BY SACNILK

Mumbai, June 5 - Director Rajesh A Krishnan's heist comedy Crew starring Tabu, Kareena Kapoor, and Kriti Sanon is turning out to be a big success on Netflix after emerging as one of the biggest box office successes of the year. ## Crew premiered on Netflix on May 24 after completing 8 weeks of the theatrical run with over 150 crores in gross collection at the worldwide box office. On its Netflix premiere, the movie scored 5.4 million views in the opening weekend, taking one of the best starts of the year for an Indian title. ## The movie's viewership shot up in the second week (May 27 - June 2) as it scored 8.9 million views. In 10 days so far, Crew has generated 14.3 million views and become the third most-watched Indian movie of the year on Netflix. By next week, it is expected to become the most-watched title by topping Laapataa Ladies.## Crew was the second most-watched non-English film worldwide on Netflix during the week of May 27 - June 2. It has been trending in the top 10 in 40 countries, including number 1 in most of the Asian countries. ## Meanwhile, Aamir Khan's production venture Laapataa Ladies added another 1.4 million views in its 6th week, pushing its total viewership to 17.1 million. It is currently the most-watched Indian film of 2024 on Netflix, followed by Shaitaan with 14.8 million views. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, June 1 - The Japanese epic kaiju film written, directed, and with visual effects by Takashi Yamazaki, Godzilla Minus One has finally started streaming in India, after shockingly not getting a theatrical release. ## Hailed as the finest Godzilla movie, Godzilla Minus One was originally released in theatres last year, however, despite the huge demand, the makers couldn't find a way to release it in India despite attempting to release it via PVR Inox Pictures. ## While the big screen release of the film couldn't possible, Netflix has brought the movie to the Indian audience and it is now streaming in English, Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil language. The early response is already pouring in and as expected, is highly positive. ## Godzilla Minus One, made on a budget of around $15 million, has been a huge box-office blockbuster with a worldwide gross collection of over $115 million. It is the highest-grossing Japanese Godzilla movie and is touted as the best across all 37 movies in the franchise. ## The movie is set in postwar Japan and follows a former kamikaze pilot suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after encountering a giant monster known as "Godzilla". It went on to win the Best Visual Effects at the 96th Academy Awards. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, May 28 - Aamir Khan's production venture Laapataa Ladies has become the most-watched Indian film of 2024 on Netflix by beating Hrithik Roshan's Fighter.## Directed by Kiran Rao, Laapataa Rao added another 1.9 million views in its fifth week (May 20 - May 26) which took its total viewership to 15.7 million views in 31 days to become the most-watched Indian title of 2024 on Netflix after beating Fighter (14 million views). ## Meanwhile, Ajay Devgn-fronted Shaitaan has also crossed Fighter and is now the second most-watched Indian movie of the year. The horror thriller added 1.8 million views in its 4th week to push its total viewership to 14.8 million in 24 days. ## Interestingly, the top 5 most-watched Indian films of 2024 on Netflix were first released in theatres before going to the streamer. Ranbir Kapoor-fronted Animal is at number 4 with 13.6 million views while Shah Rukh Khan's Dunki is fifth with 10.8 million views. (data as of May 26). ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, May 22 - Aamir Khan's production venture Laapataa Ladies has become the second most-watched Indian movie of 2024 on Netflix and is likely to become the most-watched by the next week by crossing Hrithik Roshan's Fighter which is currently the most-watched title. ## Directed by Kiran Rao, Laapataa Ladies scored 2.6 million views during the week of May 13 - May 19 on Netflix and pushed its total viewership to 13.8 million in 24 days. It was the 5th most-watched non-English film worldwide during the same week. ## The comedy-drama crossed the viewership of Ranbir Kapoor and Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal which scored 13.6 million views on Netflix. It is expected to remain in the top 10 in the next week as well and if this happens, it will be the most-watched Indian title of 2024 on the streamer. ## Ajay Devgn-fronted Shaitaan will also be looking to become the most-watched Indian film by next week. The movie garnered 3.2 million views during the week of May 13 - May 19 and was the 4th most watched non-English title worldwide on Netflix. ## The total viewership of Shaitaan, directed by Vikas Bahl, has reached 13 million views in 17 days. The movie continues to garner strong viewership and is likely to become the number 1 title by next week, beating Animal and Laapataa Ladies. ##

