Bollywood Goes Hollywood

Fancy a samosa with your film? Big Cinemas, India's largest movie theater chain, has quietly acquired 18 theaters across the U.S. in the last 18 months, and is spending big bucks—$12 million—to upgrade and renovate the theaters. The company now operates 181 U.S. screens. Some show a mixture of Hollywood and Bollywood films, while a few exclusively feature Indian movies. Big Cinemas' aim is to cater to the 2.5 million Indian Americans, an affluent and fast-growing population often overlooked by Hollywood, and not just with films and theater-going snacks like papdichaat and mango lassi. In addition to films Big Cinemas also plans to show live cricket matches, Indian TV shows, and religious festivals beamed by satellite.