Is Indian Cinema's resurgence a blockbuster or a cameo?

Time of India

3 days ago

The silver screen, that grand canvas of collective dreams, seems to be shimmering once more across India. After a period where its very existence was questioned, with whispers of streaming platforms eclipsing the communal magic of cinema, a vibrant pulse has returned. Much like the heartfelt emotional journey of
Sitaare Zameen Par
which has garnered an impressive INR 161.20 crore domestically as of July 16, the heart-stopping precision of an
F1
race zooming past INR 84 crore in India, or the intricate human connections woven in
Metro In Dino
which has now crossed the INR 40 crore milestone, recent releases have brought audiences back in droves, hinting at a robust resurgence.
According to Ormax Media, between January and May 2025, the Indian film industry recorded cumulative box office collections of approximately INR 4,812 crore. This represents a robust 27 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024, when the collections stood at INR 3,791 crore.
This isn't merely a fleeting illusion; the coming months are brimming with highly anticipated releases, promising to keep the turnstiles spinning. Indeed, the extraordinary advance bookings for Mohit Suri's
Saiyaara
which, even before its release on July 18, had already sold over one lakh tickets, setting a significant benchmark for a debutant-led film – serve as a potent overture to what many hope will be a sustained era of cinematic triumph.
A resurgence from a slow start
Bhuvanesh
Mendiratta
, MD,
Miraj Cinema
, offers a candid assessment of the journey so far. "The business performance in quarter one was a mixed bag. While it was considerably better than the previous quarter, the initial period was quite slow due to the underperformance of movies like
Sikandar,
Jaat
and
Kesari Chapter 2.
However,
Raid 2
significantly boosted the business. Following
Raid 2
a couple of Hollywood movies also performed well." The real turning point, he explains, arrived with June. "The real turnaround began in June, which started strongly with
Housefull 5
. Hollywood films like
F1
further contributed to this positive shift, leading to a noticeable increase in both collections and footfall."
He also added that Aamir Khan's
Sitaare Zameen Par
was a pleasant surprise, performing exceptionally well not only in major metros and niche centers, as initially expected, but also remarkably strong in tier II and tier III cities. He is confident about its potential, stating, "We believe
Sitaare Zameen par
will reach a box office collection of INR 200 crores, marking it as a mega-blockbuster for this financial year. A significant contributor to its success was substantial school bookings, with approximately 25,000 to 30,000 student bookings at Miraj Cinema's locations over the last fortnight.
The positive trend continues into the current month, with Mendiratta noting, "July is also looking very promising, having started strong with
Jurassic World Rebirth
and
Saiyaara
is showing impressive advance bookings. Anticipated releases such as
Son of Sardaar Part 2,
Dhadak 2, and
War 2
are expected to continue this positive trend." This renewed vigour is also reflected in the numbers. Miraj Cinema witnessed an increase in footfalls in Q1 by 5 percent compared to the previous year, and the box office collections saw an 8 percent to 10 percent increase across locations.
The recent surge is undeniable. Mendiratta highlights how June and July releases have been instrumental in this renewed energy.
F1
was an excellent movie that performed exceptionally well in format cinemas like IMAX and other giant screen formats, largely due to the enhanced experience they offer.
Jurassic World Rebirth
however, performed very well across all types of centers.
Content is King
The critical question remains: is this a momentary burst of energy or a sustainable revival? Mendiratta firmly believes in the latter. "The current momentum in the theatrical business is expected to continue. The industry's previous struggles were primarily due to a lack of compelling content. Once production houses consistently deliver strong films, there's no comparison between the cinema exhibition experience and watching movies on OTT platforms.
The communal viewing experience and the larger-than-life screen immersion offered by cinemas are unique, especially when compared to watching movies at home where distractions are frequent and pauses are often necessary."
Film exhibitor Akshaye Rathi echoes this optimism, noting a significant shift in perception. "The theatrical business is on the revival mode, and if you look at the trajectory over the last few years, when the lockdowns happened and things started opening up again, there was a narrative that people are now too used to streaming platforms and they won't turn up at the cinemas, and they'd literally written the medium off."
The year 2024 proved to be a challenging one for Hindi cinema, marked by the absence of major releases from industry titans like Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Ranbir Kapoor. Even prominent stars such as Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn,
