Luke-warm Skywalker

There has been a disturbance in the Force.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens  has been setting box office records across the universe but in India, it has only managed a paltry Rs 11 crore over the entire week! This has been the lowest score of a major Hollywood blockbuster, in years. James Cameron’s Avatar earned Rs 92 crore, Vin Diesel’s Furious 7 hit a massive Rs 105 crore and Jurassic World munched through at least Rs 98 crore.

Experts too are stunned with the meagre collections. “Star Wars in India released on approximately 1,200 screens — Imax, 3D, 2D, original language and dubbed versions in Hindi/Tamil/Telugu. Out of 1,200 screens 75 screens were in the Telangana and AP regions.

The Force Awakens flops in India

“But the movie managed to appeal only to the more urban, multiplex audience,” says Suniel Wadhwa, independent distributor and box office analyst. “Even in the metros, the film was restricted to the premium multiplexes so yes, the domestic theatrical net box office (NBOC) has collected just around '11 cr — including paid previews in all languages,” adds Wadhwa.

The Force Awakens released in India on December 25 and has been on the dive since. It had to also suffer from a lack of screens with Bollywood biggies Dilwale and Bajirao Mastani already battling for space.

Was it a lack of publicity? “Not really,” adds Wadhwa. “Hollywood flicks rely more on social media, instead of hoardings and posters. They use Facebook, YouTube and other platforms for publicity.” But worldwide, the scene’s different. Force Awakens remains the fifth highest movie of all time in America — with just a day left to beat that $623m The Avengers claimed!