Asia Box Office 2024 Preview: Upcoming Films From India & Japan
As part of a series of Asian market overviews in the run-up to Filmart, Streamlined is looking at the current box office situation in India and Japan, along with the upcoming release schedule for local films in both markets. Streamlined’s previous edition, which focused on Korea, can be found here. Of course, release schedules for most Asian territories are not set in stone, especially in India. But the following should give a good overview of what to expect.
INDIA: North & South Fight For Box Office Dominance
Hindi-language cinema bounced back in 2023 after being eclipsed by South Indian films, mostly Telugu-language, in 2022. This year also got off to a strong start for the Hindi industry, popularly known as Bollywood, with the January 25 release of Indian Air Force drama Fighter, produced by Viacom18 and Marflix, which is currently the highest-grossing Bollywood film of the year with $23.6m (Rs1.96bn). Directed by Siddharth Anand, who delivered last year's hit Pathaan, the film stars Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone and Anil Kapoor.
Meanwhile, Jio Studios and B62 Studios' political action film Article 370, directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale, has just grossed $4m (Rs347m) on its opening weekend. The Indian Express describes the film thus: “Mixing facts with fiction, and some convenient untruths, Article 370 presents the government of the day's scrapping of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir as a masterclass in State craft.”
So it appears that war stories and propaganda are doing well at the Indian box office, but not so great internationally – both Fighter and Article 370 have reportedly been banned in key Gulf markets due to their nationalistic (read anti-Muslim) messaging.
Looking ahead, there will be a welcome break from the bombast with Kiran Rao’s female empowerment story, Lost Ladies (aka Laapataa Ladies), which Jio Studios is releasing on March 1. Another critically acclaimed filmmaker, Dibakar Banerjee, has his long-awaited sequel Love Sex Aur Dhoka 2, set for release through Balaji Telefilms on April 26.
Before that, Dharma Productions’ hijack thriller Yodha, starring Sidharth Malhotra, is scheduled for March 15, while the key Eid holiday box office period (April 9-10) will see the release of Pooja Entertainment’s action thriller Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, directed by Ali Abbas Zafar and starring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff; along with Zee Studios’ sports drama Maidaan, directed by Amit Sharma and starring Ajay Devgn.
May will see the release of the first big “pan-Indian” film of the year – Vyjayanthi Movies’ sci-fi epic Kalki 2898 AD (aka Project K) directed by Nag Ashwin and starring Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Kamal Haasan and Amitabh Bachchan. Pan-Indian is a much over-used term for films that feature talent combined from the Hindi and South Indian film industries, usually shot and/or dubbed in multiple languages, including Telugu, Tamil and Hindi, to appeal to the widest possible audience.
Another big pan-Indian film, Mythri Movie Makers’ action sequel Pushpa 2: The Rule is scheduled for release on India’s Independence Day (August 15), along with Singham Again, the third installment in a popular Bollywood franchise, directed by Rohit Shetty and starring Ajay Devgn, Deepika Padukone and Kareena Kapoor. Pushpa 2: The Rule, directed by Sukumar and starring Allu Arjun, was recently doing the promotional rounds at Berlin film festival, so is presumably hoping to be another RRR style international breakout.
N.T. Rama Rao Jr (aka Jr NTR), one of the stars of RRR, has a pan-Indian film scheduled for October 10, coinciding with the Dussehra holiday, Devara: Part 1, which he stars in and has co-produced through his NTR Arts label with Yuvasudha Arts. Directed by Koratala Siva, the film also stars Saif Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor. The Dussehra holiday may also see the release of Zee Studios and Roy Kapur Films’ Deva, directed by Rosshan Andrrews and starring Shahid Kapoor and Pooja Hegde.
No big Shah Rukh Khan movie is scheduled for release this year (the man deserves a break after delivering two massive hits, Pathaan and Jawan, last year) although Salman Khan could potentially slot into the Diwali window with Prem Ki Shaadi, directed by Sooraj Barjatya. Aamir Khan is reportedly working on a loose sequel to his 2007 hit Taare Zameen Par and an untitled movie with Rajkumar Hirani, but no announcements have been made about release dates.
Other highly anticipated movies that are not likely to be released until next year or later are two further installments in the Yash Raj Films’ Spy Universe – Ayan Mukerji’s War 2, starring Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR, and Siddharth Anand’s Tiger Vs Pathaan, with both Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan – along with Don 3, starring Ranveer Singh, which is billed as the most expensive film in the action thriller franchise, created by Farhan Akhtar through his Excel Entertainment banner.
JAPAN: Anime Reigns While ‘Godzilla’ & ‘Kingdom’ Bring Up The Live-Action Rear
After a huge post-pandemic rebound in 2022, Japan's box office grew by just 4% in local currency terms in 2023 from JPY213bn to JPY221bn. With the yen still at a decades-long low (although the Nikkei is at a decades-long high) that translates to around $1.47bn in dollar terms. Both box office and admissions were below the record-breaking pre-pandemic year of 2019.
