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OPINION: How did Bollywood fail to plan a better release calendar? Can the industry avoid upcoming clashes?
While September is facing lack of significant Hindi releases, meanwhile, we're gearing up for four major showdowns in the final quarter of 2024. Why couldn't Bollywood make a better release calendar?
After a decent first half of 2024, we assumed we would witness a crackling second half, as per the box office returns. While the success of Stree 2 proves our assumptions right, the failure of other releases gives us a setback. Though it was already clear in our minds that this year would not have much to offer in terms of event films, several underdog movies like Crew, Shaitaan, Munjya, and Stree 2 brought smiles by performing well at the ticket window. But what hurts the most are the upcoming clashes and the poorly designed release calendar.
Taking only the second half of 2024 into account, we can see multiple big movies are trapped in clashes. We have just witnessed what happened in the Independence Day clash between Stree 2, Khel Khel Mein, and Vedaa, yet the makers are still not ready to reshuffle the release calendar. For the record, we are yet to see further clashes during Dussehra, Diwali, December 6, and Christmas. Why? Is there no other way around?
The point is, why can't filmmakers find a middle ground and take advantage of a solo release date? September has no significant Hindi release. With Sky Force being pushed back from October 2nd, the Gandhi Jayanti weekend is also open. Essentially, Bollywood won't see any major releases until Dussehra 2024. This situation will likely lead cinema chains to re-release older films, tapping into the nostalgia factor to boost their earnings.
The big trap of Clashes
Agree or not, most clashes have proven to be failures in terms of box office performance. On the one hand, you lose out on screens, and on the other, your product has to be exceptionally strong to attract the audience over your rival release. Moreover, you also have to fight for significant showtimes and screen availability.
In the latest clash between Stree 2, Khel Khel Mein, and Vedaa, the horror-comedy worked extremely well, while the other two movies faced outright rejection from the audience despite generating some positive word of mouth. Had there been no clash, the Akshay Kumar and John Abraham movies could have potentially made double the revenue they have generated now. They could have easily avoided the clash by shifting to the next month and maintaining a healthy gap of two weeks.
In the first half of 2024, we also witnessed several clashes where movies fell flat on the opening day itself. These examples serve as testimony to this trend—Bade Miyan Chote Miyan vs. Maidaan, Sarfira vs. Indian 2, or Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha vs. Ulajh.
What attracts the filmmakers to clash at festivals?
Of course, the holiday period during festivals helps movies attract more footfalls and generate higher revenues. But that doesn’t mean filmmakers should pack two or three movies into the same festival weekend and leave an entire month starving for releases. This isn’t just the case for September; we’ve seen the same pattern in the past, too.
After the release of Hrithik Roshan’s Fighter in January, the next two biggies, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan hit the big screen on the same date in April. Later, we witnessed a three-way clash on August 15. While there have been small and mid-budget movies trying to fill the gaps in between, the real question remains—why can’t filmmakers avoid these clashes and plan the release calendar more effectively?
Some filmmakers might be doing this out of a lack of confidence in their product. They might be banking solely on the festival occasion, knowing that the movie wouldn’t perform as well during a normal release period. While they might get an initial push due to the holiday crowd, they won’t be able to make any profit if the movie isn’t worth the audience’s time and money. On the other hand, some filmmakers might intentionally clash with others just to cut into their rival’s shows and hamper their business. This could be a big problem.
Deliberately releasing movies on the same date to sabotage the competition is not just counterproductive for the industry as a whole, but it also reflects a lack of strategic planning. If the industry continues down this path, it could create an environment where even good films struggle to find their audience simply because of poor timing. A well-planned release calendar would benefit everyone—filmmakers, theaters, and, most importantly, the audience.
What should the Hindi Film Industry do?
The industry should learn to unite as one family and start behaving like an organized sector. The filmmakers should come together and mutually decide which film should have the benefit of a big festive date and which can be released on normal days. Of course, there are only 52 weeks in a year and we are producing around 180-200 movies a year. Out of these, 8 to 10 movies are mounted on a huge budget and are meant to be event films. Definitely, there would be clashes! But Can we try to avoid them? Can we limit them?
The makers should look for a better solo release date than being among the crowd on a big festive date. Overall, if the content and marketing campaign click, they will generate profit.
How can the Industry avoid upcoming clashes?
Talking about the Dussehra clash - we have potential four releases as of now- Alia Bhatt's Jigra, Rajkummar Rao's Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video, Suriya's Kanguva and Rajinikanth's Vettaiyan. While the makers of Kanguva and Vettaiyan are contemplating to avoid the clash, there are chances of Rajkummar Rao's comedy movie to shift to a later date. If there are two new releases on Dussehra, it would be a better situation.
If Kanguva or Vettaiyan shifts to Diwali, we will face another three-way clash on Diwali 2024 between the Tamil film, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and Singham Again. Among the two Bollywood movies, one should immediately take the call and shift to October 2nd weekend and enjoy the benefit of the solo release; otherwise, they would end up hampering each other's business. They both hold a strong fan base and have the potential to end up among the top 5 money-spinners of 2024.
The next clash is between Vicky Kaushal's Chhava and Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2. Contrary to the reports of postponement, the makers of Pushpa 2 have cleared the air that they are coming on December 6. The pressure will be now on Chhava to look for another date or face the wave of mass-action drama. As of now, they can only wish for Pushpa sequel’s postponement. Ideally, they should start a conversation and mutually decide if one of them can move to a later date.
The last clash of 2024 will be on Christmas Weekend, when two Bollywood biggies are coming together, along with a Hollywood movie. Reportedly, Varun Dhawan's mass-action drama Baby John is clashing with Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par on Christmas 2024. Moreover, Mufasa: The Lion King is also releasing on the same weekend.
Though, Aamir Khan is going through a rough phase, his box office pull can never be underestimated. He can surprise with the content and at the box office too. Ideally, the makers of Baby John should think of preponing their movie to October 2nd or take a better date in September, especially if the teams behind Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 or Singham Again are hesitant to change their plans for a potential clash.
That's all! Hopefully, you enjoyed reading it. Please share your thoughts on the same in the comment section.
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