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, May 15 - Bollywood star Ajay Devgn-fronted supernatural horror thriller Shaitaan has emerged as a big success for Netflix after concluding its box office run with over 200 crores gross worldwide. ## Directed by Vikas Bahl, Shaitaan jumped by over 100% in its second week (May 6 - May 12) to score 6.6 million views. The movie scored 3.2 million views in its opening weekend on Netflix and allied to the second week, the total viewership reached 9.8 million views in 10 days. ## Shaitaan was the second most-watched non-English film worldwide during the week of May 6 - May 12 on Netflix. It is currently trending in the top 10 in 26 countries, including number 1 India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, UAE, Bahrain, Pakistan, Maldives, Oman, Bangladesh, and Mauritius. ## Aamir Khan's production venture, Laapata Ladies continued to be in the top 5 most watched non-Engish titles on Netflix for the third consecutive week. The movie is riding on strong word-of-mouth as it scored 3.4 million views during the week of May 6 - May 12 at number 4. ## The film has so far scored 11.2 million views in 17 days, making it one of the most-watched Indian films of the year on Netflix. It is trending in the top 10 in 15 countries, including 14 Asian nations and Mauritius. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, May 15 - Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Netflix series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar: Season 1 didn't show any improvement in the viewership in its first full week after the underwhelming 5-day opening weekend viewership. ## The period drama show, which started streaming on May 1st, scored 4.5 million views in its opening weekend (April 29 - May 5) which was underwhelming given the massive budget of over 200 crores. With not-so-encouraging reviews and audience reception, the viewership dipped in the second week.## In the week of May 6 - May 12, Heeramandi scored 4 million views, pushing its total viewership to 8.5 million views and 62.3 million viewing hours in 12 days. The show, however, continued to remain the second most-watched non-English series on Netflix for the second week in a row. ## The series is trending in the top 10 in 32 countries in its second week. It is currently the number-one show in India, along with UAE, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Oman, Pakistan, Bahrain, Morocco, Mauritius, Maldives, Pakistan, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bangladesh. ## The series is about the lives of tawaifs in the red-light district of Heera Mandi in Lahore during the Indian independence movement against the British Raj. It stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Sharmin Segal Mehta, and Taha Shah Badussha, with Farida Jalal, Shekhar Suman, Fardeen Khan, Shruti Sharma and Adhyayan Suman in recurring roles.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, May 14 - National-award-winning Bollywood star Tabu is going to Hollywood once again as the actress has been roped in for HBO Max's Dune Prophecy, a prequel series to Denis Villeneuve's big screen adaptation Dune (2021). ## According to Variety, Tabu will be playing the role of Sister Francesca. The character is described as "Strong, intelligent, and alluring, Sister Francesca leaves a lasting impression in her wake. Once a great love of the Emperor, her return to the palace strains the balance of power in the capital".## The series was originally confirmed in 2019, under the title Dune: The Sisterhood. It was supposed to be directed by Villeneuve but he now focusing only on Dune's big-screen adaptation and has already directed 2 movies in the franchise. ## Set within the expansive universe of Dune, created by acclaimed author Frank Herbert, and 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides, Dune: Prophecy follows two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind, and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit.## Dune Prophecy is yet to have a premiere date. ## Tabu, meanwhile, will next be seen in the Indian romantic thriller Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha, co-starring Ajay Devgn. Directed by Neeraj Pandey, the movie is scheduled for a theatrical release in July this year. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, May 8 - Netflix may have to wait a bit longer to score a breakout global success from India as its ambitious period drama series Heeramandi - The Diamond Bazaar, created by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, failed to make an impact in its opening weekend. ## Made on a budget of over 200 crores, Heeramandi was supposed to be the next big thing for Netflix but it could only manage to score 4.5 million worldwide views and 33 million viewing hours over the 5-day opening weekend. It is among the poorest viewership for Netflix India for the original shows. ## Though the series debuted at number 2 worldwide in the non-English category on Netflix, the critical and audience reception is below average for the show which might make it difficult for it to rebound in the coming weeks.## Despite Netflix's continued efforts to woo Indian audiences, there is not a single show or movie in the streamer's top 10 list, and now Heeramandi is also falling flat. It is already being termed as a big-budget disaster for the OTT giant. ## The series is about the lives of tawaifs in the red-light district of Heera Mandi in Lahore during the Indian independence movement against the British Raj. It stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Sharmin Segal Mehta, and Taha Shah Badussha, with Farida Jalal, Shekhar Suman, Fardeen Khan, Shruti Sharma and Adhyayan Suman in recurring roles. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, May 8 - Aamir Khan's production venture Laapata Ladies is getting much deserving attention after its digital release on Netflix. As word of mouth is spreading, the movie not only scoring high viewership on Netflix but also seeing an upward trend at the box office. ## In its second week (April 29 - May 5), Laapata Ladies was the third most-viewed non-English film on Netflix worldwide with 11.6 million viewing hours from 5.6 million views, jumping by around 160% from the opening weekend. The total viewership of the movie now reached 16.1 million viewing hours from 7.8 million views in just 10 days. ## Laapata Ladies is already one of the most-watched Indian movies on Netflix this year and has emerged as a massive success for the streamer who reportedly bought it for 15 crores. The movie is trending in the top 10 in 20 countries, including number 1 in India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.