Bollywood can no longer fear itself when it comes to box office clashes; it also has to fear the movies that come in from the West. Well, not Hindi cinema doesn't need to be scared of all the Hollywood movies, per se. But the big ones, especially superhero film, animated movies and those high on special effects can work as a real threat to its Bollywood competitors. In 2018, an Avengers Infinity War has managed to cross the Rs 200 crore mark at the box office, something a Salman Khan film this year (Race 3) couldn't manage to do.
Why, just two weeks back, it was a Hollywood film (Venom) that manage to dominate the box office over the opening weekend, over the two other Bollywood releases, AndhaDhun and LoveYatri. While we don't have any Marvel superhero movies coming up in 2018, Hollywood has not exhausted its big-spectacle movies for the year. So here we have made a list of Hollywood movies that could pose as big threats to its Bollywood competitors. Also note, that the release dates mentioned are tentative (based on either officially announced dates or their US release dates), and are therefore subject to change.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Tentative Release Date: November 16
India has many big Harry Potter fans, which the first spin-off also enjoyed when it came out a couple of years back. The sequel, going by the trailer, adds more interesting beasts and actors, like Jude Law with a bigger role for Johnny Depp, and therefore, has a bigger chance to win over the crowds.
Bollywood Competitors: Mohalla Assi
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Tentative Release Date: November 21
Disney's animated movies are a favourite among the audiences. Wreck-It Ralph has been a big success among the critics and the masses, and hopefully, the sequel becomes a bigger success too.
Bollywood Competitors: No Competitor as Such
Creed II
Tentative Release Date: November 21
Creed II's success depends on how well you love the Rocky franchise (that already has the approval of Salman Khan). Sylvester Stallone has a good fan-base in India, and after Black Panther's success, Michael B Jordan is also catching some good mainstream success this year.
Bollywood Competitors: No Competitor as Such
Mortal Engines
Tentative Release Date: December 14
The high-on-VFX movie is a Lord of the Rings fame Peter Jackson production, which makes it very exciting. Considering that there is no big Bollywood competitor, expect the audience to lap it up, if it's really good.
Bollywood Competitors: Mangal Ho
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Tentative Release Date: December 14
The only Marvel superhero movie in this period, if you consider an animated movie in this genre. The trailer of the film has been well-received and the prospect of seeing various iterations of Spider-Man is an exciting idea.
Bollywood Competitors: Mangal Ho
Aquaman
Tentative Release Date: December 21
Aquaman is the only true-blue superhero movie coming out in this period. The DC superhero film, starring Jason Momoa, Nicole Kidman and Amber Heard, has just got a huge boost with an awe-inducing 5-minute trailer that was launched recently. The only issue is that Aquaman might not come out on December 21, seeing if the competition from Bollywood (below) can give it adequate screens.
Bollywood Competitors: Zero
Bumblebee
Tentative Release Date: December 21
Thanks to the trailers, the Transformers spin-off has got some real love from the fans, none of the previous Transformers movies has managed to get. But can Bumblee manage to compete with Shah Rukh Khan and, possibly, Aquaman?
Bollywood Competitors: Zero
Mary Poppins Returns
Tentative Release Date: December 25
Disney's live-action films have been a hit-n-miss among the Indian audiences. While The Jungle Book and Beauty and The Beast adaptations were successful, Pete's Dragon, A Wrinkle in Time and Christopher Robin were not so. Can Mary Poppins Returns fall in the previous category>
Bollywood Competitors: Simmba
So which of these upcoming movies are you most excited to watch this year? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 15, 2018 05:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).