As 2024 comes to an end, in this Bollywood Hungama Special Feature, we take a look at 15 interesting trends of the box office and the Bollywood film industry of the year.
Notable box-office trends of 2024: The year Bollywood went without the Khans, Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh; here’s why franchise is the new superstar
1. Absence of major stars like never before
If we don’t count the lockdown years, then this is the first time that Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Ayushmann Khurrana didn’t have a release. It is one of the major reasons why the numbers overall have not been up to the mark.
2. Bollywood hasn’t learned lessons; mismatch between filmmaking trends and audience preferences
It’s clear post-pandemic that there’s an audience for big-scale films or mid-sized films, which are wholesome entertainers. Yet, the industry kept churning out films like Jigra, I Want To Talk, etc. which appeal to a very tiny section of the audience. It’s still not a problem if it’s made at a shoestring budget. Instead, these films had high costs, leading to high losses.
3. Impact of election-driven release gaps and avoidable clashes
We are used to seeing big films not being released due to the holy month of Ramzan, Shraaddh, IPL, etc. But this time, films were not released due to the elections. As a result, there were no significant releases from mid-April to the last week of May and between mid-August to mid-October. Even November was vacant. On the other hand, there were clashes, which were avoidable of course, on Independence Day and Diwali. August 15, in fact, saw a three-way clash, leading to madness while screen sharing.
4. The importance of strategic release scheduling
Baby John would have worked big time had it released before Pushpa 2. The kind of action viewers saw in the Allu Arjun-starrer, they weren’t wowed with the fights in Baby John even though the Varun Dhawan-starrer had cool and well-executed action sequences. Hopefully, this episode will make our producers put even more thought into planning the release dates. They need to ascertain which event film, possibly in the same genre as their film, is releasing and plan accordingly.
5. BOGO is here to stay
The Buy One Get One Ticket Free scheme didn’t rear its head in the last quarter of the year. Nevertheless, it’s here to stay and will resurface in 2025.
6. Re-release trend is here to stay
The re-release trend began as theatres struggled with a lack of content in dry months. The experiment worked and a film like Tumbbad (2018) ended up earning more than Rs. 30 crores.
7. Several theatrical films continue to struggle to get an OTT release
With each passing year, the number of films failing to get a digital release after their run in cinemas is increasing. Some of this year’s releases like Ishq Vishk Rebound, Kuch Khattaa Ho Jaay, Tera Kya Hoga Lovely, Dukaan, Luv You Shankar, Tipppsy, Kartam Bhugtam, Jahangir National University, Hamare Baarah, Accident Or Conspiracy: Godhra, The Diary Of West Bengal, Kahan Shuru Kahan Khatam, Binny And Family, Bandaa Singh Chaudhary, etc. are nowhere to be seen on any streaming giant. Aakhir Palaayan Kab Tak and last year’s The Lady Killer are out on YouTube for free.
The Rasika Dugal-starrer Fairy Folk, meanwhile, has been uploaded on the film’s website and one can pay as much as they desire to view it. They also have the option to not contribute anything at all. The makers have been honest enough to reveal the budget of the film and how much they have raised through contributions on the website. The figure mentioned reveals a sorry picture – while the film’s cost is Rs. 2 crores, people have contributed just Rs. 2 lakhs.
Lastly, there’s also a trend of films releasing directly on TV. The Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer Adbhut was one such film. Kisko Tha Pata, starring Akshay Oberoi, premiered on Zee Cinema on Christmas; the makers, however, claim that the film was always meant for a TV release.
8. Failure of ‘The Kashmir Files-inspired’ films
After the super-success of The Kashmir Files (2022) and The Kerala Story (2023), many filmmakers began making films in this space. But except The Sabarmati Report, which was an average grosser, the rest of the films like Bastar – The Naxal Story, The Diary Of West Bengal, Accident Or Conspiracy: Godhra, Jahangir National University, Hamare Baarah, Bengal 1947, etc. sank without a trace. Many of these films have not been acquired by any streaming platform.
9. South cinema’s resurgence in the Hindi-speaking markets
Last year, Salaar was the only South film that worked in Hindi. This year, the trend is back in action as HanuMan, Kalki 2898 AD and above all, Pushpa 2 worked at the box office. At the same time, movies like Kanguva, Hindustani 2, etc. bombed while Devara underperformed. Yet, the discussion has once again begun that Bollywood is in danger.
10. Franchise is the new superstar
Franchises hold a lot of value and can attract an audience in hordes. With the dearth of stars in our industry, more and more films will get sequels with the hope that it’ll excite the audience to buy tickets in large numbers.
11. Horror comedy is here to stay
A film like Munjya, which released with minimal expectations, managed to cross the Rs. 100 crores mark. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 was a huge blockbuster while Stree 2 is now the biggest all time Bollywood grosser. All three were horror comedies and now there’s a demand for more such films. It’s no wonder that Akshay Kumar has also come back to the genre with Bhooth Bangla.
12. Maddock rocked the show and how
Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films gave hope to the industry when his 2023 slice-of-life flick Zara Hatke Zara Bachke became a big hit. This year, he released three films – Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, Munjya and Stree 2 – and all three scored at the box office. Dinesh has thus become a force to reckon with.
13. Challenges of making remakes in the post-pandemic era
Except Drishyam 2 (2022), none of the remakes of South films have worked post-pandemic, more so if the dubbed Hindi versions of those films are available on YouTube. On certain channels, the dubbed versions are edited in a pacy fashion and hence, the satisfaction level is much higher. Hence, the audience doesn’t feel like watching the same story again in a Bollywood film. Moreover, since they have consumed a super-fast version of the original version, that too in Hindi, they are not as impressed when the narrative of the remake unravels at its own pace. The solution to this is to not make scene-by-scene or frame-by-frame remake and to ensure that there are enough surprises in the film.
14. Collaborations between big companies and production houses
The Dharma Productions-Adar Poonawala deal is the beginning of a new chapter in the industry, where companies with deep pockets can collaborate with film production houses and help them scale up. Excel Entertainment, Roy Kapur Films and Abundantia Entertainment are also taking the same route repeatedly.
15. 2025 will be better
As mentioned in the first point, 2024 was a year where most of the major actors didn’t have a release, which also affected the numbers. But in 2025, most of them will be back and hence, the cumulative box office figure for next year will definitely be better.
More Pages: Baby John Box Office Collection , Baby John Movie Review
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