Unlike Hollywood films which are based on existing comic books, these Indian projects and characters have no reference point and hence, fan bases have to be established from scratch and may not find favour easily.
Lata Jha
Published17 Jul 2024, 04:06 PM IST
Yash Raj Films has announced an addition to its spy universe titled Alpha starring Alia Bhatt.(X)
Indian film franchises consisting of multiple movies and characters that often cross over from one to the other, inspired by the Hollywood model such as that of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, are expanding as they announce new titles. While Yash Raj Films has announced an addition to its spy universe titled Alpha starring Alia Bhatt, the horror-comedy universe has seen a new hit with Munjya along with films like Stree and Bhediya earlier. The latest instalment of director Rohit Shetty’s cop universe, Singham Again, sees Deepika Padukone and Tiger Shroff joining as new characters.
Trade experts say while such big-ticket, spectacular films are the need of the hour to lure people to cinemas, unlike Hollywood films which are based on existing comic books, these Indian projects and characters have no reference point and hence, fan bases have to be established from scratch and may not find favour easily. Further, box office numbers of the latest Marvel movies already prove too many spin-offs can lead to an overdose for audiences.
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To be sure, films part of a cinematic universe always involve high costs and special effects and are mounted on a large scale requiring much investment in action and other production aspects.
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“In Hollywood, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has strong backing because characters like Black Widow, Iron Man and others have a reference point in terms of comics,” independent exhibitor Vishek Chauhan said. “The challenge with the cinematic universes in India is that the trajectory is entirely new, so there is no existing reason to relate to a character,” he added.
In 2017, actor Taapsee Pannu had starred in a film called Naam Shabana, a prequel to 2015 hit Baby where she reprised her role as a spy. Chauhan pointed out that the action thriller had found no draw at the box office, showing that such cross pollination has been attempted in Indian cinema without significant success. Moreover, action is no longer new for Indian audiences who are exposed to world-class stunts both from foreign and local films. YRF’s Spy Universe has already begun seeing diminishing returns with its last instalment, Tiger 3 starring Salman Khan, having only made a little over ₹260 crore with a budget of more than ₹300 crore.