Bollywood scores over Hollywood in Oman

Energy Tuesday 28/February/2017 22:05 PM
By: Times News Service
Bollywood scores over Hollywood in Oman

Muscat: Movies starring Bollywood heroes Salman, Shah Rukh or Aamir Khan are more in demand in Oman than the Oscar winning films, according to industry experts in Oman.
Raj Hingorani, General Manager, Al Bahja Cinema in Muscat, admitted that only action-packed or horror movies do well in Oman because they are not dialogue-dependent. “Apart from that, Bollywood movies with a top star cast do well in Oman.
“There is, however, very little demand for Oscar winning movies as people have a tendency to watch them online before these are released in Oman,” Raj Hingorani said.
An official of Stars Cinema said even regional language movies from India do well in the Sultanate of Oman.
“That is one of the reasons we screen only Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Bollywood movies in our multiplex,” he said.
Even non-English speakers enjoy action-packed Hollywood films, so theatre owners are sure of ticket sales.
A case in point is Rogue One: A Star Wars Story or Captain America: Civil War which did well in Oman. “This is not the case with more serious, drama-rich movies. Films need to have a big actor or star cast to click here. Just because a film has won Oscar awards does not mean it will be a hit in Oman,” officials said.
The rest are all consumed on the small screen, either on DVDsor online.
“The market for Oscar releases in Oman has always been limited,” said a trade expert. “They cater to very niche audiences and come with the perception of being intellectual, art cinema that hardly guarantees entertainment.”