August 2024 has emerged as the highest-grossing month of the year to date for the Indian box office, with total collections reaching Rs 1,291 crore, says a new report by insights firm Ormax Media. The collections, however, were still lower than the box office collections of August 2023, which stood at Rs 1,610 crore.
Leading this year’s performance was Stree 2, which contributed to more than half of the month’s earnings, and is on its way to become the highest-grossing Hindi film of all time, surpassing Jawan. “Stree 2 has struck a chord with audiences, thanks to its innovative blend of horror and comedy. This fresh approach has made horror more accessible and engaging, attracting not only traditional horror fans but also younger viewers, urban audiences, and even those who typically avoid horror films,” says Ashish Saksena, COO – Cinemas, BookMyShow.
The Rs 1,291-crore figure includes projected earnings from films still in theatres.
The report says Stree 2 is on track to surpass Jawan’s Hindi box office collection of Rs 673 crore. However, Jawan’s total collections across all languages remain higher at Rs 734 crore. With this, Stree 2 has also become the second-highest-grossing film of the year, only behind Kalki 2898 AD.
The cumulative box office collections for the January-August 2024 period reached Rs 6,868 crore, reflecting a 7.5% decline from the same period in 2023. This drop highlights the industry’s challenges, although August’s record numbers provided much-needed relief for the year.
Seven out of the top 10 highest-grossing films in August were released on Independence Day (August 15), demonstrating the substantial influence of holidays on box office success. “Holiday weekends are important, but they have to be backed by strong content,” says film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh.
The success of Stree 2 also led to an increase in the market share of Hindi films, with Hindi language collections rising from 35% in July to 40% in August. Meanwhile, Telugu and Malayalam films saw a dip in their box office share, with fewer significant releases compared to the earlier months of the year.
Another contributing factor to the impressive box office performance in August was the re-release of classic films that didn’t perform well during their original runs. Films like Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein grossed Rs 8.80 crore after more than 20 years, while Laila Majnu earned Rs 9.15 crore after its re-release in 2024 (originally released in 2018).
“The film Laila Majnu started in Srinagar with one screen and was eventually re-released by PVR Inox as a cult classic with 75 screens. By the time it fully rolled out, it opened at 225 screens and kept doubling its numbers over the weekend. This is rare and shows that films are not just about opening weekends; if a film is good, it will keep finding its audience,” says actor Avinash Tiwary, who starred in Laila Majnu.