Spider-Man is poised to emerge as one of the biggest box office openers of the year, with trade analyst Girish Johar predicting a blockbuster start across languages.
“Spider-Man is poised to be one of the biggest openers of the year, with more than ₹50 crore at the box office across languages. The craze is humongous among the youth and younger audiences. It’s a big franchise, and Spider-Man has always been successful in India. This outing, too, is looking very exciting for the audience,” Johar said.
Johar also weighed in on the decision by filmmaker Amit Rai to postpone the release of Oh My Dog to August 7, citing the crowded release calendar and Spider-Man’s arrival.
“Many filmmakers were prudent enough to avoid direct competition with Spider-Man. These are learnings every maker and team should take—to make prudent decisions,” he said.
Asked whether Rai’s decision was the right move, Johar said the superhero film’s overwhelming appeal makes it difficult for any competing release to command attention during its opening weekend.
“Who is going to watch any other film when Spider-Man is there?” he remarked.
Johar believes the Marvel release will have a ripple effect on films already running in theatres. While Dhamal is nearing the end of its theatrical run and 83 is expected to hold steady due to its urban metro audience, films such as Jannayagan Jan Neta and The India Story could witness a slight dip in collections during Spider-Man’s initial run.
“At least in the beginning, it would give some hiccups to the other films,” Johar added.
