No Festive Returns At Box Office: As Holiday Releases Fail, Will Singham Again, BB3 Turn It Around?

Bollywood Box Office: Festive time is usually when viewers step out with their families to watch movies on the big screen. Banking on this, makers plan their release strategy, often aiming for holiday slots. However, this year, which has been rather underwhelming for Bollywood, commercially and critically speaking, most festive releases have failed to create an impact on the box office as expected. This worrying trend is not just limited to Hindi movies but South cinema as well, with the Tamil and Telugu industries only managing to score a few scattered hits this year.

An average start to 2024

The year began with Sankranthi and Republic Day . The early January period saw the release of Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif starrer thriller Merry Christmas . There were hardly any buyers for the film, which ended up doing ₹19.61 crore, emerging as a box office failure.

This was followed by the release of Fighter, starring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone . With a huge budget riding on the big banner production and good marketing, it was expected to do well critically and commercially. However, it ended up collecting just ₹211.75 crore and even received mixed reviews.

No love for movies on Valentine's Day

Rom-com Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, starring Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon, released a week ahead of Valentine's Day trying to continue with the initial momentum on February 14. However, it could only manage to collect a little over ₹85 crore at the box office. The verdict remains below average for the movie, but it was praised for its innovative storyline and the introduction of an AI robot character in a Hindi film for the first time.

Holi offers no cheer

Kareena Kapoor, Kriti Sanon and Tabu starrer Crew released on Holi with no major competition at the box office. It was marketed well but opened to mixed reviews. As a result, it managed to collect only a little over ₹80 crore and emerged as a below-average success.

No Eidi for BMCM and Maidaan      

Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff starrer Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Ajay Devgn 's Maidaan arrived as twin releases on Eid. However, both movies flopped incurring huge losses to the respective makers. Collectively, both movies did collections of a little over ₹100 crore, turning one of the most lucrative box office periods into a disaster.

Slight respite on Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan    

A three-way clash was in the offing on Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan . Stree 2, Khel Khel Mein and Vedaa released, but only Stree 2 could emerge as a hit. The Shraddha Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao starrer pulled off a big surprise at the box office and steadily became the highest-grossing Hindi film with over ₹600 crore business in India alone. However, Khel Khel Mein and Vedaa bombed.  

October releases prove to be big disappointments

October 2, Gandhi Jayanti did not see any Hindi films releasing. However, Dussehra saw a clash between Alia Bhatt 's Jigra and Rajkummar Rao's Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video. Many believed a clash could be averted with either of the films releasing a week earlier during the holiday period. 

However, that could not have changed the fate of the two movies as both failed commercially.

Now, with Diwali coming up on November 1, a big clash is lined up again. Will Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and Singham Again turn it around for festive releases this year? Time will tell.

Also Read: OTT Movies This Week: Do Patti, Sarfira, BBC On Trial, Meiyazhagan & More Titles For Diwali Week | Republic World