Hanu Man, an Indian superhero movie in Telugu, is becoming more and more popular in North America.

The story follows Hanumanthu, a Hindu deity, as he miraculously awakens Lord Hanuman’s might following a mishap near the sea. The film is set in the fictional village of Anjanadri. Starring Teja Sajja (“Adbhutam”), Amritha Aiyer (“Arjuna Phalguna”), Varalaxmi Sarathkumar (“Kota Bommali PS”), Vinay Rai (“Gandeevadhari Arjuna”), and Prasanth Varma (“Zombie Reddy”), it is directed. For Primeshow Entertainment, Niranjan Reddy Kandagatla is the producer.

“Hanu Man,” which is distributed in North America by California-based Nirvana Studios, debuted in 430 theatres to a $2.3 million opening weekend haul, according to Comscore data.

Although it was a busy release weekend, we had carefully considered our release strategy, were well-prepared, and covered every city. According to Sundeep Yerramreddy of Nirvana, “Opening across 430 locations is pretty good for a film of this scale,” Variety reported.

Monday, January 15, is the Pongal/Sankranthi holiday in India; it is also MLK Day in the United States. Several films are released during this period to capitalize on the long weekend. Hanu Man” debuted in the Indian film release lineup alongside Telugu action films “Guntur Kaaram,” which starred superstar Mahesh Babu, and “Saindhav,” which featured veteran Venkatesh Daggubati and Nawazuddin Siddiqui; Tamil-language film “Captain Miller,” a period action epic starring A-list actor Dhanush; Sriram Raghavan’s thriller “Merry Christmas,” which was adapted into Tamil and Hindi languages and starring Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi; Tamil-language sci-fi film “Ayalaan,”

“Hanu Man,” which was produced on a meagre budget of about $2.5 million, debuted on January 12 and has already made $9 million in total revenue, including $6 million in India, $188,000 in the United Kingdom, $181,000 in Australia, and $136,000 in the United Arab Emirates, in addition to the U.S. receipts.

The movie received radio and social media promotion in North America, with Instagram receiving the most attention. Offline, in-person advertisements through partnerships with South Asian eateries and supermarkets supported this. Hindu mythology describes Hanuman as Lord Rama’s loyal companion. A temple named for him is set to be dedicated in Ayodhya, India, next week, and interest in him is particularly high these days.

 “We are getting requests to add cities that we couldn’t get because of the competition in the first week,” Yerramreddy added. “The film received a tremendous response.” Beginning on January 18, Nirvana will open at least 100 new sites in North America. Yerramreddy believes the movie will make over $3 million throughout the long MLK weekend. “At this point, $6 million to $7 million is achievable and the film is going very well,” Yerramreddy stated. If it does, “Hanu Man” will become one of the highest-grossing Telugu-language films in North America, ranking among “RRR,” the “Baahubali” series, and “Salaar.”

As announced at the end of “Hanu Man,” a sequel titled “Jai Hanuman” is due in 2025.

The group is enjoying the movie’s success in the interim. Varma stated to Variety that “the response is tremendous.” It seems unreal. All of the love and praise humbles me. “This is only possible because of the audience,” Sajja continued. Their achievement is this. One word, please: thankfulness. “We are immensely thankful to our amazing audience whose overwhelming support turned our film into a blockbuster,” Kandagatla stated. Your affection and excitement have made this trip one to remember. I’m grateful.

SOURCE: https://variety.com/2024/film/asia/hanu-man-indian-superhero-film-hit-north-america-screens-1235871902/