Bollywood stages a comeback after extended weak show at box office

The movie, released on May 20, likely to touch Rs 150 cr in collections this week; buzz strong for second half of 2022 thanks to a strong line-up, say distributors

The Hindi film industry aka Bollywood is clawing its way back at the box office, after being put into the shade by a southern surge and a poor run for months.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, which released on May 20, is likely to touch Rs 150 crore in box-office collections this week, film distributors and exhibitors told Business Standard. The film, which features Kartik Aaryan in a lead role, is expected to break a spell of recent flops.

Films such as Attack starring John Abraham, Bachchan Paandey featuring Kriti Sanon and Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff’s Heropanti 2, Ajay Devgn and Amitabh Bachchan’s Runway 34, Jayeshbhai Jordaar starring Ranveer Singh, Ayushmann Khurrana’s Anek, and Kangana Ranaut-starrer Dhaakad tanked at the box office in April and May.

The last big blockbuster for Bollywood was in November, when Sooryavanshi starring Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif hit theatres, minting nearly Rs 200 crore at the box office. After that, films such as Gangubai Kathiawadi and The Kashmir Files did well at the box office in February-March.

But it was the runaway success of southern films such as Pushpa: The Rise, RRR and KGF: Chapter 2, all dubbed in Hindi, that stole the show between December and mid-May, contributing nearly Rs 800 crore in total to Hindi cinema’s box-office collections during the period, experts said.

With Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, however, the tide could change for Bollywood since a strong line-up of films is slated for release between June and December this year.

“There are good movies in the pipeline over the next six months,” said Rajender Singh Jyala, chief programming officer, Inox Leisure. “The buzz around Samrat Prithviraj, starring Akshay Kumar, and Aamir Khan-starrer Laal Singh Chaddha is fairly strong. This should aid in box-office performance,” he added.

Samrat Prithviraj, a period drama, will release on June 3, while Laal Singh Chaddha, the Hindi remake of Hollywood hit Forrest Gump (1994), will debut in theatres on August 11.

Apart from these, Bollywood has a mix of entertainers in the offing. These include a comedy titled Jugjugg Jeeyo starring Varun Dhawan that will be released on June 24; Shamshera, an action drama featuring Ranbir Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt (July 22); fantasy film Brahm­astra, also starring Kapoor and Alia Bhatt (Sept­ember 9); and Vikram Vedha — the remake of a Tamil neo-noir action thriller — helmed by Hrithik Roshan and slated for a September 30 release.

“The second half of 2022 definitely looks stronger for Bollywood,” says Rah­ul Kadbet, vice-president, programming, Carnival Cine­mas, a multiplex chain.

“The first half of 2022 was marred by a number of factors including the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Hindi movie line-up, too, was not strong enough to counter the wave of action entertainers from the South. However, the second half has a good line-up, which should bring viewers back to the theatres,” Kadbet said.

Shyam Shroff, chairman, Shringar Films, a Mumbai-based film distribution company, sees a ray of hope for Bolly­wood after the series of flops in recent months.

“Bollywood is a significant contributor to the Indian box office. Its underperformance in recent months was a cause for concern. Film distributors and producers would certainly be relieved now that the trend is changing for Bollywood,” said Shroff.

The Multiplex Association of India said recently that it exp­ected the financial year 2022-23 (FY23) to end on a strong note for the industry, led by pent-up demand. While South Indian cinema and Hollywood have been contributors to the trend this year, experts believe that the revival of Bollywood will also aid the industry’s performance in FY23.

On the comeback trail

* Bollywood is reviving after a lull, led by movies such as Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2

* Second half of 2022 has strong line-up of Hindi films; should aid box office performance

* Apart from south films and Hollywood, revival of Bollywood to help multiplexes log best year for industry