THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR LOOKS FAR MORE PROMISING: EXHIBITORS

In the first half of 2024 Bollywood saw a lull at the box office. There weren’t too many big-ticket films released, and those that did, performed below expectation. Fighter, Shaitaan, and Crew brought in some moolah, and some medium-budget (Srikant, Munjhya, Article 370, Madgaon Express ) films clocked in good numbers, but overall, the numbers didn’t give the industry a reason to celebrate. As we look ahead at the second half of the year, BT talked to industry experts to understand their expectations and hopes from the upcoming lineup of theatrical releases and why exhibitors are relying on Telugu films to bring in phenomenal numbers.

Every year, we may not be able to deliver back-to-back blockbusters but as long as we remain creative, inspired and optimistic, we will always see more success than failure - Anand Pandit, filmmaker

‘Positive about business in the next six months’

Industry experts seem quite optimistic about the second half of the year. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh says, “We are optimistic. Hopefully we will recover lots more.” Amit Sharma, MD, Miraj Entertainment Limited, chimes in, “The past six months have been really dull for Bollywood, however, the calendar for the upcoming months look exciting. We have a medium budget get film coming in every month, along with big budget films. And to have that mixed slate is important. The next six months are going to be really crowded at the box office. I am positive about the business. The next six months we will repeat the numbers that we did last year.”

‘The big-ticket entertainers are the true-blue theatrical watches’

Film exhibitor Akshaye Rathi stresses on the importance of tentpole movies. He explains, “The second half of the year looks a far more promising because you have a much higher number of big-ticket releases. We have pan-India movies ranging from Kalki 2898 AD and Pushpa 2 to big Tamil movies like Indian 2 and then of course, there is Singham Again, which is one of the biggest franchises. These big-ticket entertainers are the true-blue theatrical watches. Hopefully, these films will create an impact and get revenues for multiplexes, single screens - tier one, tier two, tier three - everywhere across the board.”

Exhibitors depending on pan-India films to rake in huge numbers

Devara, Kalki 2898 AD, Pushpa and Game Changer are few of the pan-Indian movies that the trade experts are pinning their hopes on. Moreover, Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, Executive Director, PVR INOX Ltd, mentions that Hollywood movies such as Deadpool, Wolverine, Joker, and Venom 2, might be saviours in the second half of 2024. Anand Pandit says, “Indian makers are no longer making films for a single demographic.” Akshaye Rathi elaborates, “It is not that we don’t have confidence in Hindi films, but there aren’t as many big-ticket Hindi films coming out this year. It is a year run by Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar on Hindi front. There is no Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Ranbir Kapoor or Ranveer Singh film releasing. Hence, this dependence on the Telugu movies is huge.”

Films expected to be money spinners from July-Dec 2024

1. Kalki 2898 AD

2. Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha

3. Sarfira

4. Stree 2

5. Singham Again

6. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3

7. Chhaava

8. Welcome to the Jungle

9. Sitaare Zameen Par

10. Baby John

11. Devara

12. Game Changer

13.Kanguva

14. Indian 2

15. Pushpa 2