Hanuman Smashes Harry Potter

[Guest guest]

Hanuman completes 50 days

"With films like Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire in competition,

Hanuman has managed its place at the box office while Harry Potter has

fallen flat."

Indo-Asian News Service

 

Mumbai, December 11, 2005

Animation venture Hanuman has completed 50 days and still ranks high

on viewers' priority list.

 

The reason behind its success is the children who have watched and

enjoyed the movie in large groups.

 

Directed by VG Samant, the film made in India and animated by Indian

artists with an Indian superhero Hanuman as its protagonist, still has

the cash counters ringing.

 

In spite of past efforts to promote animation feature films in the

Indian mainstream, Hanuman is the first such venture to record a

business of over Rs.120 million ($2.6 million) in its first 50 days in

the country, reports Bollywood Trade.

 

Hanuman is Sahara One Motion Picture and Percept Picture Company's

first animation project.

 

Shantonu Aditya, CEO Sahara One Motion Pictures, said: "The drivers to

the film have been kids. There have been instances of parents calling

up and asking to hold 50 seats so as to celebrate their children's

birthdays and so on.

 

"People are coming to see this because it is Hanuman and kids relate

best to animation."

 

With films like Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire in competition,

Hanuman has managed its place at the box office while Harry Potter has

fallen flat.

 

The film's average occupancy of about 65 per cent at the city

multiplexes around the country in the fourth week has been a

revelation compared to Harry Potter IV, whose collections dropped by

50 percent after the first week, even as it smashed screen records in

the US.

 

With Sahara releasing only 150 prints across the country in the first

50 days, the film has generated encouraging response to Indian

animation feature filmS.

 

Sandeep Bhargava, COO Sahara One Motion Pictures, said: "The response

to Hanuman is fabulous and is becoming stronger every passing day. It

started with first week collections averaging around 85 percent and

has picked up drastically.

 

"At the end of the day it is very satisfying to see an investment like

this succeed and we will surely consider other animation films because

of this success."

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1571294,001100030009.htm