The Hindi film industry, which forms nearly 80% of the R83,300 crore Indian film trade, is gearing up for the festival season with a slew of new releases in the coming weeks. As many as 30 films will hit the theatres between August 31 (Eid) and October 26 (Diwali), followed by another 30 in the period between Diwali and Christmas.
According to trade estimates, in excess of R500 crore is riding on the festival season, which traditionally witnesses a success ratio of 20-25%, more than the industry average of 15-18%. Footfalls in multiplexes record a 100% jump too, leading to increased hall occupancy.
Amod Mehra, a film trade analyst, says, ?In the festival season, film viewing becomes an essential part of celebrations. People come in large numbers. Many films see repeat audiences too. Big films do very well and even the smaller ones do decent business. Hence, producers tend to queue up releases during this time.?
The most prominent films in the next month-and-half include Reliance Entertaiment?s Salman Khan-starrer Bodyguard, Eros International?s Mausam (Pankaj Kapur?s directorial debut), Yashraj Films? Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Sanjay Dutt Production?s Rascals and Eros? Shahrukh Khan-starrer superhero flick Ra.One.
The highly anticipated films post Diwali, are Rockstar, Desi Boyz, The Dirty Picture, Agent Vinod and Don 2 that releases on Christmas.
According to producers, this season maximises a film?s monetisation. Kamal Jain, CFO, Eros International, which has 5-6 big releases lined up, says, ?Festival holidays and extended weekends increase chances of a film?s success. Every film releasing this season is of a different genre, thus giving a money-making opportunity to everyone.?
Meanwhile, multiplex operators are celebrating as the Eid to Diwali window has widened this year, allowing them to rake in higher box-office collections. Sunil Punjabi, CEO, Cinemax says, ?Normally, it is October when the festive season is at its peak with Eid and Diwali falling either together or back-to-back. This year, since the window is longer than a month, there?s a fresh flow of content from September itself.?
With increasing footfalls, sales of food and beverages at multiplexes are also likely to go up by 15-20%. Punjabi adds, ?We expect the average ticket price to increase by 5-6% in this season. We?re also offering special food combos and pre-booking and block booking facilities in some of our properties.?