International
‘Sherlock Holmes’ grosses $24.9 million on day one
MUMBAI: Sherlock Holmes opened to a hectic and crowded weekend at the muliplex.
Attracting an estimated $24.9 million for its opening day, the film starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, led the pack.
The PG-13 rated movie, directed by Guy Ritchie, opened in 3,626 locations.
Entering its eighth day of release Fox‘s Avatar was close behind. The 3D space tale logged in an additional $23.6 million as it crossed the $150 million mark.
The film benefitted from premium ticket prices although it also had to contend with playing on fewer screens — 3,456 locales – and has a running time that is more than one half longer that Sherlock.
By the weekend, the two films were seen battling it out for the top spot.
Meanwhile, Fox‘s Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel settled securely into the third spot. The PG-rated family fare took in $14.3 million in 3,700 locations.
In the process, it appeared to lure the kids away from Disney‘s The Princess and the Frog, as it began its third weekend of wide release, dropped to eighth place for the day as it took in $2 million.
Aiming to lure in older women, Universal‘s It‘s Complicated settled for the fourth place when it grossed $7.2 million in 2,886 locations.
That was in line with a recent Streep vehicle like August‘s “Julie & Julia,” which opened to a first-day gross of $6.5 million and bettered the first-day opening figure of Meyer‘s 2003 “Something‘s Gotta Give,” which opened to $5.3 million.
After three weekends, Paramount‘s Up in the Air collected $3.7 million for the day.
Warner‘s The Blind Side that began its sixth weekend, was following Up‘s heels, though. The Sandra Bullock-starrer, which is also demonstrating some awards potential, was in sixth place, picking up $3.4 million as it crossed the $175 million mark domestically.
The Weinstein Co.‘s musical Nine that didn‘t have quite as many moviegoers whistling its tunes found itself in seventh place collecting $2.1 million.
Sony‘s Did You Hear About the Morgans? ranked ninth as it began its second weekend with a daily total of $ 1.6 million.
And in the tenth spot was Warner‘s South African-set Invictus directed by Clint Eastwood that pulled in $1.3 million bringing its cumulative domestic gross to just over $20 million.
International
Moskino and Bollywood: Moscow Film Cluster and Film City Mumbai signed a cooperation agreement
Moscow Film Cluster has signed a cooperation agreement with Film City Mumbai. The parties agreed to cooperate in developing the film industry, promoting shooting locations and supporting filmmakers.
The memorandum was signed on the sidelines of the India International Film Tourism (IIFTC) Conclave in Mumbai. At this forum, the Moscow Film Cluster presented Moscow’s opportunities for film shooting, including infrastructure projects such as Film City Moskino and Film Factory. Special attention was paid to the Moscow rebate system – up to 45% – and the co-production development.
Memorandum of Understanding between the Film City and Moscow Film Cluster provides for the establishment and development of mutually beneficial cooperation in the film industry development, including joint promotion of shooting locations, support for filmmakers, implementation of marketing and industry events, development of incentive support measures and strengthening of economic and cultural interaction between India and Moscow.
The parties also intend to promote the development of the audiovisual sector through the exchange of experience, joint initiatives and the search for opportunities to create new industry partnerships and clusters.
Moscow Film Cluster is a major city initiative led by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin to develop the capital into a global cinema hub. It brings together key production infrastructure – such as the Moskino Film Сity, Film Factory and Gorky Film Studio – along with the Film Commission, digital platform and cinema chain to streamline shooting, support productions and attract international filmmaking to Moscow.
Also, Moscow offers a rebate of up to 45%: 30% as direct production cost compensation, up to 15% for visa and accommodation support. The Moscow Image Grant provides up to $255,000 for films showcasing iconic city views.
The Moscow Film Cluster booth attracted considerable attention from Indian producers and studios. Over 80 business meetings were held, including those with major Indian companies.
One of the booth guests was the famous Indian actress Khushboo Sundar, known to Soviet and Russian audiences for her role in My Soul and considered the leading star of Tamil cinema, in whose honor one of the local temples was even built. Prithul Kumar, representative of the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of the officials responsible for regulating the film industry in the country, also expressed interest in the development of the Moscow Film Cluster.
One of the highlights of the India International Film Tourism Conclave was the awarding of The Greatest of All Time in the For Cinematic Excellence category. The movie was shot in Moscow. The jury members noted the project’s contribution to the development of tourism.
The shooting of The Greatest of All Time AGS by Entertainment was organized with the assistance of the Moscow Film Cluster and the Moscow Film Commission and took place in April 2024 on the streets of Moscow. The scenes were shot in such famous locations as Patriarch Bridge, Teatralnaya Square, Manezhnaya Square, Kazarmenny Lane, Podsosensky Lane, Nikolskaya Street and one of the festival venues of Moscow Seasons.
The Greatest of All Time became a landmark event in Indian box office history. It ranked fourth in box office earnings among all movies released in India in 2024 and is one of the most successful Tamil-language movies in history.
At the same time, the shooting of another joint Russian-Indian movie started at the Moskino Film City in Moscow. A film project dedicated to badminton became one of the first participants in the Moscow rebate program.
A project by Smena & WISH Media (Russia) and Kartina Entertainment And Sports Private Limited (India) will tell the story of a badminton player who travels to India with the Russian national team to compete in a tournament. Russian viewers will see for the first time the scale of sporting competitions in Asia, where badminton is a cult sport and draws packed stands of fans.
The agreement on the joint production of the Smash movie was signed st the Moscow International Film Week in August 2025. And as Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said, a rebate application was also submitted at that time to reimburse part of the costs incurred during the shooting process in the Russian capital.
