2019 was a fantastic year for the M&E as well as the film industry. Biggies stirred the box-office and home grown Bollywood and regional films were somewhat overpowered by English movies on various fronts.
Directed by Guy Ritchie, Disney’s musical fantasy, Aladdin, turned out to be the dark horse by making it in the theatres for the longest time (179 days) in the world’s second-largest English-speaking country, as per stats from ticketing platform BookMyShow.
The live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1992 animated film of the same name featured Mena Massoud as Aladdin, Will Smith as the blue Genie and Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine of Agrabah.
Though, Aladdin was far from being perfect critically, and on the whole the remake seemed a little redundant, on the contrary has been loved by the young and old alike. But what stood out in this Disney live-action remake is its treatment. A story that’s so well known and has been a classic in the animation history, deserves to be at par with its original. The film brought back the musical charm of the Disney tales. The trailer seemed a little cheesy and average, but surprisingly the film is executed brilliantly with all its vibrance and happiness spread all along.
In terms of ticketing sales, Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame was the biggest grosser. “The Marvel craze took over India as Avengers: Endgame broke all records to sell over 8.6 million tickets to become the highest-selling Hollywood movie on our platform,” BookMyShow’s press release stated. It was followed by Uri, with 5.7 million tickets sold.
The 22nd film, Avengers: Endgame, from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, directed by the Russo Brothers, is among the top 10 domestic-earners of all-time in India.