Theatre owners brace for a slow start as Bollywood line-up lacks big releases

The pipeline is led by Kangana Ranaut’s Emergency, period drama Azaad, and Shahid Kapoor-starrer Deva in January that will give way to war epic Chhaava and Karan Johar’s Dhadak 2 in February. With several parts of north India already struggling with the cold, cinemas fear a lull with no immediate respite.

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To be sure, this could add to existing box office woes. Despite an all-time hit like Pushpa 2: The Rule, trade experts estimate Hindi film revenue in 2024 to be at least 30-40% lower than in 2023, and the overall Indian movie box office, across languages, likely flat or 10-15% lower than the previous year.

“We are in shaky waters again after Pushpa having done well for so many weeks. Things are back to square one,” Bihar-based exhibitor Vishek Chauhan said.

While the Hindi version of Allu Arjun-starrer Pushpa 2: The Rule has crossed the ₹800 crore mark, Chauhan said there is nothing new or exciting on offer. 

While Pushpa 2, an early December release, would be exhausting its run soon, another action film from the south, Game Changer starring Ram Charan is slated for the Pongal weekend along with action thriller Fateh featuring Sonu Sood and Jacqueline Fernandez. However, neither has generated any buzz. 

This would be followed by historical drama Azaad mid-January, Kangana Ranaut’s much delayed Emergency, Akshay Kumar’s war drama Sky Force for the Republic Day weekend and Shahid Kapoor-starrer Deva by the end of the month.

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While the common assumption is the first few months of the year are usually dull with big releases only arriving by summer, Chauhan said there are enough examples of good content having made a mark during this period. For example, Ajay Devgn’s epic historical action film Tanhaji-The Unsung Warrior had earned ₹279.55 crore upon its release in January 2020.

Film producer, trade and exhibition expert Girish Johar, however, pointed out that the industry seems to have thought its release calendar out better this year as compared to 2024 and there are no major clashes with movies spread out over the weeks. 

For example, later in February, there are a host of small to mid-budget films releasing per week. Newcomers Junaid Khan and Khushi Kapoor will feature in a romantic comedy called Loveyapa, followed by Vicky Kaushal’s period drama Chhaava, Karan Johar’s Dhadak 2, starring Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri and another comedy titled Mere Husband Ki Biwi featuring Arjun Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar and Rakul Preet Singh.

“The film business usually hits its peak during the April to June quarter and then there is the big Diwali period. The first quarter of the year is usually the dullest with school and college examinations, plus the cold so business is pretty slow in the north. That said, this thoughtful planning and spacing out of releases is a good idea, because the most critical part is to help audiences retain the habit of coming back to theatres,” Johar said.

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To be sure, some trade experts are hopeful of the south kicking things off with a bang with multiple films scheduled for the Pongal Sankranthi weekend. Along with Game Changer, smaller titles like Vanangaan, Madraskaaran, Madha Gaja Raja, Ten Hours and others are also slated.

“Things have been reasonably okay since Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and Singham Again in Diwali and it’s best for the exhibition sector to take things one month at a time. Historically, the first quarter has been quiet and nothing apart from the Republic Day weekend brings a lot of joy,” Rahul Puri, managing director, Mukta Arts and Mukta A2 Cinemas said.