Till a few years ago, one  would read about the Hollywood blockbusters,but never get to see them till it was at least one year old. But times have changed and how! Some of the films competing for the recent Oscars, reached Delhi cinemas simultaneously. Delighted film buffs thronged the theatres to watch the latest hits from abroad. For instance, A Beautiful Mind which won top honours, hit the screens within a fortnight after the awards function. Collateral Damage, one man’s war against terrorism, which got delayed in its release because of the Sept 11 WTC attack, reached India within four weeks of its international release.

Just take a look at the movie schedule : Spider-Man that hit the screens in the last week of May, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (June 7), ET (digital version, May 31), Scorpion King (July), Men in Black II (August), Minority Report (August), and Die Another Day (December 20). All of them will be screened in Indian theatres within weeks of their U.S.A. premieres.

Now, it takes just three weeks after the film’s release to thrill the desi sudience. The gap is shrinking. For instance, blockbuster Harry Potter, released in the U.S.A. in December last year, could only make it to Indian theatres by April 2002. Spider-Man has been released even as fans of the comic hero, are still rushing to cinemas in the U.S.A. to make it one of the biggest grossers at the box-office.

"There is a huge appetite in India for movies that create box-office records in the U.S.A. It makes sense to have an Indian release as fast as possible. The Indian movie buff would feel in synch with the global audience," explains Vivek Bahl, head, marketing, PVR Cinema. It’s a win-win situation for the distributor-exhibitor as well, since a quick release helps the duo to piggyback on the hype generated in the U.S.A. Columbia Tristar India, the distributor of Spider-Man, is giving finishing touches to a series of promotional tie-ups. In the queue are a host of corporates like Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Maruti, Fiat, Bharati, and Essar. There’s a ready market for latest releases according to the distributors. The glamour of multiplexes, with their fast food joints and excellent ambience, has led to cinegoers ready to shell out nearly Rs 150 for a ticket. Besides, dubbing in different regional languages is also helping these Hollywood movies to do well on an all-India basis. Of course, action films with little dialogue are ideal for dubbing as the costly and exciting special effects draw the fans to the theatres.