The Hindu Business Line : More in store

Three weeks after it has hit our screens, the verdict is clear: Spidey's web has cast a large shadow over all else. Even Yash Raj's big summer film Tara Rum Pum has been afflicted by the masked wonder who swings from tall skyscrapers, and beats off three (yes, count them) villains, not including his bad alter ego.

In its opening weekend, Spiderman 3 took in an all-India figure of Rs 19 crore, and trebled that before the first week was out. Compare this with 2004, when Spidey 2 maxed out at Rs 35 crore, and you can see how much bigger the third part has been.

The film's performance has compelled industry analysts to do some thinking. There's been growing evidence that Hollywood, which is still a miniscule 5-6 percentage of the Indian movie market in box-office terms, is making huge strides in broadbasing its appeal. Spiderman 3 released with close to 600 prints in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and, in a first for a Hollywood movie, in Bhojpuri (six prints). Looking at the lukewarm reception dished out to Tara Rum Pum, multiplexes have re-jigged their shows, dedicating, in some prominent locations, a whole screen to Spidey and gang.

"We always knew that it would do well," says Nitin Bhikchandani, Sony Pictures' India Releasing (SPIR) Regional Sales Manager, North, "because it is such a well-known franchise, but the opening has been extraordinary, almost like Bollywood's Dhoom 2." The secret of its success... in the ultimate arbiter's eyes, that of the audience, it turned out to be a better family entertainer than Tara Rum Pum, and that in the two long holiday months, is like handing over a golden key to lucky moviemakers.

So is this the beginning of Bollywood's summer of discontent?

No kidding!

Look at Hollywood's line-up in the next couple of months. Up ahead is Johnny Depp being Jack Sparrow again. The third part of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, The World's End, makes it one of the most expensive-ever movies till now (according to industry estimates, its production cost, like Spidey 3, is well over the $300-million mark; only a few others this year are expected to cross that bar). Its USP, of course, is the oh-so-delicious Depp swaggering about the deck of his decrepit sailing ship, getting into trouble all over again, and being rescued by the pretty pair of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. Part 2, last year, took in a billion dollars worldwide; no wonder Depp, who's patented the role with that near-manic I'm-having-so-much-fun-aren't-you roll of the eye, so loves being a pirate.

Another third instalment, Shrek 3 is out in June. The jolly green giant is out to woo mummy-papa-chunnu-munnu with fresh exploits and fresh characters. Disney will, finally, release Ratatouille, all about a rat that wants to be a chef. The fact that we have been watching its promos for over a year is part of the studio's slow-burn strategy: the idea is to build enough recognition so that you automatically head for the animated flick as soon as it hits the theatres.

But the animation movie to watch out for this summer features America's most dysfunctional family, the Simpsons. After 20 years of being on TV, tow-headed Bart and co hop on to the big screen in a movie whose making has been kept strictly under wraps: no one's saying anything, but early buzz is that after the movie, being dysfunctional won't get so much bad press. After all, isn't this the way most families are?

Then there's the next from Warner Bros' second-most famous franchise after The Lord Of The Rings: The Order Of The Phoenix is the fifth in the Harry Potter series. And it's timing is just right. The last of JK Rowling's, The Deathly Hallows, is due out around the same time (who dies, will it be, gulp, Harry?), and the book and movie could help boost each other. Instilling newness and still keeping things within a recognisable comfort zone is the hardest thing to do in sequels, especially if there've been four parts of witches and wizards and Hogwarts and three rapidly growing teens Harry, Hermione and Ron, and a sea of dazzling special effects. New director David Yates has big shoes to fill, but he has staunch allies; millions of kids worldwide who are waiting for the Phoenix to rise.

The `A'-listers

The studios are taking care of adults who want some fun, too. George Clooney and his band of merry men make a third pass at flashy hi-jinks in Oceans 13. The promos are just out, and we can safely say that Clooney still looks drop-dead gorgeous. So does the dishy Brad Pitt. And the lines are as funny. Matt Damon returns a third time (what is it with Hollywood and the number three this year?) in The Bourne Ultimatum, to familiar-yet-new territory: fast-paced car chases, fantastic locations around the world, and lots of intrigue. And, of course, Damon, who's made Jason Bourne, Robert Ludlum's most haunted but most attractive hero, his own.

What has Bollywood on offer at the same time? Of the biggies, there's a Yashraj tentpole, with lots of naach gaana and frothy masala, a gritty actioner, and a rom com.

Shootout At Lokhandwala, based on a real-life cops-mob encounter in a Mumbai locality, stars a whole bunch of Mumbai's macho males: Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Suniel Shetty, Viveik Oberoi, and, yes, Amitabh Bachchan. Followed closely by the movie Yashraj hopes will pull it out of his present slump, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, starring the Bachchans, Sr and Jr, Preity Zinta, and new entrant in the YRF camp, Bobby Deol. Cheeni Kum is tagged as a funny, `mature' love story, starring the Big B and Tabu: the former playing an opinionated 60-plus chef, the latter, his reluctant love interest, 30 years his junior.

The heat is on.