Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Cineworld closure to impact Bollywood as it hosts more than half of all screenings in the UK

CINEWORLD’s decision to close all of its UK cinemas until April will have a negative impact on Indian cinema as its theatres host more than half of all Bollywood screenings in the UK, presenting between 40 and 50 different films a year.

The prospect of reduced takings in the UK is being felt in Mumbai, where the industry relies on the territory for a sizeable chunk of its overseas revenue, reported The Guardian.


Cineworld is a vital link to Bollywood's overseas market.

“Cineworld has played an important part in bringing Indian films to the UK,” told Vikram Malhotra, CEO of production company Abundantia Entertainment, whose films include Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and Shakuntala Devi, to Guardian.

“Most Indian films have released via Cineworld. It’s an unprecedented situation and revenues from overseas markets will surely be impacted as Cineworld goes non-operational. Considering the importance of the UK market for overseas business, the loss of Cineworld will be felt widely across the industry.”

Cineworld was still in its infancy, with only 14 venues, when it was approached by two Bollywood production companies about showing their films.

“Back then, no Bollywood films were being released in the UK, so we took a chance and started playing the films at two locations,” said Stuart Crane, head of film programming at Cineworld.

“We put the shows into screens of 150 seats to test the waters, but it soon became clear this was an audience that had been underrepresented for far too long. We would have weekends where our top three films in these cinemas were all Bollywood films, and would be making considerably more than most of the Hollywood product.”

The UK diaspora became an unexpected goldmine for Cineworld and in the early 2000s, Bollywood films accounted for 20 per cent of Cineworld’s screens.

Its venues in Feltham and Ilford were the top two cinemas in Europe for Bollywood titles and Cineworld began to hold star-studded premieres.

Soon, Bollywood films were creeping up the box office top 10, snapping on the heels of Hollywood blockbusters. At its peak, In 2010, My Name is Khan played in more than a third of Cineworld’s screens in its opening weekend, taking £2.6m at the UK box office.

Om Shanti Om made more than £2m from the UK box office in 2007.

With several highly anticipated recent releases bypassing the cinema and going straight to streaming services, including Gulabo Sitabo starring Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, many in the industry fear that Bollywood will struggle to regain the overseas foothold of its pre-Covid days, the report said.

More For You

US Congressman condemns attacks on Hindu temples

Suhas Subramanyam speaks during the House Oversight And Government Reform Committee meeting at the US Capitol on March 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

US Congressman condemns attacks on Hindu temples

INDIAN AMERICAN Congressman Suhas Subramanyam has strongly condemned recent attacks on Hindu temples across the US, saying that every American should be able to practise their faith without fear.

Speaking on the floor of the House of Representatives, Subramanyam said: “Hate has no place in our communities, and that’s why I condemn the recent hateful attacks on Hindu temples and mandirs all across the country.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Charlie Kirk assassination: Manhunt, misinformation and a country unravelling

Charlie Kirk shot dead at Utah Valley University

Getty Images

Charlie Kirk assassination: Manhunt, misinformation and a country unravelling

Highlights:

  • Charlie Kirk, 31, shot dead at Utah Valley University during a student event; shooter still at large.
  • FBI falsely announced an arrest, later retracting the claim, raising questions about investigation handling.
  • Retired Canadian Michael Mallinson wrongly accused online as the shooter; misinformation spread rapidly on social media.
  • Security at the event was minimal, with no bag checks.

The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a student event at Utah Valley University has left the nation shaken and investigators scrambling. The 31-year-old was fatally shot in the neck while answering questions under a campus tent, in what officials are calling a sniper-style attack. The shooter remains at large, and the aftermath has exposed investigative missteps, rampant misinformation, and a dangerous level of political vitriol that threatens to push an already polarised America closer to the edge.

Charlie Kirk shot dead at Utah Valley University Getty Images

Keep ReadingShow less
Prince Harry meets King after 20 months to heal rift

Prince Harry visits the Centre for Blast Injury Studies at Imperial College London, in London, Britain, September 10, 2025. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett

Prince Harry meets King after 20 months to heal rift

PRINCE HARRY had tea with King Charles on Wednesday (10) at their first meeting in 20 months, in what may prove a first step toward ending a much-publicised rift between father and son.

Harry, the Duke of Sussex, last saw his father in February 2024, shortly after it was announced that the king was undergoing treatment for an unspecified form of cancer.

Keep ReadingShow less
South Asian WW2 veterans

The commemoration event honoured two South Asian WW2 veterans who died this year, Havildar Major Rajindar Singh Dhatt MBE and Sergeant Mohammad Hussain.

X/@britishfuture

South Asian WW2 veterans honoured at London commemoration

TWO South Asian Second World War veterans were honoured at a commemoration event in London on Wednesday, September 10. The ceremony paid tribute to Havildar Major Rajindar Singh Dhatt MBE and Sergeant Mohammad Hussain, who both died this year.

The event, hosted by British Future and Eastern Eye with support from the Royal British Legion, also launched My Family Legacy, a project to raise awareness of South Asian contributions in the world wars and preserve family stories for future generations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Phillipson, Powell in two-way Labour deputy leadership race

Bridget Phillipson (L), Lucy Powell (Photo: Getty Images)

Phillipson, Powell in two-way Labour deputy leadership race

IT WILL be a two-way contest between education secretary Bridget Phillipson and former Commons leader Lucy Powell for the post of Labour’s deputy leader after Emily Thornberry and Paula Barker withdrew from the race on Thursday (11).

Thornberry, who chairs the Commons foreign affairs committee, had secured 13 nominations from Labour MPs while Barker, the Liverpool Wavertree MP, had 14, well short of the 80 needed to progress.

Keep ReadingShow less