By Naman Ramachandran According To The variety)  The Indian box office has crossed INR50 billion ($600 million) in gross collections for the first half of 2024, marking a 3% increase from the same period last year, according to a report from Ormax Media. The report provides Indian local numbers and not worldwide grosses for the films. Sci-fi epic “Kalki 2898 AD” emerged as the undisputed champion of the period, dominating the local box office with a $92.3 million gross. This sum contributed 15% of the total box office, significantly bolstering June’s performance and pushing the month’s collections past $144 million. Bollywood air force action film “Fighter” secured the second spot with $29 million locally, while “Hanu-Man,” the Telugu-language mythological superhero film, clo...

By Owen Gleiberman           According To The variety)  I was late catching up to Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders,” and though the film has gotten some good reviews, like Peter Debruge’s rave in Variety, it’s fair to say that the collective response to it has been mixed to muted. “The Bikeriders” hasn’t exactly set off a chain reaction of retro biker fever. It seems as if more than a few people don’t quite know what to make of it: a drama based on Danny Lyon’s 1968 black-and-white photography book, which captured the rough-riding lives of a Chicago motorcycle gang called the Outlaws (who, in the movie, become the Vandals), their exploits now presented, in Nichols’ film, in all their unvarnished bad-boy grit and glory. Personally, I loved the film, and came out of it wi...