Bollywood?s cash registers kept ringing in the first four months of 2010, generating Rs 400 crore in box office collections, the industry?s best January-April show in the last three years. Apart from witnessing the largest number of releases ? 40 in all ?in three years, the period also saw movies like My Name Is Khan, Housefull, Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge, Ishqiya and Love Sex Aur Dhoka fetching healthy collections. It seems IPL?s 45-day cricket extravaganza was not enough to draw many viewers away from theatres.

Analysts said that collections for Bollywood films grew 30% in this period, compared to the same period of the last two-three years. This is expected to give a boost to the financials of most leading exhibitors.

?The last quarter of 2009-10 definitely saw good collections. Spillover from the success of 3 Idiots and the success of several small films have led to a strong fourth quarter compared to the previous years?,? said Devang Sampat, senior vice-president at Cinemax, a leading multiplex chain.

Analysts said that collections from film exhibition for multiplexes in Q4 is usually 15-20% less than Q3 (October-December), which is the best-performing quarter. ?Of the four quarters, Q1 and Q4 contribute much less compared to Q2 and Q3, when big films are released. However, in 2009-10, Q4?s performance is the second-best after Q3. And that will certainly help exhibitors like PVR, Inox, Cinemax and others post better financials for the whole fiscal,? says a senior analyst with a leading brokerage firm.

According to experts, between PVR, Inox and Cinemax, total 2009-10 sales stood at around Rs 600 crore. This is expected to be 12-15% higher than the previous fiscal, with Q4?s good show being a major contributor.

Some analysts are skeptical about the profitability of these movies. ?It is true that collections have been good, but there is a big question mark on profitability. It remains to be seen which film project actually made money for everybody,? says Jehill Thakkar, head of media and entertainment, KPMG. But going forward, big projects like Kites, Raavan and Rajneeti are expected to attract more people to theatres, adds Thakkar.

In the last three years, collections plunged thanks to IPL, while last year had witnessed a dip due to the standoff between exhibitors and producers.

?Traditionally, because of school exams in March, only a few big films are released between January and March. This year, it was different. Not only did the number of released movies increase, but the success rate for films was better as well,? says an analyst. With success secured till April, Bollywood is now looking forward to the upcoming release of big-budget movies like Kites, Raavan and Raajneeti.