New Delhi, 13 Sept

Indian audiences are showing a growing appetite for anime and global cinema, said Aamer Bijli, lead strategist at PVR Inox Ltd.

The multiplex chain’s distribution arm, PVR Inox Pictures, will release ‘Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Super Hot! The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers’ in Indian theatres on 26 September.

Bijli said the success of titles like ‘Suzume’ (2022), ‘Your Name’ (2016), and ‘Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle’ (2024) highlighted the rising demand. “Post-pandemic, the consumer’s appetite for diverse content became really strong, and anime stood out,” he told PTI.

He noted that fan clubs and online communities had pushed for Japanese films to get theatrical releases in India. “We negotiated and acquired these titles based on strong consumer demand. There’s a lot of trust in the audience,” he said.

The new Shin-chan film, the franchise’s 33rd, is set in India — the first time outside Japan. Bijli expects it to perform 1.5 to 2 times better than the previous instalment, which earned about ₹5 crore.

He added that a strong pipeline of content could further expand the anime market in India.