And Jackie Chan flies in two months early!

The sequel to the Hollywood blockbuster The Avengers, which had a star-studded cast in Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo, is gearing up for a May 1 release globally. However, in a welcome twist, Indian fans of the superhero franchisee will get to watch The Avengers: Age of Ultron, one week in advance as it will open here on April 24.A source close to the development told Mirror, “The franchisee has a phenomenal following in India and owing to audience-demand, the makers decided to open the film in India first.”The film, which teams up superheroes like Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk and Captain America, will enjoy a solo release in India as no Hindi film has announced its release on that day.Confirming the April 24 release in India, Amrita Pandey, VP and Head, Marketing and Distribution, Disney India, told Mirror, “Since The Avengers and Iron Man movies were a roaring success across India, we are releasing The Avengers: Age of Ultron in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. It’s already the most anticipated Hollywood release of the year and we are excited to announce that the action-packed film will release here a week earlier than the US.”Jackie Chan’s ensemble historical action drama, Dragon Blade, which features Hollywood stars like John Cusack and Adrien Brody, will open in Indian theatres on March 27, two months before its worldwide release in May. When asked what prompted the decision, Manish Dutt, Managing Director, of the firm that’s brought the film to India said, “We thought it would be a great cinematic experience for the Indian audience to watch it before the West gets to. Hollywood-Chinese movies work well in India which is evident from the success of films like The Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. We think this is a smart release strategy.”