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Mint
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
Hollywood strikes back in Indian cinemas, but the real test lies ahead
Hollywood appears to be staging a comeback in India after two lacklustre years, with recent titles like Superman, Jurassic World: Rebirth, F1: The Movie, and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning seeing robust box office returns. In several cases, they've even outperformed Indian films. This uptick follows a period of slowdown caused by Hollywood's writers' and actors' strikes and the underperformance of major superhero films, particularly from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Yet, trade experts warn that the revival is mostly limited to urban audiences, and even blockbuster titles are not achieving the pre-pandemic box office highs. Mission: Impossible earned over ₹110 crore in India since its May release, while Jurassic World has crossed the ₹82 crore mark. The biggest surprise, however, has been Brad Pitt's sports drama F1, which collected over ₹72 crore—despite limited dubbed releases and minimal promotion. Market share still low Hollywood's share in Indian theatrical revenues had peaked at ₹1,595 crore in 2019, per media consulting firm Ormax. But the pandemic years took a toll, and box office collections dropped to ₹941 crore in 2024, shrinking its market share from 15% to just 8%. Footfalls too halved—from 9.8 crore in 2019 to just 3.8 crore last year. Despite recent momentum, Hollywood remains 15–25% below pre-covid levels, analysts say. Urban pull, rural lag 'While some of the recent films have done well and proven Hollywood box office is still alive in India, business hasn't gone back to where it was pre-covid," said Rahul Puri, managing director of Mukta Arts and Mukta A2 Cinemas. Puri pointed out that Hollywood films are largely thriving in major cities, particularly through premium formats like IMAX. But audiences in tier-two and three towns haven't returned in similar strength. One major roadblock is inflexible pricing that doesn't cater to smaller town sensitivities. The real test, Puri said, will come next year with Marvel's Avengers: Doomsday, which promises a convergence of multiple MCU timelines. That film will be a benchmark to determine if Hollywood can truly regain its former dominance in Indian cinemas. Franchise vs fresh fare Vishek Chauhan, an independent exhibitor, agreed the recovery isn't complete: While films are flirting with the ₹100 crore mark, business hasn't gone through the roof or hit the same numbers as say, Avengers: Endgame, which crossed ₹370 crore in 2019. Devang Sampat, managing director of Cinepolis India, noted 2024 lacked major impact. '2024 was not an impactful year for Hollywood in India. 2025 has started strong with a great balance of non-franchise films such as F1 and Sinners and franchise titles like Mission: Impossible and Superman doing well. However, there is still some way to go for full recovery as we are yet to see a movie in the post pandemic era, which touches the Avengers: Endgame status," said Sampat. Sustainable efforts through marketing are required to drive customers to experience lesser known genres. Usually, good movies from Hollywood disappear without a trace at the Indian box office due to lack of marketing, he added. Streaming fatigue Still, some experts see opportunity in upcoming line-ups and a growing fatigue with home streaming. 'Hollywood films are no longer just competing; many weekends, they're leading the box office conversions", said Bhuvanesh Mendiratta, managing director of Miraj Entertainment Ltd that operates multiplex theatres. Kamal Gianchandani, CEO of PVR Pictures and chief of strategy at PVR Ltd, echoed that optimism: While in specific months, Hollywood has also outperformed Indian titles, audiences are experiencing a fatigue with streaming content at home which doesn't match theatrical quality.
Economic Times
21-07-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Box Office tide turns as small films make big waves
Synopsis India's film industry witnessed a 14% surge in domestic box office collections, reaching ₹5,723 cr in the first half of 2025. Seventeen films surpassed the ₹100-cr mark, signaling a shift towards broader participation across titles and reduced reliance on mega-hits. Tamil cinema's contribution increased, and Hollywood's collections nearly doubled, indicating a healthier distribution and growth. Agencies Mumbai: India's film industry earned ₹5,723 crore in domestic box office collections in the first half of 2025, a 14% rise from a year earlier, according to Ormax Media. This year's performance also showed a shift in industry dynamics, with reduced dependency on high-budget blockbusters, and stronger contribution from a wider pool of mid-sized films across said this trend is a welcome development in a sector that has long grappled with volatility linked to a few major releases. Seventeen films crossed the ₹100-crore mark between January and June, up from ten in the same period of 2024, according to Ormax's latest 'India Box Office Report'. The increase, however, was not driven by a handful of mega-hits, but by a consistent stream of mid- to high-performing titles. Among the top earners, 'Chhaava' led with ₹693 crore, followed by Telugu-language film 'Sankranthiki Vasthunam'. Only one film crossed the ₹250-crore mark so far, underscoring the broader spread of box office revenues."Jan-Jun 2025 has laid a strong foundation for the year's box office performance. Compared to 2024, there is a reduced reliance on big-ticket blockbusters, with a greater number of films crossing the ₹100 crore mark. This indicates a more robust long-tail contribution," said Sanket Kulkarni, head of business development (theatrical) at Ormax Media. "The share of the top 10 films in the overall Jan-Jun box office has declined from 44% in 2024 to 39% in 2025, a sign of broader participation across titles.""The language-wise distribution of ₹100 crore-plus films is also healthier in 2025. For instance, while 2024 had no Tamil film in this category, 2025 has seen three Tamil films cross the mark, increasing Tamil cinema's contribution from 12% in 2024 to 17% in the Jan-Jun 2025 period," he said. "Additionally, Hollywood has seen significant growth, with its Jan-Jun box office collections nearly doubling compared to the same period in 2024." Industry executives also pointed to the encouraging performance of smaller-budget and mid-scale films, which are increasingly holding their own in theatres. ( Originally published on Jul 20, 2025 )
Time of India
20-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Box Office tide turns as small films make big waves
