As global films gain ground in India, brands find new audiences at the movies

For years, cinema advertising in India revolved around a familiar formula: wait for a major Bollywood tentpole, buy inventory around the release, and leverage the footfalls generated by star power. But as international films continue to draw significant audiences to theatres, advertisers are discovering that the opportunity extends far beyond Indian blockbusters.

The trend has become increasingly difficult to ignore. According to industry estimates and box-office reports, international films generated over Rs 1,400 crore at the Indian box office in 2025. The momentum has continued into 2026.

According to industry tracker Sacnilk, the Indian box office generated over Rs 4,219 crore in the first half of the year, up 15% year-on-year. While Indian films continue to dominate, Hollywood titles such as Project Hail Mary, Michael and surprise hit Obsession have emerged as strong performers. Obsession, in particular, has been driven by word of mouth, grossing over Rs 36 crore nett within 10 days and overtaking the India lifetime collections of The Devil Wears Prada 2. Meanwhile, Project Hail Mary remains the highest-grossing Hollywood title of 2026 in India so far, with around Rs 75 crore nett.

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Global franchises bring with them deeply engaged fan communities and predictable audience profiles. In 2025, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning crossed Rs 110 crore at the Indian box office, while Jurassic World Rebirth surpassed the Rs 100-crore mark, highlighting the growing appeal of international IP among Indian audiences. For brands, the appeal goes beyond ticket sales. Global films attract premium audiences and allow advertisers to run cinema campaigns throughout the year instead of only around major festive releases.

Shaily Mehrotra, CEO & Co-Founder, Fixderma & FCL, said consumers have become more intentional about the content they engage with, with international films and global franchises attracting audiences seeking immersive experiences. She noted that this shift is prompting the brand to view cinema beyond a mass-reach medium, focusing instead on audience behaviour, engagement and contextual relevance. According to Mehrotra, these viewers are typically urban, digitally savvy and more likely to connect with brands that align with their lifestyle and values. As consumer attention becomes increasingly fragmented, she said effective media planning is now less about visibility and more about relevance and building long-term brand affinity. 

“The conversation has moved beyond choosing between Bollywood and international cinema, it is now about understanding the distinct audience segments each offers. Bollywood continues to deliver mass reach, while global film audiences open access to highly engaged and intentional consumers,” she said. 

The growing appeal of these audiences is also evident to cinema exhibitors. 

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According to Mehrotra, these audiences are valuable because they are highly engaged, trend-aware and digitally savvy, making them more receptive to contextual brand communication. She added that for Fixderma, consumer behaviour matters more than visibility, with precision and relevance now central to its media investments. 

Gautam Dutta, CEO - Revenue and Operations, PVR INOX Limited said, “At PVR INOX, we are seeing global films consistently attract younger, urban audiences who are highly engaged, culturally aware, and influential in shaping consumption trends. This has made cinema an increasingly valuable platform for brands looking to connect with Gen Z and young millennials in a meaningful way.”

He emphasised that cinema's strength lies in the quality of attention it delivers, offering brands a rare environment where audiences are fully immersed and less prone to distractions, resulting in stronger recall and deeper engagement. He noted that categories such as smartphones, consumer technology, gaming, fashion, beauty, fintech, quick commerce and OTT platforms are increasingly targeting global film audiences, which often comprise early adopters, trendsetters and consumers closely connected to global culture.

For advertisers, major international franchises provide an opportunity to engage these audiences in an immersive setting, where brand messaging benefits from the excitement and cultural buzz surrounding the theatrical experience. As audience preferences evolve, Dutta added, cinema is likely to become an even more impactful medium for brands seeking to build relevance, affinity and long-term relationships with younger consumers.

This was further reiterated by Devang Sampat, Managing Director, Cinepolis India, who noted that cinema offers advertisers access to multiple consumer segments simultaneously. He explained that on any given weekend, multiplexes may attract younger audiences for films such as Obsession, more mature viewers for The Devil Wears Prada 2, and families for titles like Raja Shivaji, Bhoot Bangla and Peddi. This allows brands to reach distinct consumer groups within the same venue.

Sampat added that global franchises, such as the Avengers and Avatar films, are particularly valuable as they come with built-in fan bases that skew younger and more urban. These audiences are also willing to pay a premium for the theatrical experience rather than wait for streaming, making them especially attractive to advertisers.

