After decades-long dominance of Bollywood in Indian cinema, regional cinemas have clocked growth in recent years. Especially in 2023 when the film-based entertainment segment grew 15% compared to the previous year to an all-time high of Rs 1,97, oo crore, as per the FICCI-EY report. It is also mentioned in the report that, the segment is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7% to Rs 2,38,00 crore in 2026. To be sure, there has been growth in film releases too. In 2023, film releases grew 11% compared to 2022. Reportedly, the highest number of films were released in Telugu (317), Tamil (271), Kannada (241), Malayalam and Hindi (218) in domestic theatricals in 2023, which seems to indicate the emergence of regional movies in the Indian cinematic landscape. Although Bollywood revived after blockbuster films like ‘Animal’, ‘Pathaan’; South Indian films also generated Rs 52,00 crore, 100 crore less than Hindi films.
Starting from Bahubali-The Beginning, RRR to Pushpa: The Rise and Manjummel Boys, several South Indian movies gained a mass appreciation and success at the box office as well. In this article, BrandWagon Online takes a look at a few reasons behind the rise of regional cinemas in India.
Content is the king
Gone are the days when the screen presence of a star could guarantee filmmakers a blockbuster movie. In fact, Shah Rukh Khan’s last few movies before his comeback with Pathaan are considered as failures at the box office. But on the other hand, regional films like KGF: Chapter 2, Saaho and Manjummel Boys earned chunks of money. As per Ormax report, Manjummel Boys, a Malayalam film earned over Rs 117 crore after February 2024, which places it ahead of Hindi movies like Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya and Article 370. These reports seem to point out the fact that, no matter if a movie has a star or not, people will flock to screens if the content is worthy.
Screens= mobile screens
89% of respondents answered with smartphone when asked most used devices for digital videos, stated a Statista report. It is also mentioned in the report that the survey was conducted in 2023 among 3889 consumers. With the rapid digitisation and advent of OTT platforms in India, people have been consuming content more on mobile screens than on any other device. OTT platforms feature regional movies alongside Bollywood ones which provides equal opportunities to grab the attention of consumers. With OTT platforms becoming mainstream alongside a growing appetite for digital content, regional movies seem to be getting more eyeballs than ever before.
The validation game
Other than viewers, regional movies have been getting validation from critics. For Instance, Malayalam film Jallikattu, directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery, was selected as India’s official entry to Oscars 2021. In addition to that, Naatu Naatu a song from RRR won the Oscar for best original song. While critical acclamations are considered to have very little direct impact on the box office, they seem to encourage regional filmmakers to make more films.
Money matters
With increasing popularity, larger streaming companies have been partnering with regional production houses, enabling them to enhance production quality and reach as well. For example, KGF: Chapter 2 had a budget of over Rs 100 crore. It’s Hindi version collected Rs 509 crore in terms of gross box office collections, as per an Ormax report.