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Tag: The Avengers

  • Sequel of The Avengers on cards

    Sequel of The Avengers on cards

    MUMBAI: Disney CEO Bob Iger has announced that a follow-up of The Avengers was on the cards. He also said similar follow-ups are expected of films like Iron Man, Thor and Captain America.
    Repeating previous announcements made by Marvel Studios, the CEO said a third Iron Man and a second Thor are scheduled for 2013 and a sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger is in the works for 2014 release. He however gave no timeline for an Avengers sequel.

    Iger said that Avengers had shattered domestic box-office records with a $207.1 million opening weekend for a global performance of more than $702 million to date.
    He also revealed that there are Avengers-based attractions in the works for some of Disney‘s theme parks.

  • The Avengers collects Rs 246.7 mn in first week

    The Avengers collects Rs 246.7 mn in first week

    MUMBAI: Having collected Rs 140 million in its opening weekend, Marvel Studio’s The Avengers grew through the week to net Rs 246.7million from its first week run, according to figures provided by UTV Motion Pictures.

    UTV Motion Pictures, part of Walt Disney, is distributing the film in India.

    With this, The Avengers has had an all-time third biggest opening for any Hollywood film in India and is the biggest Disney-Marvel movie in India ever.

    Incidentally, the film released in approximately 800 screens in English and was dubbed in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil.

  • The Avengers grosses $ 151.5 mn in 52 territories

    The Avengers grosses $ 151.5 mn in 52 territories

    MUMBAI: A strong opening in Russia adding to the extraordinarily strong holdovers in key overseas markets has propelled The Avengers to a commanding No. 1 position in the foreign theatrical circuit with a gross of $151.5 million in 52 territories.

    The film‘s worldwide cume including the film‘s record $200.3 million domestic opening stands at $641.8 million. The weekend‘s foreign tally was a mere 18 per cent down from the opening weekend figure last round, an indication of the film‘s incredible staying power at the box office.

    So far, The Avengers‘ biggest market is the UK where it has collected a total of $48.1 million; other key markets being Mexico ($40.2 million), Australia ($32.2 million), Korea ($31.3 million), Brazil ($31 million), France ($26.4 million), Italy ($18.8 million),Germany ($18.3 million), China ($17.4 million), Spain ($14.4 million), Taiwan ($14.3 million) and the Philippines ($11.5 million).

    As of today, The Avengers is far and away 2012‘s biggest hit on the foreign circuit so far eclipsing Titanic 3D that grossed $98.9 million a fortnight ago. Furthermore, the film has already out-grossed its predecessors of Marvel Productions including Iron Man 2 (that registered $311.5 million in total overseas gross), 2011‘s Thor ($268.3 million) and 2008‘s Iron Man ($266.7 million).

    Imax said it grossed $6.1 million from 174 digital only locations overseas, including a $1.1 million opening day Saturday in China.

  • The Avengers mops up Rs 140 mn in first weekend

    The Avengers mops up Rs 140 mn in first weekend

    MUMBAI: Marvel Studios and UTV Movies’ The Avengers that released theatrically in India on 27 April has notched up Rs 140 million in its first weekend.

    “The film‘s net box office collections stood at Rs 140 million in the first three days,” UTV said.

    The film released in 800 screens in 3D, IMAX and 2D and in four languages – English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. UTV claims this is the widest release ever for a Hollywood movie in India.

    Said UTV Motion Pictures CEO Siddharth Roy Kapur, “The Avengers has notched up what could be the top two or three weekend collections in the history of Hollywood movies in In¬dia, despite releasing alongside another big Hindi film. This is a great example of how the box office for Hollywood movies in India can be maximised using aggressive marketing and distribution strategies we would adopt for a big ticket Hindi movie release.”

  • The Avengers collects $218 million till Monday

    The Avengers collects $218 million till Monday

    MUMBAI: Disney and Marvel Studios appear to have a runaway hit on their hands. Joss Whedon‘s superhero film The Avengers has been continuously doing a terrific business overseas, where its total through Monday has reached $218 million.

    The Avengers, which only began rolling out at the international box office late last week, is easily on track to become the most successful title produced in-house by Marvel Studios, besting the $623 million worldwide gross of 2010‘s Iron Man 2.
    And the 3D film which unites many of Marvel‘s marquee superheroes has also reportedly done good business on Tuesday as a May Day holiday was observed in many foreign markets.
    At this pace, Avengers‘ foreign gross likely will grow to $350 million-$400 million by Sunday, boosted by its debut in Russia and China this weekend.
    Avengers will open on Thursday in North America, where it‘s widely expected to debut north of $150.
    Bullish box office observers believe Avengers could finish the weekend with a global gross well north of $500 million if not closer to $600 million.
    Last summer, Marvel‘s Thor grossed $449.3 million worldwide, while Captain America: The First Avenger earned $368.6 million.

  • Hollywood studios laud China’s willingness to treat US films more fairly

    Hollywood studios laud China’s willingness to treat US films more fairly

    MUMBAI: The recent move of the Chinese government to comply with a World Trade Organisation order to treat US films more fairly has been lauded by studio executives in Hollywood.

    But privately, they wonder how it will shake out and when because the Chinese government has yet to sign a WTO Memorandum of Understanding.

    Hollywood had agreed to live with the resulting agreement because it could be revisited in five years. A fine ticking point was revenue-sharing: The studios wanted 30 per cent but had to settle for 25 (previously, it was 13 to 17 per cent).

    Beijing-based DMG Entertainment’s CEO Dan Mintz said, “Obviously, from the top-line level, all of this is good. But it‘s important to remember that the quota is just one layer that is used by the powers that be to control things. They have censorship, they control all the screens and hold control over when a film comes on against which competition and how long it stays in theatres.”

