Anime films are finding growing fanbase in India, says PVR Inox’s Aamer Bijli

New Delhi, Sep 13 (PTI) The film-viewing habits of Indian audiences have undergone significant change, becoming more receptive to global cinema and showing a growing interest in animated movies, says Aamer Bijli of PVR Inox Ltd.

PVR INOX Pictures, the distribution arm of India’s largest multiplex chain, is set to release the much-awaited anime Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Super Hot! The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers in theatres across India on September 26.

Bijli, the company’s lead strategist for marketing and innovation, said he realised the growing potential of the anime market in India with the success of past titles such as "Suzume" (2022), "Your Name" (2016), and "Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle" (2024).

"India's film viewing habits have undergone significant changes. They are more open to accepting independent global cinema, both from Hollywood and other foreign languages. So I think with the past success of certain films that we have faced, for example, 'Suzume', 'Your Name', and 'Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle'. The appetite for anime has just been growing," he told PTI in an interview.

Bijli noted that anime consumption has risen sharply among audiences, particularly in the post-COVID-19 period.

“Post-pandemic, the consumer’s appetite for diverse content became really strong, and anime stood out. Many people had grown up watching anime on TV and in commercials, and over time the films attracted a global fan following. In India too, numerous fan clubs have emerged,” he said.

Bijli said the company had discussions with anime distributors and audiences to figure out which films to bring to Indian theatres.

"The local communities and the fan clubs were so vocal about getting these films into India because a lot of these films had already been released in Japan and globally, but they hadn't been released in the Indian market, and the moment they were released globally, certain consumers in India got a taste for it...

"They immediately became vocal on social media and, through a lot of due diligence and understanding, we negotiated and acquired these titles to distribute. So it's a lot of trust that we have in the consumer as well," he said.

"Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Super Hot! The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers" is the 33rd feature film in the long-running franchise, directed by Masakazu Hashimoto.

Set in India, the first time a "Crayon Shin-chan" film unfolds outside Japan, the movie follows the mischievous Shin-chan and his friends as they get swept into a whirlwind adventure of dance, friendship, and their signature brand of chaotic comedy.

The film arrives in Indian theatres months after its predecessor, "Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Our Dinosaur Diary", which opened in cinemas in May.

Bijli expressed hope that the film, which fuses “Japanese humour with Indian culture,” could set new benchmarks in India, given the enduring popularity of the character among audiences.

"It is set to release on about 350–500 screens across a few languages. While the previous instalment earned around Rs 5 crore, we expect this one to perform at least 1.5 to 2 times better," he said.

When asked what could help boost viewership of the anime genre in India, Bijli pointed to the need for a “solid content pipeline”.

"I think after the success of 'Ne Zha 2' (a Chinese anime film) globally, it has opened up animators' eyes for the success of their content on a global scale. I think earlier anime was very limited to being a very internal product, a product that people really didn't think to export.

"But given the global fan following that some of these titles and IPs have now, I think that will really accelerate the ability to bring titles like this to the global audience. We have a lot of expat community in India as well, where locals also set an example by going to the cinemas and watching these films," he added. PTI ATR ATR RB RB