India's regional films are travelling further than ever, but getting audiences into theatres back home is still not easy. Despite massive critical acclaim, including awards and recognition in the international festival circuit and mainstream backing by Bollywood names, films in niche regional languages often struggle to find theatrical showcasing and footfalls in India.
Boong, a Manipuri film that became the first Indian movie to win in the Best Children’s and Family Film category at the BAFTA (British Academy Film Awards) recently, was re-released in cinemas earlier this month after its win but it found few takers. It made only around ₹1 crore, mirroring the struggle of films like All We Imagine as Light (filmed in Malayalam, Marathi and Hindi) earlier, that was nominated for the Palme d'Or and won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.
For context, Boong was made at a cost of ₹8 crore. Distribution and marketing expenses would mean an additional ₹3-5 crore.
Industry experts say these films usually rely on strong word-of-mouth, festival recognition, and the credibility of the makers to attract niche urban audiences. Despite this, these releases are typically more targeted rather than wide commercial launches, and even if mainstream names come on board, as in the case of Boong—which was backed by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment—there is far too much competition to battle in terms of screens and shows.
A film such as Boong would typically get 200-400 screens versus a minimum of 2,000 for a decent-sized Bollywood film.
“These films generally start with limited shows in metro cities or culturally active markets, where audiences actively follow festival cinema. If the initial response is encouraging, the run can gradually expand to more screens or additional show timings. Footfalls tend to build through strong word-of-mouth, rather than a large opening day,” said Bhuvanesh Mendiratta, managing director of multiplex chain Miraj Entertainment Ltd.
That said, having a well-known producer or distributor attached makes a significant difference. It improves access to theatres, helps position the film more confidently in the market, and ensures that the film receives the right level of promotion and visibility. For exhibitors, it also signals that the film has a structured release plan and marketing support behind it. That increases confidence in programming the film and giving it the opportunity to find its audience in theatres.
However, Rahul Puri, managing director of Mukta Arts and Mukta A2 Cinemas, said that in the current climate, it doesn’t make sense to extend showcasing of such films beyond cities such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. The niche nature of the language and storytelling limits its appeal to a specific audience segment. Small-town viewers already struggle to find mass-market content that suits their tastes and often don't find much of the Bollywood content attractive.
These issues are reflective of larger challenges within the theatrical business, according to Puri, where people are barely coming to the cinemas even for well-known stars if they don’t find the content compelling enough.
Before the pandemic, internationally recognized films such as The Lunchbox fared better in Indian cinemas, making around ₹20 crore in box-office collections. However, with theatre-going increasingly seen as an expensive event—and over-the-top (OTT) viewing becoming an easy alternative—and less of a habit, eyeballs for such movies haves moved online, according to industry experts.
According to media consulting firm Ormax, domestic theatrical footfalls declined by 6% to 83.2 crore in 2025.
To be sure, while a theatrical release would make some of these films more attractive for streaming platforms to acquire, industry experts said OTT services are mindful of the fact that niche languages, such as Manipuri, do not lure subscribers in large numbers, and hence it may not make sense to blindly acquire such movies.
Ashutosh Agarwal, owner of Star World Cinemas in Uttar Pradesh said releasing these niche, critically-acclaimed regional films makes sense only if they are dubbed in Hindi. “If there is a dub in Hindi, the film may manage a theatrical window. But otherwise, most shows are blocked by Hindi content," Agarwal said.
"And, when big Bollywood films are available, even smaller Hindi content or English titles struggle for shows. Only what is left of this can go to regional movies,” he summed up.