Japanese anime ruled last year – features including The First Slam Dunk, Detective Conan: Black Iron Submarine, Spy x Family Code: White and Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy And The Heron were huge hits, not just in Japan, but across the region.
Anime titles have also been the highest grossers in the first few months of this year. Mecha movie Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom, released by Shochiku on January 26, has grossed around $20m, while Haikyu The Movie!! Battle At The Garbage Dump, released by Toho on February 16, was on $15m at the time of writing. However, Toho’s Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – To The Hashira Training, which opened on February 5, appears to be tracking more slowly than the previous fim in the franchise, Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba — The Movie: Mugen Train, which grossed $500m worldwide following its October 2020 release.
The anime bullet train does not appear to be slowing down any time soon with new installments in the Doraemon, Detective Conan and Crayon Shin-chan franchises to look forward to. Doraemon: Nobita's Earth Symphony is scheduled for March 1, Detective Conan: The Million Dollar Pentagram for April 12 and Crayon Shin-chan The Movie: Our Dinosaur Diary is expected in August.
On the live-action front, the biggest hits last year were Kingdom 3: Flame Of Destiny, the third installment in a franchise set during China’s Warring States Period, and Godzilla Minus One. This year, the most recent Hollywood take on the Godzilla franchise, Warner Bros/Toho's Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, rolls out on April 26 in time for the Golden Week holiday.
Golden Week releases are also expected to include Japan-Taiwan co-production 18x2 Beyond Youthful Days, directed by Michihito Fujii, and Hiroki Kazama’s Buzzy Noise, produced by Gaga Corp and based on a popular manga. The fourth installment in the Kingdom series, Kingdom 4: The Return Of The Great General, again directed by Shinsuke Sato, is scheduled for July 12.
Among arthouse titles, Japan’s Oscar hopeful Perfect Days, nominated in the Best International Feature category, is currently on release in Japan; Sho Miyake’s Berlin title All The Long Nights opened on February 9; and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist is scheduled for April 26 following its award-winning festival tour starting in Venice.
Other notable upcoming live-action films from Japan include Shimako Sato’s period action drama The Yin Yang Master 0 (April 19); Hiroshi Shoji’s revenge drama Tatsumi (April 20); Nobuhiro Yamashita’s manga adaptation Confession (May 31); and Kazuya Shiraishi’s period actioner 11 Rebels, which is undated. Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s The Serpent’s Path, a French remake of his 1998 film of the same name, is currently scheduled for June making it a Cannes film festival hopeful.
IN THE TRADES:
CURATED:
Mati Diop’s ‘Dahomey’ Becomes Second African Film To Win Berlin Golden Bear
India’s Cinevesture Film Festival To Launch In March With Producer Focused Mission
Osaka Asian Film Festival To Open With ‘The Moon Thieves’, Close With ‘Tokyo Cowboy’
China’s Pingyao Festival Sets New Programming Team, Development Fund
RELEASED:
Indonesian Horror-Comedy ‘Agak Laen’ Records Second Highest Admissions For A Domestic Film
Relationship Drama ‘Rewind’ Becomes First Filipino Movie To Take $16M At Global Box Office
Japan box office and cinema admissions hit post-pandemic high in 2023
‘Oppenheimer’ Sets Post-Oscars Release Date in Japanese Cinemas
India Box Office Hits Record $1.47B In 2023 But Admissions Remain Below Pre-Pandemic Levels
As Nepali Cinema Soars Globally, Taxes Cripple Local Film Industry: ‘Radical Steps Are Imperative’
Hong Kong Box Office Stumbles at Lunar New Year
SOLD:
Mubi buys Mati Diop’s Berlin Competition entry ‘Dahomey’ for multiple territories
‘The Roundup: Punishment’ starring Don Lee sold to US, Europe, Asia
Korean revenge thriller ‘Revolver’ scores Europe, Asia sales
Acemaker scores sales of Korean crime drama ‘Troll Factory’
Korean Remake of Taiwan’s ‘Hear Me’ Hit Romance Sells Strongly in Asia
Japan box office hit ‘Silent Love’ sells across Asia
Michihito Fujii’s ‘18x2 Beyond Youthful Days’ lands Korea, Hong Kong, SEA deals
Berlinale-Bound Chinese Title ‘Brief History of a Family’ Sells to International Markets
Trinity CineAsia takes UK-Ireland rights to Hong Kong comedy ‘Table For Six 2’
Busan award-winner ‘Solids By The Seashore’ lands Japan deal
STREAMING UPDATES:
Disney+ Unveils Expanded Korean Originals Slate for 2024
Netflix Bulks up Southeast Asia Originals, Chinese-Language Production Slate
Prime Video & Netflix Tussle For Top Spot In Japan Subscription Streaming Battle, Report Reveals
‘Gandhi’: Hansal Mehta & Applause Entertainment’s Expansive Biopic Series Begins Production In India
NTR Jr.’s ‘Devara,’ Prabhas’ ‘Salaar,’ Allu Arjun’s ‘Pushpa 2’ Lead Netflix’s 2024 Telugu Slate