EXCLUSIVE: From Brand New Day’s HISTORIC 5,000 screens release to RECORD Rs. 61 crore Day 1 on a non-holiday Thursday – Sony’s Shony Panjikaran decodes how Spider-Man became India’s BIGGEST PAN-INDIA Hollywood brand: “There is no ceiling for Spider-Man in India”
The terrific advance booking for Spider-Man: Brand New Day had indicated that the superhero flick was all set for a smashing opening. Yet, the final numbers left fans, the media, the industry and the trade in a state of disbelief. The credit, of course, goes to Spider-Man’s immense popularity, the success of the earlier instalments, the appeal of its lead actors, Tom Holland and Zendaya, and, last but not least, the efforts of the team at Sony Pictures Releasing International, India. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Shony Panjikaran, General Manager and Head of Sony Pictures Releasing International, India, opened up about the release and marketing strategies that helped the film achieve a record-breaking opening day.
Shony Panjikaran began by saying, “We knew something big was coming. Spider-Man has always been a major brand in India, and with Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), its popularity went to another level. With this film, we wanted to push the envelope even further. No Way Home ended on a cliffhanger, and audiences were eager to know what would happen next. The affinity that Indian audiences have for Spider-Man is simply remarkable. That is why we decided to go all out and mount an even bigger campaign than we did for the previous film. No Way Home was released towards the end of the Covid period, when restrictions were still in place in Maharashtra and a few other territories. This time, there were no such limitations.”
Shony remarked, “The marketing team has done some amazing work on this film. Spider-Man mania was visible across India. Many people were pleasantly surprised by our campaign, whether it was collaborating with Rishab Shetty or Suryakumar Yadav and K L Rahul. We also created two songs, including one with G V Prakash Kumar to strengthen the film’s appeal in the Indian market. Therefore, we knew that the campaign was going to be massive.”
He continued, “On the distribution front, too, we decided to be extremely aggressive. It is rare for a film’s bookings to open so early.” Tickets went on sale on June 17, more than 40 days before its July 30 release. “The tickets for the PLFs (Premium Large Formats) went live first, and the response made us realize that the film was going to be much bigger than any of us had anticipated.”
Did he imagine that the film would open at Rs. 61 crores and emerge as the biggest Hollywood opener ever in India? Shony Panjikaran confessed, “To be honest, I did not. However, as soon as the PLF bookings opened and we witnessed the response, we knew that a Rs. 50 crore-plus opening was a given.”
Widest release ever
The Sony Pictures India team also mounted a release on a historic scale. Shony said, “It was the widest release ever for a Hollywood film in India. Hollywood films rarely cross the 3,000-screen mark, but Spider-Man: Brand New Day was released across 5,000 screens. The exhibitors supported us tremendously. They saw the momentum generated by the film and the scale of our marketing campaign, and they understood what was coming. The only limitation is that Hollywood films can be played only on 2K-enabled screens, which however is great for the movie going experience and we always urge cinemas to install 2K enables screens. Otherwise, Spider-Man could have been released across more than 7,000 screens. After all, every theatre wanted to play the film!”
Despite this limitation, the film managed to achieve an extraordinary reach. Shony Panjikaran noted, “India is now among the film’s top-performing markets globally. Spider-Man has always been a pan-India phenomenon, and with No Way Home, we witnessed a glimpse of its true potential. With this film, that phenomenon has become even more evident, as it is performing exceptionally well across markets.”
After highest day 1, highest lifetime?
After a record-breaking opening, it was crucial for Spider-Man: Brand New Day to hold well at the box office. Thankfully, the film has maintained steady collections. Is the Sony Pictures India team now confident that it can surpass the lifetime collections of Avengers: Endgame (2019; Rs. 373.22 crores) and Avatar: The Way Of Water (2022; Rs. 378.22 crores) and emerge as the highest-grossing Hollywood film of all time in India?
Shony Panjikaran replied, “The good news is that the film witnessed only a marginal drop on its second day. Meanwhile, the advance bookings for Saturday and Sunday clearly indicate that the collections could at least match Thursday’s figure, if not surpass it. Therefore, the four-day weekend could be around Rs. 230 crores, which is almost the lifetime collection of Spider-Man: No Way Home. That film was the fourth-highest-grossing Hollywood film of all time in India. As of now, it appears that we could achieve record lifetime numbers. However, I would not like to comment too much on something that has not happened yet. The reactions have been outstanding, from the media and audiences alike. There is no major release arriving next week, which gives us a clear two-week window. Given the momentum and the strength of the film, we should break several more records. It is likely to enjoy a long, long run in cinemas!”
The risk of a Thursday release
Spider-Man: Brand New Day was released on a non-holiday Thursday. Explaining the decision, Shony said, “We saw the momentum building in the film’s favour and decided to capitalise on it. For me, Spider-Man is among the biggest stars in the country, and a film of this scale could afford to arrive on a working Thursday. Even in the past, Spider-Man: No Way Home and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) were released on Thursdays. We knew that regardless of the day on which the film opened, the fans would turn up from day one itself. At the same time, had we released the film on a Friday, we could perhaps have achieved a day-one nett collection of Rs. 75 crores instead of Rs. 61 crores. However, our focus was on servicing the huge demand and enabling maximum fans to be able to watch the film over the weekend. Therefore, we were willing to compromise on the opening-day figure, although we had no idea that the film would still emerge as the biggest Hollywood opener of all time in India.”
He also cautioned, “Releasing a film on a non-holiday Thursday is a gamble, and it can work only for a major film with tremendous anticipation. You also need to be extremely confident about the product. If the film receives even slightly mixed word of mouth, such a release strategy can become very risky.”
The West notices India’s performance
The film’s exceptional performance in India has, unsurprisingly, caught the attention of Sony’s global headquarters. Shony Panjikaran revealed, “They know how much India loves Spider-Man. They witnessed it with Spider-Man: No Way Home, when India ranked among the film’s top 10 markets globally. We have always maintained that there is no ceiling for Spider-Man in India. This time, the film has also turned out exceptionally well, and our home office team knew that Indian audiences would embrace it wholeheartedly.”
He signed off by explaining why the film has connected so strongly with audiences, “One of the biggest reasons is its emotional core. The film does not merely boast of spectacular action; it also explores Peter Parker’s emotional journey. We knew that this aspect would resonate with audiences across all age groups.”
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