Following a period of limited theatrical releases, the Hindi film industry is now witnessing increased activity as cinemas prepare for the close of 2023. Filmmakers are also eager to capitalize on the festive season and recent box office successes, which have resulted in a packed release calendar.
In November, Salman Khan’s Tiger 3 is set to hit theatres as the big release of the month, followed by Animal, Sam Bahadur, Yodha, Merry Christmas and Aquaman that are vying for viewers’ attention and a share of the wallet in December. Besides, big-ticket southern films are going head-to-head with Bollywood productions.
For instance, Prabhas’ Salaar is taking on Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Dunki for the Christmas weekend. Trade experts expect this competition to impact the business of both films.
The schedule remains tightly packed in January as well. Additionally, Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2 – The Rule is set to clash with Ajay Devgn’s Singham Again for the Independence Day weekend.
“India currently has around 3,500 multiplex screens, which is relatively limited considering its vast population and diversity of films produced. This limitation in screens can make it challenging to schedule multiple big releases simultaneously, potentially leading to a situation where numerous films compete for attention on the same day. Consequently, some films may not perform as well as they could if released on different dates,” said Devang Sampat, chief executive officer, Cinepolis India.
However, this scenario presents several other benefits, offering audiences an array of choices, and generating excitement and buzz within the film industry, creating a sense of anticipation that will attract more viewers and increasing box office revenues, Sampat added.
When it comes to release dates, exhibitors don’t have much of a say, and decisions are made by the production house, Satwik Lele, chief operating officer at MuktaA2 Cinemas, said. However, trade experts are also quick to point out that the box office scenario has changed dramatically in the past few weeks, with the success of Jawan, Gadar 2 and Pathaan, which set the cash registers ringing with each film clocking ₹500 crore. It presents a huge opportunity for filmmakers to cash in on.
“Now, filmmakers feel that everything is working, including mid-range films such as Dream Girl 2 and Fukrey 3. Plus, there is a huge backlog of ready films, on which interest is rising. But, there is going to be far too much clutter (with the number of films now scheduled for release),” film distributor and exhibitor Sunny Khanna said.
It is possible for mid-scale films to suffer as a result of such a packed calendar, trade experts said, since the preference is clearly towards big-ticket franchises.
The bigger worry is this windfall could be followed by a leaner period in cinemas because unlike 2023, there are no big star films scheduled for 2024 as yet.
While the likes of Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan have not scheduled new releases for next year, the younger lot have not managed to open or sustain with films the way they do.
Theatre owners said the worry is that either movies are making ₹2-3 crore on the first day and nothing thereafter, or scoring big with collections of ₹50-60 crore on day one on their way to mop up ₹500 crore.
There is bigger need for mid-scale films to deliver better results, and for younger actors such as Ranveer Singh, Kartik Aaryan or Sidharth Malhotra to develop a fan base in tier-two and tier-three towns for the industry to deliver sustained growth, experts added.
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Updated: 13 Oct 2023, 12:24 AM IST