Hrithik Roshan
, and Deepika Padukone, who did have releases, experienced only limited box office success.
According to the FICCI EY report 2025, poor performance of large budget Hindi films, as well as some South films, led to a drop in overall box office collections; a fewer number of hits drove a larger proportion of revenues, with some estimates showing that over 70 percent of total box office earnings were delivered by just the top ten films. The trend is clear: either a film is hugely successful at the theater, or it tends to completely under-perform
He highlighted how a series of blockbusters in a single year– 2023, namely
Jawan, Pathaan, Gadar 2, and Animal
, initially silenced doubts that audiences wouldn't return to cinemas, proving that large-screen spectacles still drew crowds. Beyond these tentpole films, Rathi notes a subsequent evolution where strong content, even without bona fide stars, also proved highly successful. He cites
Laapataa Ladies
,
12th Fail, and Stree
as examples, demonstrating that compelling storytelling, not just grand scale, is now a key driver for theatrical attendance, bringing the industry closer to pre-pandemic consumption patterns.
This year has further solidified the argument for theatrical viability. Rathi noted, "And then this year, we had movies like
Sitaare Zameen Par
, which did really well.
Saiyaara
looks like it's poised for a huge double-digit opening."
He observes a crucial trend and shared, "Now I think is the time when the mid-segment movies, so to say, which had really been written off and which people said would only be consumed on streaming, are back in thriving. Like, back in the day, a stereotypical Ayushman Khurrana or Rajkumar Rao movie would." Rathi believes the industry is nearing pre-pandemic consumption patterns, with an added bonus, 'we've suddenly discovered new thresholds in terms of how much business potential there is with movies like
Pushpa
and
Stree
and a couple of others just blowing the lid off and showing us that movies are capable of doing a thousand crores plus of business in India alone."
He concludes with a hopeful outlook, "Great times ahead and all of us are hoping that the learnings that we have from the post-pandemic times will allow our content creators to make some movies that are true-blue theatrical experiences and allow all of us exhibitors, distributors to really optimise the business of these films, giving them the best possible run showcasing in screens."
A promising future slate
Chandrashekar Mantha, partner and media & entertainment sector leader at Deloitte India, said that this surge is driven by a diverse portfolio of successful releases spanning multiple languages and genres.
Among these,
Chhaava
stood out as a blockbuster, making a notable contribution to the early-year box office. Other prominent performers such as
Raid 2, Housefull 5, and Good Bad Ugly
further strengthened the market's momentum. Additionally, Bollywood's market share increased from 40 percent in early 2024 to 45 percent in the first quarter of 2025, signaling a robust resurgence. Overall, this growth trajectory highlights a strong recovery and an expanding consumer appetite for theatrical entertainment across India.
Films such as F1, Jurassic World: Rebirth, Sitaare Zameen Par, and Metro In Dino delivered good to moderate performances, contributing meaningfully to the overall box office growth. He said 'We observe that while occupancy levels remain moderate, audiences are increasingly returning to theatres driven by star power and compelling storytelling, with a notable preference for weekend entertainment experiences. Initiatives such as weekly and monthly subscription passes offering unlimited viewing have demonstrated a positive impact on enhancing weekday occupancy, and this trend is likely to sustain moving forward.'
While the first half for the industry was slow, the second half's content slate appears promising. Looking ahead,
Son of Sardar 2
,
Dhadak 2
and
War 2
featuring Junior NTR and Hrithik Roshan, are on the horizon. Additionally,
Baaghi 4
,
Jolly LLB 3
,
Kantara Chapter 1, Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, Alpha
,and
Dhurandhar
in December promise a 'crazy' second half. Based on these projections, Mendiratta anticipates at least a 10 percent increase in total footfall this year compared to last year's 1.5 crore, aiming for at least 1.65 crore in their same locations.
Mantha also added that as the festive season approaches in a couple of months, the industry is poised for a robust slate of releases, including high-profile titles such as
War 2, Son of Sardar 2, The India Story, and Baaghi 4
. 'Regional cinema is also set to contribute significantly, with Telugu films like
Kuberaa and Hari Hara Veera Mallu
, alongside Telugu offerings such as
3BHK and Thammudu.
Additionally, star-studded projects in Kannada and Malayalam are expected to sustain positive momentum, collectively driving strong audience engagement and box office performance.'