## At the box office, Laapata Ladies witnessed a jump of over 40% in its 10th weekend from the 9th weekend. The collection of the 10th week has already crossed the 9th week's total in just 5 days which is a positive sign. The total collection of the film is around 18.40 crores. ## Meanwhile, Bollywood star Ajay Devgn's Shaitaan, which is one of the biggest box office hits of the year, debuted at number 4 on Netflix with 6.9 million viewing hours from 3.2 million views. The movie grossed over 200 crores at the worldwide box office and now getting traction on the digital platform as well. Another major box office success of the year with over 100 crores gross worldwide, the Telugu movie Tillu Square debuted at number 10 with 2.5 million viewing hours from 1.2 million views. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, May 2 - Maverick filmmaker SS Rajamouli is coming up with the animated series Baahubali: Crown of Blood, based on the hugely successful Baahubali film franchise. The series has been set to stream on Disney+Hotstar. ## Created by Rajamouli and Sharad Devarajan, produced by Rajamouli, Devarajan and Shobu Yarlagadda and directed and produced by Jeevan J. Kang and Navin John, Baahubali: Crown of Blood will start streaming on May 17 on Disney Plus Hotstar. ## Set before the events of the two films, the animated series will focus on Baahubali and Bhallaladeva who join hands to protect the kingdom of Mahishmati and the throne against its greatest threat, the mysterious warlord known only as Raktadeva.## Rajamouli said (via Variety), "The world of Baahubali is vast, and the film franchise was the perfect introduction to the same. However, there’s so much more to explore, and that’s where ‘Baahubali: Crown of Blood’ comes into the picture. This story will reveal for the first time many unknown twists in the lives of Baahubali and Bhallaladeva and a dark secret long forgotten as the two brothers must save Mahishmati".## "We are extremely happy to introduce this new chapter to Baahu’s fans and to bring this story in an animated format, which brings a new, exciting look to the world of Baahubali. Arka Mediaworks and I are delighted to collaborate with Sharad Devarajan, Disney+Hotstar and Graphic India as we reshape Indian animation for a broader audience beyond kids".## The Baahubali films, directed by SS Rajamouli, starred Prabhas as Baahubali along with Rana Daggubati as Bhallaladeva, Anushka Shetty, Ramya Krishnan, Tamannah Bhatia, Nasser, and Sathyaraj in prominent roles. It is one of the highest-grossing Indian film franchises with over 2400 crores at the worldwide box office. ## Disney also unveiled the trailer of the series ## ## Stay tuned...

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Hyderabad, April 29 - Telugu actor Naga Chaitanya reunited with director Chandoo Mondeti for a rustic love story action thriller Thandel which is scheduled to release theatrically later this year. The movie has Sai Pallavi as the female lead, reuniting with Chaitanya after Love Story (2021). ## Thandel is touted to be the best film of Naga Chaitanya and hence, not only in trade, the movie is in hot demand in digital and satellite. Recently, it was announced that Netflix acquired the post-theatrical streaming rights of the movie and now, according to the latest Telugu media reports, the streamer has paid a whopping 40 crores for the same. ## The 40 crores deal with Netflix is the highest-ever digital deal for a Naga Chaitanya film which shows the anticipation for the movie among the audiences. It is not yet clear how long the theatrical window will be but Netflix usually pay higher prices for a short window (4 weeks). ## Thandel is produced by GA2 Pictures in association with Geetha Arts. Devi Sri Prasad scores the music for the movie which is said to be the biggest budgeted one for Chaitanya. The movie will be released in multiple languages, including Hindi, in the second half of 2024. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, April 25 - Amid the steady decline in the popularity of digital platforms and to challenge other platforms in India, Mukesh Ambani's JioCinema on April 25 announced a significant two-third reduction in prices for its premium services for Indian customers. ## According to Mint, JioCinema premium subscription will now be available for as low as Rs. 29 per month for a single device and Rs. 89 per month for four devices in India. Previously, the platform offered its premium service at ₹99/month or ₹999/annually for streaming on up to four devices simultaneously. ## The new monthly subscription plan of Jio Cinema is almost 10X lower than the second-lowest Amazon Prime Video and Sony Liv which offer the premium plan at Rs. 299/month. Netflix, which is already facing difficulties in making a big impact in India, has the costliest premium plan Rs. 649/month. ## The new JioCinema plan includes online and offline viewing, in 4K quality, for foreign movies, TV series and kids' programming on any device in five languages. The streamer gained popularity by offering free streaming of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament and will continue the free streaming of matches with ads. ## Stay tuned...