Will India's box office earnings cross pre-pandemic level this year?

Propelled by the movie RRR, directed by SS Rajamouli of Bahubali-fame, the Indian box office saw one of its best post-pandemic months. The period action drama was instrumental in bringing back audiences to the theatres and registered the best global opening day by any Indian film. In just over two weeks of release, RRR has grossed Rs 1,000 crore at the worldwide box office.

RRR had helped Bollywood cross Rs 500 crore in box office collections in March, along with movies such as The Kashmir Files, Bachchhan Paandey, Radhe Shyam and Jhund.

In the pre-pandemic year of 2019, the average monthly gross box office collection of Bollywood was about Rs 400 crore. 

If this was the action in March, industry analysts say April promises to be as much exciting – going by advance booking trends and a strong line-up of movies. 

They say, the industry is witnessing what can be termed ‘revenge consumption’ after months of Covid-19 restrictions.

This month’s biggest releases are the Kannada film KGF: Chapter 2 and Vijay’s Tamil film Beast. Both the movies, just like RRR, will hit the screens this week in five regional languages including Hindi.  

April will also see the theatrical release of Heropanti 2, Runway 34 and Shahid Kapoor’s Jersey, which is a remake of the 2019 movie of the same name. 

The dominance of South Indian cinema showcased during the first four months of 2022 is a continuation of last year. In 2021, South Indian films generated three times the box office revenues of Hindi films, with a total collection of Rs 2,400 cr on the back of more releases. 

Around 58% of the total box office revenues of Rs 3,9000 crore last year were contributed by regional language films. 

Data from consultancy firm Ormax Media shows, the Indian film industry grossed Rs 10,949 crore in 2019. 2020 saw an 81% drop in box office collections 2019. Aided by the last quarter, 2021 figures bounced back slightly but recovered to only 34% of the pre-pandemic level.

With releases like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Jurassic World Dominion, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Maidaan and Prithviraj scheduled in May and June, there is no stopping the box office party this year. 

Despite the first two months being a washout, the strong growth in the rest of the year means 2022’s box office collections should come close to the 2019 number if not equal it.