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Mumbai: India's film industry earned ₹5,723 crore in domestic box office collections in the first half of 2025, a 14% rise from a year earlier, according to Ormax Media. This year's performance also showed a shift in industry dynamics, with reduced dependency on high-budget blockbusters, and stronger contribution from a wider pool of mid-sized films across said this trend is a welcome development in a sector that has long grappled with volatility linked to a few major releases. Seventeen films crossed the ₹100-crore mark between January and June, up from ten in the same period of 2024, according to Ormax's latest 'India Box Office Report'. The increase, however, was not driven by a handful of mega-hits, but by a consistent stream of mid- to high-performing the top earners, 'Chhaava' led with ₹693 crore, followed by Telugu-language film 'Sankranthiki Vasthunam'. Only one film crossed the ₹250-crore mark so far, underscoring the broader spread of box office revenues."Jan-Jun 2025 has laid a strong foundation for the year's box office performance. Compared to 2024, there is a reduced reliance on big-ticket blockbusters, with a greater number of films crossing the ₹100 crore mark. This indicates a more robust long-tail contribution," said Sanket Kulkarni, head of business development (theatrical) at Ormax Media. "The share of the top 10 films in the overall Jan-Jun box office has declined from 44% in 2024 to 39% in 2025, a sign of broader participation across titles.""The language-wise distribution of ₹100 crore-plus films is also healthier in 2025. For instance, while 2024 had no Tamil film in this category, 2025 has seen three Tamil films cross the mark, increasing Tamil cinema's contribution from 12% in 2024 to 17% in the Jan-Jun 2025 period," he said. "Additionally, Hollywood has seen significant growth, with its Jan-Jun box office collections nearly doubling compared to the same period in 2024." Industry executives also pointed to the encouraging performance of smaller-budget and mid-scale films, which are increasingly holding their own in theatres.
Time of India
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Zerodha's Nikhil Kamath believes ‘good local biryani' could be solution to Bollywood's box office struggle
Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath has sparked a fresh conversation about Bollywood's future by comparing successful cinema to a good plate of local biryani—flavourful, accessible, and rooted in emotion. Backed by data from a research thread, Kamath argued that Bollywood's revival depends on reconnecting with its cultural identity, not chasing global acclaim or high-end production. While big-budget films have underperformed, low-to-mid-budget entertainers steeped in local storytelling have thrived. He pointed to the success of South Indian cinema and anime as proof that audiences crave raw, emotional, and community-driven content. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The Box Office Breakdown: Big Budgets, Modest Results Masala Over Minimalism: What's Actually Working Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The South Indian Edge: Lessons in Cultural Confidence Anime, OTT Fatigue & The Concert Economy At a time when Bollywood has been struggling to bring audiences back to theatres post the pandemic, Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath believes the solution might lie in something as humble—and beloved—as a plate of good local biryani. In a tweet that stirred both food analogies and film industry introspection, Kamath metaphorically stated that he would prefer a plate of "good local biryani over a Michelin-star quality fancy restaurant 99 times out of 100."Kamath's post was backed by a 12-slide research thread from @FinFloww. The research stated that Bollywood's path to revival doesn't lie in global validation or artistic perfection. Instead, it lies in reconnecting with India's emotional palate—through films that feel like a plate of good biryani: accessible, flavourful, and made for the to the data Kamath shared, Bollywood's theatrical footfall in 2024 stood at 883 million, still below pre-COVID highs of over 1 billion. Despite high-profile releases and star power, the industry hasn't been able to replicate the frenzy of its golden years. Meanwhile, Hollywood's India box office share is shrinking, and regional cinema—especially Malayalam and Kannada films—is witnessing exponential believes it's a question of emotional and cultural resonance, not technical prowess or production scale. Just as people like him choose a reliable biryani joint over an expensive gourmet meal, audiences seem to favour relatable, masala-laced films over prestige cinema.A striking insight from the research is that 8 out of the top 10 Bollywood films in 2024 were low-to-mid-budget entertainers—like Munjya, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, and Stree 2—all rooted in quirky folklore, supernatural chaos, and over-the-top storytelling. Critics may label some of them as 'brainrot,' but Kamath sees their success as a market signal, not a creative films were not chasing subtlety. They doubled down on drama, myth, humour, and madness—everything that once defined the golden age of Ormax box office data shows Malayalam cinema grew over 100% in 2024, while Hindi cinema declined. The secret? Southern industries didn't dilute their storytelling to appear more global. Instead, they embedded local flavour into mythic narratives (Kantara, RRR), stayed rooted in regional identity, and delivered emotion-first films without reserch states that Bollywood lost some of that edge when it tried too hard to mirror the West. It became more about looking polished and less about feeling analogy the research draws is with anime—a genre that succeeded globally not by toning itself down, but by embracing its excesses. Shows like Attack on Titan and Demon Slayer are global hits precisely because they're exaggerated, emotional, and culturally audiences are showing signs of OTT fatigue. Despite more content than ever, engagement is flattening. At the same time, India's concert economy has exploded, with over 16,700 events in 2025, up from 8,000 in 2018. The research sees this as evidence that people want participatory, community-driven entertainment—the kind cinema used to larger thesis? In a post-AI world, where content can be generated but connection must be crafted, Bollywood should stop aspiring for global awards and start aiming for emotional solution is not more VFX or high-concept dramas. It's reconnecting with the rawness, the messiness, and the magic of Indian storytelling. In other words, Bollywood needs to bring back the biryani.
