Sony Pictures to release new ‘Insidious’ film on 7 July

New Delhi: Sony Pictures Entertainment India will release Insidious: The Red Door, a supernatural horror film on 7 July. It has been directed by Patrick Wilson and is a direct sequel to Insidious (2010) and Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), and the fifth installment in the Insidious franchise. Ty Simpkins, Wilson, Andrew Astor, Rose Byrne, and Lin Shaye reprise their roles from the films. Hiam Abbass and Sinclair Daniel also join the cast.

Hollywood films managed to earn ₹1,200 crore to ₹1,300 crore in box office collections in India in 2022, despite fewer films releasing post covid-19 disruptions, making for about 12-13% of overall box office earnings in the country last year. While Disney’s Avatar- The Way of Water had made over ₹378 crore, the highest for a Hollywood film in India so far, other hits include Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Top Gun: Maverick and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

In case of many American films, India is also emerging among the top 10, and even top five markets globally.

While action still remains the number one priority for Hollywood movie buffs in India, the success of Avatar and earlier The Lion King, shows viewers are open to other genres too, as long as they make for large-scale spectacles. Superhero films tend to do bigger box office numbers because they cater to children and family audiences. Also, movie-going now more or less, has become an experience. People are coming to watch films that are made for bigger screen experiences.

That said, the reason American movie titles suffer in India is their inability to penetrate deep, since Hollywood studios only go to DCI (Digital Cinema Initiatives)-compliant theatres.

DCI is a joint venture of several film studios, including Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros, to set up a common set of requirements that ensure a high and uniform standard of digital cinema viewing.