Said Stacey Yount from Bollyspice: " To be able to watch a movie the same weekend as the film releases was a real treat. To be able to do it with bloggers and writers from all over the world made it even better."

Yesterday's event saw Bollywood fans take their seats in this virtual online cinema in the US at 13.00 EST, 18.00 GMT and 19.00 in Europe. Chicago based Beth Watkins who maintains the blog Beth Loves Bollywood, is responsible for initiating the happening.

"This seemed like a great way to let filmmakers know how much support there is for legal access to new films," she said.

Events such as the Striker watchalong signal how much of a transglobal commodity Hindi cinema is becoming.

Video producer Evelyn Tu, suggests: "For viewers who are not from India, watching as a connected group allows us to clarify things that may be obvious to others."

Digital releases on video sharing sites may now be seen as the way forward in ensuring low budget hatke films are made available to international audiences, without having to find overseas distribution or finance expensive marketing campaigns.

For most customers the screening was free, except in the United States where a $5 fee was charged. Although cheaper than going to a theatre in the US, this figure still generates greater revenue than the average cinema ticket in India, even at a high end multiplex.