“For categories chasing exactly that consumer, premium tech, gaming, fintech, streaming, automotive, a tentpole concentrates them in one place at one time. The other draw is the setting. Cinema is one of the few places where the viewer is not multitasking, no second screen, no scroll,” Sampat noted.

As consumer attention becomes increasingly fragmented across media platforms, audiences that are young, urban and highly engaged are becoming even more valuable for brands to reach.

Sameer Munshi, VP, Operations and F&B, Miraj Entertainment Ltd said, “The rise of Hollywood and international films has brought a distinctly younger, more urban crowd back to cinemas, and they are not your passive viewers. Gen Z and millennial audiences who turn up for an Avengers franchise, a Mission: Impossible film, or for F1 are digitally fluent, aspirational, and often the first movers in their social circles when it comes to purchase decisions.”

He added that audiences for global films tend to over-index on categories such as technology, fashion, gaming, premium beverages and consumer electronics, making them highly valuable for advertisers. The immersive nature of premium formats like Miraj IMAX Wadala and Miraj EP Jaipur further enhances brand impact. Notably, he said, demand for international content is no longer limited to metros, with strong traction across Tier I and Tier II markets, expanding the opportunity for brands.

Industry observers say this shift is changing how brands approach cinema advertising, with marketers increasingly prioritising audience quality and contextual relevance over scale alone. They note that global film audiences are enabling more targeted campaigns and opening up opportunities across premium and high-consideration categories. 

“Global franchises are making cinema advertising more targeted and audience-led rather than purely reach-led. Earlier, cinema spends were heavily concentrated around major Bollywood releases. Today, international films bring distinct audience cohorts,” said Yasin Hamidani, Director, Media Care Brand Solutions. 

Hamidani explained that global film audiences enable brands to align campaigns more precisely with audience interests and demographics, positioning cinema as a premium engagement channel rather than just a mass-awareness medium. He noted that these urban, digitally connected and higher-spending audiences are particularly valuable for categories such as technology, automobiles, fintech, luxury, lifestyle, travel and consumer electronics. Unlike fragmented digital platforms, cinema offers an uninterrupted, high-attention environment, while global franchises help brands build deeper associations through passionate fan communities. 

Expanding the in-cinema advertising calendar?

Beyond audience quality, exhibitors say the rise of international content is reshaping the rhythm of cinema advertising itself.

Munshi said the strong performance of Hollywood and international films has expanded cinema advertising opportunities beyond traditional Bollywood blockbuster periods, enabling brands to engage audiences year-round. He noted that releases such as Mufasa, Interstellar, Avengers, Mission: Impossible and F1 have created multiple high-impact advertising windows across the calendar, giving brands greater consistency in cinema planning.

Munshi said, “Brands are beginning to allocate dedicated budgets to global releases, recognising that these films deliver premium audiences, longer campaign windows, and stronger recall - qualities that are increasingly difficult to find as attention fragments across platforms.”

He added that in many ways, international films are helping cinema reclaim its identity as a premium, high-engagement medium. That is good for advertisers, exhibitors, and the industry as a whole.

Dutta highlighted, “Earlier, cinema advertising was often planned around a limited number of major Bollywood releases. Today, strong Hollywood franchises, international films, regional cinema, re-releases, live events, and curated festivals are creating multiple audience-rich opportunities throughout the year.”

Dutta said the rise of Hollywood and international content has fundamentally changed how advertisers view cinema, allowing brands to align campaigns with a wider range of content moments, genres and consumer interests throughout the year. He noted that the growing mix of international, regional, live and event-led programming at PVR INOX has created a more consistent and targeted advertising calendar, reducing dependence on seasonal blockbuster windows.

According to him, this is reflected in the company's advertising revenue of Rs 463.6 crore in FY26, signalling growing advertiser confidence in cinema's ability to deliver scale, engagement and brand-safe environments. Dutta added that as content choices continue to diversify, cinema is becoming an increasingly effective platform for brands to connect with consumers when they are most engaged and emotionally invested.

Sampat pointed out that international films have helped make cinema advertising less dependent on a handful of festive Hindi film releases. Unlike Bollywood's tentpole-driven schedule, Hollywood titles are released throughout the year, creating a more evenly distributed advertising calendar. He noted that this consistency gives advertisers more opportunities to engage audiences across multiple windows rather than concentrating spends around a few peak periods.

“When audiences show up consistently across the year rather than in two or three bursts, cinema becomes something you can plan around continuously rather than treat as a seasonal buy. The result is brands building a year-round presence rather than chasing a single opening weekend,” he concluded.