The recent downturn in Bollywood's box office fortunes has left industry insiders and fans scratching their heads. Following the failure of big-budget releases such as Akshay Kumar's Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Ajay Devgn's Maidaan, theatres are continuing to feel a pinch, with no big release lined up, and shows being slashed due to lack of content. 

In fact, the absence of good content and lack of footfall have led the multiplexes and single-screen theatres to reduce the number of screenings, or run theatres on limited screens over full capacity.

Theatres struggle to draw audiences

According to trade expert Atul Mohan, the shows are being cancelled because “the business is very slow”. “Several shows have been cancelled as cinema halls don’t have content to show. What will they show? They decided to decrease the number of shows and screens to cut down on the expenditure. At the moment, they are running on limited shows and screens because of limited content,” he said.

Talking of the year so far at the box office, 11 feature films from the industry minted approximately ₹700 crore at the box office in India -- which is a drop of around 12 percent from the first quarter in 2023. The films which managed to draw audiences to the theatres include Fighter, Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, Article 370, Shaitaan, Madgaon Express, and Crew.

According to trade expert and producer Girish Johar, the business of the first four months is less than the past few years. In 2018, the box office business was around ₹1275 crore, in 2019 it was ₹1685 crore, in 2022 it was ₹1290 crore, in 2023 it was ₹1175 crore and in 2024 it stands at ₹1085 crore.

This excludes the years when box office business faced a slump due to the pandemic. In 2020, the business was Rs.790 crore, and in 2021 it was ₹55 crore.

When it comes to releases, films such as Ruslaan, Main Ladega, The Sabarmati Report and Srikanth also released. Kalki was slated to release in May, but it was postponed. What was missing was the big Bollywood entertainers.

“It is a worrisome situation. Films are not doing well at the box office. The business is not good so far," says Girish.

Exhibitor Akshaye Rathi agrees to it, and shares, “It is because of lack of relevant content. At the moment, films which are releasing are for niche audiences, and working in sections of the country… A big ticket film is missing at the moment”.

Reason behind the low phase

Typically, summer months in Bollywood are marked by blockbuster releases and box office hits. But things are different because of multiple reasons.

“Bollywood makers have strategised their release schedules to avoid direct clashes with the elections, opting instead for later half of the year to launch their films. Then the ones which are releasing are not able to attract the audiences,” says Girish.

To this, Crew producer Ramesh Taurani adds, “Makers are not releasing films due to the election season and IPL fever. Everyone’s focus is on these two big events. When it comes to films not faring well, the projects which didn’t work were bad films. Crew also worked because of its music. The makers need to put focus back on the music of a project too along with the storyline”.

Lull before the storm

Now, the experts are anxiously eyeing the horizon for signs of improvement. With hopes pinned on upcoming releases, June promises to be a crucial month for Bollywood's recovery. Films such as Chandu Champion and Kalki 2898 AD are lined up.

Trade expert Taran Adarsh says, “It is lull before the storm. Bollywood is going through a low phase, and scarcity of releases is making everyone worried. That being said, we all are counting on the coming months for the business to pick up, starting with the release of Mr & Mrs Mahi. The momentum is expected to rise from the last week of May.”

Here, Raj Kumar Mehrotra, general manager at New Delhi’s Delite Cinema, shares, “At the moment, we are having limited shows, and screens have been curtailed. But things will be better from May 1 as there are major films lined up”.

Trade expert Joginder Tuteja is also confident that Bollywood is not dying at the box office. “Two films can’t decide the fate of the whole box office business. Bollywood will be back at the box office, and will work its magic again in theatres. That’s because people are not shying away from going to the theatres. All we are waiting for is a good film to release”.

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