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Time of India
27-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Big-budget clash with south films to test Bollywood mettle
Bollywood's theatrical revival faces a crucial test in the latter half of 2025 as big-budget Hindi films clash with highly anticipated southern releases. With films like 'War 2' and 'Coolie' vying for audience attention, the box office battle could significantly impact revenue, potentially costing each film ₹20-40 crore in North India alone. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Mumbai: A clash for box office share between big-budget Hindi and southern films in the next few months will put the theatrical revival of Bollywood to the test, say producers and trade big southern films-Coolie (Tamil), Kantara: Chapter 1 (Kannada) and The Raja Saab (Telugu)-are scheduled for release in the second half of 2025. Their release dates clash directly with Bollywood movies War 2, Ikkis, Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari and each of these films having an estimated budget of ₹150-400 crore, the stakes are second half of 2025 began on a promising note for Bollywood with the unexpected success of the mid-budget Saiyaara, which has raked in ₹175 crore in box-office collections since its July 18 release. But the market dynamics will be different for the upcoming releases. This is the first time since the pandemic when the release dates of big southern films are clashing with Hindi films of similar scale."Post-pandemic, the lines between regional and Hindi films have blurred," said producer and film business expert Girish Johar. "Today, audiences want the best content. So, if there is a formidable southern film aimed at a pan-India audience ... it does impact the box office potential of the competing Hindi film."Bollywood producers often avoid clashes with southern films, as loyal audiences of southern films shun Hindi movies to watch their favourite stars on screen. A blockbuster pan-India film form the south could reduce the box office potential of a competing Hindi film by 10-20%, according to trade experts."When tentpole films clash, the impact at the box office is far deeper than just opening-day collections," said Suniel Wadhwa, co-founder and director of Karmic Films. "Screens are shared. Show timings are compromised. In north India alone, a high-stakes clash can mean a ₹20-40 crore loss in revenues for each film."Revenue from digital, satellite and overseas rights will also take a hit, say distributors. They suggest a solo release of a big-budget Hindi or southern film as a practical solution."A well-timed solo release can improve legs at the box office, optimise holdover weeks and elevate a film from a ₹300 crore hit to a ₹500 crore blockbuster," said Wadhwa of Karmic Films."Clashes are always bad for business," said Rajesh R Nair, the producer of Hindi films such as Kaminey and Adipurush. Southern films are tracking well, especially Kantara: Chapter 1, one of the most awaited sequels, he said. He also expects strong competition to the upcoming Bollywood movies from Rajinikanth's Coolie and the Prabhas-starrer horror-comedy: The Raja trade analysts believe that the timing of these releases may work in their favour, as these will be released on public holidays when footfalls are usually high in theatres."Also, the genres of these competing films are different. These films will be accommodated," said Girish Wankhede, a movie trade analyst. But in the long run, he said "only the content of these films will work".While the success of Saiyaara was encouraging, theatres also recorded noteworthy contributions from Hollywood films such as Superman, Jurassic World: Rebirth and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Apart from Indian films, Hollywood movies such as Zootopia 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash are also scheduled for release in the second half of to media and entertainment research firm Ormax Media, the second half of 2025 is likely to contribute 52% to the all-India box office revenue of ₹13,500 crore estimated for 2025.
