Hindi
The Amazing Spider-Man posts Rs 340 mn in opening weekend
MUMBAI: Consolidating Spider-Man‘s position as India‘s favourite superhero by far, Sony Picture‘s The Amazing Spider-Man posted the highest opening in history for a Hollywood film in India.
According to the film‘s distributor Sony Pictures India, the film grossed approximately Rs 340 million in its three day opening weekend starting
29 June with a final tally of 1236 prints in four languages – English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu and in 3D, 2D and IMAX formats.
The film also posted record-breaking highs for each day – Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Said Sony Pictures India MD Kercy Daruwala, “Spider-Man is the most consistently successful movie franchise in India and it‘s great to see that five years since the last movie released and with a whole new cast and storyline, the franchise is going from strength-to- strength. What‘s important to note is that a significant part of the box office has come from smaller centres as we have leveraged our strength in distributing and marketing this film across the country.”
The film also got rave reviews with some critics calling it the best Spider-Man film yet. “Houseful boards across the country, this past weekend, have meant that many people have not had a chance to see the film yet. That, along with great reviews and word of mouth, leads us to expect to continue this performance over the weeks to come,” added Daruwala.
A sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, has already been announced for release in May 2014.
Meanwhile, Sony Pictures has lined up a remake of the 1991 blockbuster Total Recall with Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel. The film releases worldwide on 3 August.
Hindi
Jio Studios, Sanjay Dutt team up to revive Khal Nayak
Rights acquired for new version, format under wraps as remake plans take shape.
MUMBAI: The villain is back and this time, he’s rewriting his own script. Jio Studios has partnered with Three Dimension Motion Pictures and Aspect Entertainment to revive the 1993 cult classic Khal Nayak, marking a fresh chapter for one of Bollywood’s most iconic anti-hero stories. The original film, directed by Subhash Ghai under Mukta Arts, was a commercial and cultural milestone, with Sanjay Dutt’s portrayal of Ballu becoming one of Hindi cinema’s most memorable performances.
Dutt, along with Aksha Kamboj, has now acquired the rights from the original creators, bringing on board Jio Studios and its President Jyoti Deshpande to steer the project creatively.
While the exact format whether remake, sequel, prequel, or a completely new narrative remains undisclosed, the collaboration aims to reinterpret the story for contemporary audiences while retaining the essence that made the original a defining film of the 1990s.
The move taps into a broader industry trend of reviving legacy intellectual property, particularly characters with strong recall value. “Khal Nayak” was notable for pushing mainstream Hindi cinema into morally grey territory at a time when heroes were largely one-dimensional, making Ballu’s character a standout.
The project also marks the film production debut of Aspect Entertainment, signalling a push towards more technology-led storytelling frameworks. Meanwhile, Jio Studios continues to expand its slate, having built a library of over 200 films and series, with more than 60 titles collectively winning 500-plus awards.
For Dutt, the revival is as much personal as it is strategic, a return to a role that reshaped his career. For the industry, it is another sign that nostalgia, when paired with scale, remains a powerful box-office proposition.
Because in Bollywood, some villains never fade, they just wait for the perfect comeback.