    The Chinese market is too hot for Hollywood studios not to keep trying. In 2008, the local box-office intake was $630 million; in 2011, it reached a massive $2.1 billion. Theatre construction is also growing by bounds spurring a proliferation of state-of-the-art 3D screens. And this is where Hollywood has the upper hand as its proliferation of 3D films deliver much-needed content.

    It may be noted that five of China‘s 10 top-grossing films in 2011 were 3D studio releases, all of them from Hollywood. In 2011, Transformers: Dark of the Moon (3D) was China‘s top-grossing title, earning $172 million.

    Interestingly, had the new revenue-sharing deal been in effect then, Paramount would have seen a return of $43 million compared to $26 million.

    The first 3D release set to open in China this year is Titanic 3D, in early April. No one — not even the film‘s overseas distributor, Fox — knows whether the new rules will be in place by then, but most studios believe they will by summer.

    It is also uncertain as to which 3D titles China will accept this year from films like The Amazing Spider-Man, The Dark Knight Rises, Brave, The Avengers, Men in Black III and Madagascar 3.

  • Disney taps Ricky Strauss as worldwide marketing chief

    Disney taps Ricky Strauss as worldwide marketing chief

    MUMBAI: Ending its search for a replacement in place of its outgoing marketing head MT Carney, Walt Disney Co has tapped Ricky Strauss, president of Participant Media, as its new head of worldwide marketing. 

    Carney, the controversial executive who joined Disney in April 2010 with no experience in the film industry, announced her resignation this week.

    With the move, Disney chief Rich Ross has selected a seasoned executive who has worked on The Help, the DreamWorks and Participant-produced drama that Disney distributed in 2011 with much success.

    Said Ross in a statement. “I am happy to welcome Ricky Strauss to the Walt Disney Studios family.With 25 years of industry experience, he brings a deep understanding of all aspects of the film business as well as incredible skill in branding and cutting-edge marketing. He will undoubtedly raise the studios’ creative bar as we enter 2012 and look ahead at showcasing a spectacular slate of films to audiences around the world.”

    Disney had been openly seeking a replacement for Carney for months. While some insiders in the industry speculated that Carney departed simply because she was tired of the open search for a replacement, others say that War Horse‘s disappointing performance upset director Steven Spielberg and that the timing of her departure was related to his displeasure.

    Disney faces big challenges in the coming months when it will release the sci-fi action adventure John Carter in March and later The Avengers based on the Marvel Comics.

  • Cartoon Network, Graphic India, POW! Entertainment get together for Chakra: The Invincible

    Cartoon Network, Graphic India, POW! Entertainment get together for Chakra: The Invincible

    MUMBAI: Cartoon Network, Graphic India and POW! Entertainment have announced a partnership that will bring to life Stan Lee’s first ever Indian superhero. The legendary writer is the co-creator of the world’s most popular superheroes including Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Hulk, The Avengers, and many others. The movie, entitled Chakra: The Invincible, will premiere on Cartoon Network on Saturday, 30 November at 12pm.

     

    Talking about his first ever Indian superhero Stan Lee said, “I am incredibly excited to be collaborating with my friends at Graphic India as we launch this great new, thrill-a-minute superhero saga named, Chakra: The Invincible, on Cartoon Network.”

     

    Brimming with enthusiasm he added, “The incredible story of Chakra, one of my latest and most exciting superhero creations, promises to captivate audiences in India and around the world with his adventures.”

     

    Chakra: The Invincible tells the story of Raju Rai, a young Indian boy living in Mumbai. Raju and his mentor, the scientist Dr. Singh, develop a technology suit that activates the mystical chakras of the body. When Raju dons the suit, he discovers superpowers and vows to use his newfound abilities to protect and serve. Using his amazing powers, Chakra must save the city and the world from super villains!

     

    Commenting on this partnership, Turner International senior director & network head – kids, south Asia Krishna Desai said, “We are thrilled to announce this partnership and to have the pleasure of working with one of the world’s greatest legends – and my favourite real-life superhero, Stan Lee. Chakra: The Invincible is a part of Turner’s continuing efforts to entertain kids and families across India with new and exciting characters and stories. We are certain that Chakra will be added to the long list of world renowned characters from both Stan Lee and Cartoon Network.”

     

    “What a great opportunity to expand Stan’s global brand by introducing Chakra as our first Indian superhero, and who better to partner with than Sharad Devarajan and Graphic India, as well as Cartoon Network,” said POW! Entertainment CEO/president Gill Champion.

     

    “The opportunity to work with Stan Lee to create Chakra: The Invincible is the culmination of a lifelong dream, made that much more rewarding by partnering with the amazing team at Cartoon Network,” added Graphic’s co-founder & CEO, Sharad Devarajan, who is also the director and executive producer of the animated film.

     

    “Stan Lee is one of the most prolific storytellers in the world, and in the same way his previous characters are known by nearly every man, woman and child on the planet, we believe Chakra will captivate audiences from Boston to Beijing to Bangalore!”

     

    Graphic India SVP creative Jeevan J. Kang has overseen the visual development and also created the character designs and art for the project working closely with Lee and Devarajan to bring Chakra’s story to life.

     

    In addition to the partnership with Cartoon Network, Graphic India recently announced that Chakra: The Invincible has also been selected as part of a group of content partners to soon be featured on Angry Birds creator, Rovio Entertainment’s new ToonsTV platform, reaching audiences around the world.

     

    Beyond animation, Graphic India will also be launching the character in a series of digital and print comic books and graphic novels as well as through toys and merchandise.