The film industry in the country of India, pumps out more movies every year, and generates more money, than all of the U.S. movie studios combined. It's known as Bollywood and it's bigger than Hollywood.
Bollywood movies have been around for a long, long time, but what's new - is the number of U.S. theaters that are now showing these movies on a regular basis. On any given week, you can find a Bollywood movie being shown at the Sierra Vista 16 in Clovis, and at Regal Theaters at Manchester Center.
The crowds that watch Bollywood movies don't necessarily want to eat popcorn or drink a Coke while they watch the films. It's not happening here yet, but at some of the theaters that show Bollywood movies, the concession stands have things like mango smoothies, and Indian pastries.
Bollywood is spilling over into other businesses besides movie theaters. With all of that on-screen dancing that's often found in Bollywood films, it's not surprising that Indian dance classes in the U.S. are becoming more and more popular. We found one of those classes at Studio 65 in Fresno.
Indian movies are becoming more and more popular in the U.S. They show one or two every week at Manchester. But that's just the beginning of what's happening at theaters across the country, as they try to find new ways of attracting crowds. Some of the theaters that show these Bollywood-type movies, are now experimenting with Polish, Russian, even Mongolian films, to get more people through the door.