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Hollywood films breathe fresh life into Indian box office
Mumbai: Hollywood has delivered a box office boost in India after a two-month lull, with Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Final Destination: Bloodlines, and Lilo & Stitch collectively grossing Rs 124.79 crore in less than two weeks. In comparison, barring outliers like Chhaava – which had an extended run after releasing on February 14 to collect Rs 716.6 crore – and Raid 2 (Rs 163.2 crore), most Hindi films have flopped or underperformed at the box office in the past two months, data from box office research firm Sacnilk showed. 'In the peak summer box office period, barring Raid 2, no other Hindi film has performed well,' producer and film business expert Girish Johar said. 'It was a surprise that the recently released English films have done exceedingly well. I think both Final Destination and Mission Impossible franchises can cumulatively gross over Rs 160 crore in the coming week. The Hollywood films are likely to make a steady contribution to the Indian box office in the coming months,' he added. So far, Lilo & Stitch, the Disney animation released on Friday, has collected Rs 4.17 crore in India, while Final Destination and Mission Impossible, released a week earlier, have collected Rs 45.2 crore and Rs 75.42 crore, respectively. Live Events Experts attribute the success of these films to a few key factors. Mission Impossible benefited from a loyal franchise fan base, Tom Cruise's massive following—bolstered by his trademark stunt work—and the appeal of it being the final chapter in the series. In the case of Final Destination, a gripping script and the decision to break away from the franchise's usual formula helped the film stand out, they said. 'Final Destination: Bloodlines comes 14 years after the last instalment in the franchise, so audience interest was naturally high. It's also arguably the best in the series, thanks to its strong script and impressive special effects,' said Girish Wankhede, a film trade analyst. 'Since most films from both franchises are already available on streaming platforms, they've built a solid fan base in India—which helped boost their box office collections,' he added. According to recent reports, Final Destination is doing better in terms of return on investment, having grossed $180 million in the US on a modest $50 million budget. Mission Impossible has so far earned $204 million against an estimated budget of $230–270 million. Its upcoming May 30 release in China is expected to give it a significant boost in global box office numbers. In the coming months, a strong line-up of popular Hollywood franchise films is expected to make a steady contribution to India's box office performance. 'Going ahead, the Hollywood line-up in India is poised to sustain the current box office momentum,' said Suniel Wadhwa, cofounder and director of Karmic Films . 'Titles like Karate Kid: Legends, How to Train Your Dragon (live-action), Jurassic World: Rebirth, and Superman offer a compelling mix of nostalgia, animation, and superhero storytelling. These franchises enjoy a strong fan base among Indian audiences.' In 2024, Hollywood films contributed Rs 941 crore to the Indian box office—an 8% share of the total Rs 11,833 crore—according to a report by media and entertainment research firm Ormax Media .
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
All quiet on Bollywood front: Producers postpone launches, delay promotions as border tensions dent confidence
Geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan have significantly impacted the Hindi film industry, leading to delayed promotions, postponed releases, and potential losses of ₹150-200 crore. Uncertainty in theatrical performance and low producer confidence further contribute to the industry's woes, with some films opting for direct streaming releases. While some believe the impact will be minimal, others fear substantial financial repercussions. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Mumbai: The military conflict between India and Pakistan seems to have had an unproportionate impact on the Hindi film industry, with many filmmakers delaying promotional and marketing activities, and postponing, or even shelving, film and trailer industry is staring at an estimated or potential loss of '150-200 crore in the form of cost of capital and deferred revenues due to this, according to producers and trade analysts."In these times of geopolitical unrest, cinema pauses not from the lack of creativity but from caution," said Suniel Wadhwa, a veteran film distributor and co-founder and director at Karmic Films. "There are losses in the form of delayed cash, sunk costs, interest on idle capital, broken contracts, and missed momentum. These will have a ripple impact on producers, promotional and advertising agencies, theatres, financiers, and even streamers," he said."I think more than '700-800-crore worth of Hindi films stand vulnerable at this stage," Wadhwa be sure, there has already been a sense of uncertainty around theatre attendance in the industry, fuelled by a series of box-office flops and an overall decline in collections in recent months, largely due to shifting audience launch of Operation Sindoor, targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7, and the subsequent military conflict further dampened the mood among producers of several Hindi films slated for release in May and of Kesari Veer and Housefull 5 stalled promotional activities, while those behind Sitaare Zameen Par and Thug Life postponed the releases of their trailer and audio soundtrack, respectively. Producers of mid-budget film Bhul Chuk Maaf opted to forego theatre release entirely and instead debut the film on a streaming veteran trade analysts attributed a part of such actions to low confidence among producers."Even though one cannot rule out the impact of Indo-Pak conflict on cinema, one also has to consider that a big reason behind delaying releases is low confidence of producers to release films in theatres due to increasing unpredictability in theatrical performance of films," said Shaaminder Malik, a film distributor and trade analyst. "Consequently, there are makers of upcoming big-budget films who are planning to release their films directly on streamers after their teasers and trailers received unfavourable response," he production of the sequel of the film Sanam Teri Kasam, which performed well on its re-release recently, may get delayed because the main actor has declined to work with the main actress because she is from industry insiders believe the impact would be minimal as the border tensions have eased and life has returned to normal in most of the country since India and Pakistan agreed to stop military action on Saturday."I think films scheduled to release in May will be impacted. But releases in June will not be impacted that much," producer Rajesh R Nair said. "But I think Hollywood releases in May will be a saving grace as these franchise films have a huge following in India and their makers are not postponing their release."
