India showcases film lineup for 2008
BANGALORE: Distributor of Hollywood films Paramount Films of India Ltd (PFIL) announced the lineup of films slated for release in 2008.
The Universal Studio release lineup includes movies such as Definitely, Maybe, which is the story of a daughter who wants her father to be happy; Wanted by the Russian visualist director Timur Bekmambetov of The Night Watch and The Day Watch fame. Wanted tells the story of one invisible drone’s transformation into a dark avenger; Forgetting Sarah Marshall by the makers of 40 Year Old Virgin is another release expected this year.
Mama Mia, a feature film adaption of the musical, is a story of a girl who wants to make her wedding a prefect one by having her father lead her down the aisle. The problem is that her mother is not sure which of the three men she slept with is the real father – Meryl Streep plays the mother and Pierce Brosnan one of the probable fathers. The movie is inter-spiced with popular ABBA songs such as “Mama Mia,” “SOS,” “Dancing Queen,” “Money, Money Money.”
With over 700 VFx shots, Mummy 3 – Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is another release on the cards for 2008. The action shifts to Asia this time, China to be more precise. Brandon Fraser returns as explorer Rick O’Connell to combat the resurrected Han Emperor played by Jet Li, who has been awakened from a 2,000-year old curse and threatens to plunge the world into his merciless, unending service.
In Hellboy II – The Golden Army, the saga of the world’s toughest, kitten-loving hero from Hell continues to unfold. An animated film on, well a heroic mouse – The Tale of Desperaux – is another film on the anvil for a 2008 release.
From the Paramount and Dreamworks stable are Oscar winner No Country for Old Men; a fantasy adventure based on the series of books of the same name comes The Spiderwick Chronicles; Marvel Entertainment’s adaption of Ironman will launch into theaters on 2 May. Owen Wilson stars in (and as) Drillbit Taylor. The movie is slated for release on 21 March. Featuring a Panda who just loves that martial art is Dreamworks animated film Kung Fu Panda.
Dreamworks also brings back all the characters – Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe, Gloria the hippo with Madagascar – The Great Escape. An all-new explosive action-packed episode of The Incredible Hulk, will feature Bruce Banner/Hulk struggle to avoid the obsessive pursuit of his nemesis General Ross (William Hurt) and the military machinery that seeks to exploit his power.
On 22 May, Harrison Ford will be back on cinema screens probably for the last time as Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The movie also features Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent and Shia LeBeouf, who also reteams with Disturba director DJ Caruso in Eagle Eye, also to be relased in 2008.
“Ninety per cent of these films will be released in India. Some of them such as Definitely, Maybe and No Country for Old Men have already been released elsewhere, including in some Asian countries. India is an important market for us,” said Paramount Films Singapore regional director for sales and marketing (Asia) Han Seng Lim, while speaking with indiantelevision.com on the sidelines of the event.
“With globalisation and rising literacy levels, the demand for international cinema is growing,” says PFIL GM Sarabjit Singh.
“The sound and well-heeled urban Indians, especially from the growing mid- and high-income sections, are rediscovering the magic of cinema in plush multiplexes. Also, the increase of multiplexes in A, B & C class centres has helped us to tap wider and newer markets. This has enabled us to release more titles with increased number of prints. The enhanced acceptability of dubbed films in India has widened the mass appeal for Hollywood films,” added Singh.
According to a Paramount release, the Hollywood films market in India is estimated to be around Rs 2 billion. An average of 70 English films, several of them dubbed into regional languages, are released in India every year.
Hindi
GUEST COLUMN: Why film libraries & IPs are the new engines of growth
Unlocking value through catalogue strength and IP synergy
MUMBAI:In a media landscape defined by fragmentation, platform proliferation, and ever-evolving audience behavior, the economics of filmmaking are undergoing a fundamental shift. No longer confined to box office performance, a film’s true value is now measured across an extended lifecycle that spans digital platforms, syndication networks, and global markets. As content consumption becomes increasingly non-linear and algorithm-driven, film libraries and intellectual properties (IPs) are emerging as strategic assets, capable of delivering sustained, long-term returns. For Mohan Gopinath, head – bollywood business at Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd., this transformation signals a decisive move from hit-driven models to portfolio-led value creation. In this piece, Gopinath explores how legacy content, when intelligently repurposed and distributed, can unlock recurring revenue streams, why the interplay between catalogue and original IP is critical, and how media companies can build resilient, future-ready entertainment businesses.