Mint
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Why Hindi TV is failing to create iconic new characters
Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) are struggling to strike a chord with viewers, as new protagonists in fiction shows fail to create any meaningful connect, resulting in low viewership and often, quick takedown from air. With most new characters falling flat, broadcasters are increasingly reliant on legacy stars from long-running shows to drive viewership. Media experts attribute this to outdated writing, overdone plots and a widening disconnect between on-screen narratives and today's audiences. Declining debut impact According to media consulting firm Ormax, the number of new fiction characters entering the monthly top 10 popularity list has been steadily falling since 2016—and hit an all-time low in 2024. Meanwhile, legacy characters like Daya from Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, who hasn't appeared since 2017, still dominate the charts, thanks to re-runs. Older shows such as Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai continue to deliver familiar faces that audiences have built long-term emotional ties with, making it harder for newer shows to break through. Shrinking relevance 'There is a growing disconnect between on-screen narratives and viewers' lived experiences. With over 70% of urban homes now nuclear, the traditional joint-family melodrama feels increasingly out of sync," said Surabhi Saxena, associate VP–strategy, media, Dentsu India. Saxena said the hyper-glamourised world of many GECs feels emotionally unrelatable, and lacking authenticity, hurting engagement. She noted that nearly 75% of new Hindi GEC shows launched between January and March 2024 failed to make any significant impact, largely due to their weak protagonists and derivative plots. Also read: Long-format content consumption growing on YouTube in India as connected TV penetration deepens 'In the race to extend TRPs, many Hindi GECs fall into the trap of overextending plotlines, compromising both character integrity and narrative logic. The trade-off between quantity and quality is now more visible than ever — and audiences are voting with their remotes," Saxena pointed out. Many GECs have adopted a factory-like production model, which experts say is now hurting creativity and consistency. 'We're seeing repetitive, unoriginal stories, flat characters, and gimmicks to fill time," said Navin Kathuria, EVP – media planning and buying, Mudramax. He added that content quality is frequently undermined by TRP-chasing rewrites and hasty production decisions. More than just weak characters While poor character connect is a clear issue, it's also a symptom of a deeper shift. 'Main characters failing to click is a result of structural changes in how content is consumed today," said Sandeep Gupta, COO–broadcasting business, Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd. Viewers now expect quicker pacing, fresh stories and multidimensional protagonists—and GECs aren't keeping up. Earlier, networks allowed time for characters to grow on audiences, but tight budgets and fierce ratings pressure often result in shows being pulled before they find their voice. "…while lack of character connect does contribute to viewership challenges, it is deeply linked to broader industry dynamics including reduced risk appetite, the need for immediate ratings, and the changing preferences of audiences in a digital-first world," Gupta pointed out. Also read: Govt plans to liberalize TV rating norms, but proposals raise credibility issues The TV–OTT double bind Today's GEC content needs to work across both TV and OTT platforms. 'The same show now reaches different audiences—some watching on TV with families, others binge-watching on a phone," said Munish Vaid, VP, Primus Partners. He suggested broadcasters consider building multi-format story universes, with TV as the core and digital-first spinoffs or parallel arcs tailored for younger audiences. A JioStar spokesperson said while content consumption has become fragmented, the answer is sharper storytelling. 'India is an 'AND' market, not an 'OR' one. The loyal audiences of our shows watch across TV and JioHotstar," the person said. JioStar is continuously investing in research to stay attuned to changing audience aspirations, enabling it to craft narratives that are both emotionally resonant and culturally relevant, the person said. Producer Goldie Behl said visual and narrative sameness is another challenge. 'Flip from one show to another, and they almost all look the same," he said. Post-pandemic viewers are more exposed and expect realism over fantasy. Creators must find their unique voice and break the cookie-cutter approach that has plagued Hindi GECs for years, he added. Also read: OTT, film channels stare at content drought
