The Ramzan period, coupled with school and college examinations and the T20 World Cup, has hit the movie business hard with no new or high-profile releases for several weeks.
While the run-up to the Eid holiday is relatively dull every year in the Hindi-speaking belt, the southern movie industries usually offer some hope. However, the indefinite delay around Tamil actor Vijay’s Jana Nayagan, coupled with the looming legislative elections in the state, has led to multiple producers deferring theatrical releases even as the Telugu industry throws up a dry run.
Moreover, the drought has extended well beyond reasonable timelines, even up north, with small and mid-budget releases such as Tu Yaa Main, Assi and O’Romeo performing dismally in cinemas, initiating a lull as early as February. All hopes are now pinned on the release of Dhurandhar: The Revenge, which arrives in theatres later this month and is expected to build on the success of the first instalment, which is currently the highest-grossing Hindi film, with collections of nearly ₹895 crore.
- Elections and cricket have caused a massive vacuum in film releases.
- Audiences now prioritize high-stakes ‘event’ films over smaller productions.
- The Tamil and Telugu industries are currently seeing uncharacteristic release delays.
- Dhurandhar 2 is expected to open with a massive ₹80 crore.
- Mid-budget films have largely failed to capture the public's imagination recently.
“What we are seeing is more of an imbalance in the release calendar," said Bhuvanesh Mendiratta, managing director of multiplex chain Miraj Entertainment Ltd. “When a couple of big films perform well, the gap that follows tends to look larger than it actually is.”
Modern audiences are increasingly picky, gravitating toward 'event' cinema, he said, adding that this shift makes it harder for mid-sized films to stay in theatres, making producers more cautious about their release strategies.
While cinemas had much to cheer with the release of Dhurandhar in December, followed by Border 2, which crossed ₹340 crore in January, the period thereafter has been completely dull.
Shift toward event cinema
The South is not one single market, Mendiratta pointed out, and each industry has its own cycle. Telugu cinema generally remains the most consistent because big festival windows like Sankranti are planned well in advance and tend to deliver strong theatrical performance.
“Tamil cinema is going through a slightly uncertain phase at the moment, partly because large releases are being scheduled very carefully around the upcoming elections and other sensitivities. That sometimes makes the release calendar look uneven,” he said.
Malayalam cinema, on the other hand, continues to produce strong content, but many of those films are niche or story-driven and tend to perform in specific markets rather than as large nationwide theatrical events, Mendiratta added.
Rahul Puri, managing director of Mukta Arts and Mukta A2 Cinemas, said the ongoing sluggishness is a combination of a lack of content and films that have arrived in cinemas but have not managed to capture audience imagination, even though some English titles like Hoppers and Hamnet have kept things going.
That said, all exhibitors have their fingers crossed for Dhurandhar 2, or Dhurandhar: The Revenge, which is set for a solo release this month. Kannada star Yash’s action film Toxic, whose release was earlier set to clash with the Dhurandhar sequel, has been moved to June.
According to trade website Box Office India, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, the second instalment to the action franchise, had sold 1.4 lakh tickets within 12 hours of advance bookings opening, with trade experts estimating an ₹80 crore opening on day one.
Film trade and exhibition expert Girish Johar agreed that the past few weeks have seen nothing to write home about, and even though it is unlikely to be released in the Middle East, Dhurandhar 2 should help revive both the domestic and overseas box office for Indian films.
Miraj's Mendiratta said expectations are naturally very high because the first film created a strong connection with audiences and performed exceptionally well at the box office. When a sequel follows a successful franchise, awareness and curiosity are already built in, which typically translates into a strong opening weekend.
“The triple effect of Ramzan, World Cup and exams hasn’t helped the cause of movies in the past few weeks, and it hasn’t even been prudent for producers to plan releases. But with Dhurandhar 2, we’re expecting a box office storm,” independent exhibitor Vishek Chauhan said, adding that the film has the potential to cross ₹1,000 crore at the domestic box office alone.