Archive · 6 Sep 2026
Hollywood’s 2026 India Box-Office Surge Reaches New Heights
Hollywood movies are having an unusually successful year in India.
In the first seven months of 2026, these movies earned about ₹1,424 crore.
That is about as much as Hollywood movies earned during all of 2025.
The Odyssey has been especially popular, with audiences continuing to watch it weeks after its release.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day also had a record-breaking opening day in India.
Other movies, including Project Hail Mary and Obsession, attracted many viewers even though they were not all part of large franchises.
Cinema companies say people had been waiting for more big movies after delays and fewer theatrical releases.
They also say younger audiences and viewers in smaller Indian cities are helping Hollywood grow.
Hollywood films earned approximately ₹1,424 crore in India during the first seven months of 2026, matching or surpassing 2025’s full-year total.
The Odyssey has approached ₹200 crore in India and became IMAX’s highest-grossing title ever in the country.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day opened to ₹60.60 crore nett in India, the highest opening day for an MCU film there, according to the article.
Project Hail Mary earned about ₹100 crore, while Obsession collected nearly ₹80 crore in India.
The article refers to the latest Evil Dead film as both Evil Dead: Rise and Evil Dead: Burn, creating a title discrepancy.
- Who
- Hollywood studios, cinema operators, IMAX, and Indian audiences, with films including The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day leading the market.
- What
- Hollywood films recorded a major box-office surge in India during 2026.
- When
- The reported figures cover the first seven months of 2026, with more major releases scheduled from September through December.
- Where
- India, including major centres and tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
- Why
- Industry executives attribute the growth to consistent film releases, audience demand, strong franchises, younger viewers’ global awareness, and renewed theatrical interest after production delays and streaming-related disruptions.
- 2026 earnings so far
- Approximately ₹1,424 crore in India during the first seven months.
- 2025 comparison
- Hollywood films earned approximately ₹1,400 crore in India during the whole of 2025.
- 2024 comparison
- Hollywood films grossed roughly ₹941 crore in India.
- The Odyssey
- Its Indian gross was approaching ₹200 crore and it became IMAX’s highest-grossing title ever in India.
- Spider-Man opening
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day recorded ₹60.60 crore nett, or ₹72.44 crore gross, on its first day in India.
- Project Hail Mary
- The film earned about ₹100 crore at the Indian box office.
- IMAX expansion
- IMAX expected to have 39 locations in India by the end of 2026.
- Reported title discrepancy
- The article names the latest Evil Dead film as Evil Dead: Rise in one section and Evil Dead: Burn in another.