India wins the "Amazing Spider-Man" race.
Hey kids, want to be the first one on your block to see “The Amazing Spider-Man?” You do? Well, have you considered a trip to India? The Hollywood Reporter notes that the film will open in India on June 29th, a few days ahead of its July 3rd US release.
There is a connection here–acclaimed Indian star Irrfan Khan is in the “Spider-Man” cast, playing Dr. Ratha, an associate of Dr. Curt Connors, aka The Lizard (that’s Rhys Ifans).
Here’s the Sony quote:
“Each of the Spider-Man franchise films has broken records on its release in this territory. We are very confident that Indian audiences will enjoy the new reboot of the franchise even more because they are watching it before the U.S. and also, as this film has an India connect,” said Sony Pictures India MD Kercy Daruwala.
(That connect would be the aforementioned Khan.)
True, they have no reason to hope for anything but the best from “Spider-Man” in India; “Spider-Man 3″ made $13.6 million in 2007, making it the highest grossing Hollywood film in India. “Avatar” broke that record in 2009 with $22 million and it’s not too early to say lookout, here come “The Avengers.”
I suspect the real reason behind the early release date, though, is just an attempt to try to beat the thriving black market DVD business. Sure, it’s only four days, but the opening weekend are the most important three or four days of a movie’s release anyway, so they are probably just trying to protect that.
This isn’t the only Sony picture that will get an early debut in India–”Skyfall,” the next James Bond movie, will open on November 2nd in India, a week ahead of its US release.