For all these years, we thought that a film is successful if it performs well in theatres. There are opening weekend numbers, box office milestones, and distribution footprints that gave a good picture of how the movie has done commercially and also tell us about its cultural impact. However, there are multiple platforms today, always-on content ecosystem, which has caused a shift. Today, the theatrical performance is not the culmination of a film’s journey but merely the beginning of a much longer and more dynamic lifecycle.
Film libraries today are emerging as high-value, constantly evolving assets that deliver sustained returns well beyond initial release cycles. This becomes a point of great advantage for legacy content owners with diverse catalogues, to shape long-term business outcomes.
According to FICCI-EY, the media and entertainment industry of India achieved a valuation of Rs 2.78 trillion in 2025 which is expected to reach Rs 3.3 trillion by 2028 through a compound annual growth rate of approximately 7 per cent and digital media will bring in more than Rs 1 trillion to become the biggest sector which generates about 36 per cent of overall market revenues.
This shift is the expansion of distribution endpoints. We know how satellite television was once the primary secondary window but today, it coexists with YouTube, OTT platforms, Connected TV, and FAST channels. Each of these platforms caters to distinct audience demographics and consumption behaviors, helping content owners to obtain more value from the same asset across multiple formats.
For instance, films that had great reruns, now find continuous engagement across digital platforms. On YouTube, classic Hindi cinema continues to attract significant viewership, reaching audiences across generations and geographies with remarkable consistency. At Shemaroo Entertainment, this is reflected in our film library shaped over decades as part of a long association with Indian entertainment. From classics such as Amar Akbar Anthony to much-loved entertainers like Jab We Met, Welcome, Dhamaal, Phir Hera Pheri, Dhol, Golmaal, and Bhagam Bhag, many of these titles continue finding new audiences while retaining their place in popular memory. Their enduring appeal reflects how culturally resonant stories can continue creating value over time. Similarly, FAST channels have created curated, always-on environments where catalogue content can continue to thrive through star-led and genre-based programming.
This multi-platform approach has very well transformed films into long-tail IP assets which are capable of generating recurring revenue across advertising, subscription, and syndication models.
The evolution of audience behavior is equally important. Nowadays, it’s more important to find what’s more relative than what’s recent as viewers are more influenced by mood, memories, and algorithmic suggestions than by release schedules. Even if a movie was released decades ago, it can trend alongside a newly released movie, if surfaced in the right context. Thoughtful packaging, whether through festival-based playlists, actor-driven collections, or genre clusters, allows catalogue content to remain dynamic and continuously discoverable. Shemaroo Entertainment has built extensive film libraries over decades and its focus has mostly been on recontextualizing content for the consumption of newer environments. This process doesn’t just include digitization and restoration, but also re-packaging of films as per platforms.
Syndication itself has evolved into a key growth driver. In perspective, when looking at the domestic market, curated content packages continue to find strong demand across broadcast and digital platforms. Meanwhile, in the international market, especially in markets like Middle East, North America and Southeast Asia, the appetite for Indian content is opening up new monetization avenues. Here, the ability to package and position catalogue content effectively becomes as important as the content itself.
Importantly, the need to re-package catalogue content does not diminish the role of new content. In fact, originals and fresh IP are essential to sustaining the long-term value of a film library because they act as discovery engines that bring audiences into the ecosystem, while catalogue content drives depth, retention, and repeat engagement.
This interplay between the “new” and the “known” is what defines a robust content strategy today. While new films generate spikes in consumption, catalogue titles offer familiarity and comfort. These are factors that are increasingly valuable in an era of content abundance and decision fatigue. This is also shaping our strategy, drawing value from both a deep catalogue assets and a growing focus on original IPs to strengthen long-term audience engagement and build more predictable revenue streams.
There is growing recognition that long-term value in entertainment will be shaped not only by how intelligently existing content continues to live, travel and find relevance, but also by how consistently new stories are created to renew that ecosystem. In that sense, film libraries and original IP are not parallel bets, but reinforcing engines of growth. For media companies, the opportunity lies in making these two forces work together, because that is increasingly where more resilient and predictable businesses are being shaped.
Note: The views expressed in this article are solely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect our own.
