Is Hindi cinema losing its theatre-going crowd?
Once upon a time, signboards on top of cinema hall ticket counters screamed ‘HOUSEFULL’, in all-caps. As you persuaded the salesperson sitting behind the counter to have mercy on you and get you tickets, your eyes would search for people selling the tickets in black. You wouldn’t mind paying some extra bucks or waiting in queues in the hot sun, to watch your favourite star in a film you’d long been waiting for. Those days, these desperations seemed worth it.
Cut to now: Buying a film ticket is as easy as flipping a page. Go to movie booking apps and voila! You have the ticket with the seat of your choice. Still, movie theatres have never been emptier.
When was the last time you truly waited with bated breath for a Friday to arrive so that you could watch the film of your choice? Do you remember counting days backwards or keeping track on the calendar for that one fateful Friday for a film to release in theatres? Most of the young audience can’t even relate to what is being talked about here. And that is where the problem lies.
The movie theatre-going culture in India for Hindi films is steadily taking a hit. What could possibly be the reason(s)? Let’s decode.
ARE FEWER FILMS RELEASING NOW?
Every year, around 700-1000 films are released across languages in India. 150-200 are in Hindi alone. However, not many seem to enthral the audience enough to have them thronging the theatres. The question is, do lesser films release in theatres now as compared to the pre-Covid days?
Trade expert Taran Adarsh told India Today Digital, “The number of films has reduced when compared to the pre-Covid days. It is because projects are being banned, financials have been shaken, and there are a number of flops. Overall, the film industry is in the correction process. Corrective measures are being taken to actually rectify the mistakes that were committed earlier.”
Trade analyst Akkshay Rathie spoke to India Today Digital about the ‘significant reduction’ of Hindi film releases. Reasoning it out, he said, “Post-Covid, the consumption patterns of people and choices changed drastically. And that resulted in a loss. The industry has actually gone back to the drawing board and weighing in what’s working and what’s not.”
He added, “Big screen spectacles need a certain budget and grade of cast. There are only so many actors you can count on to be able to mount those scales. The number of smaller films that used to be made for which people used to go to the theatres has reduced drastically. That’s why the overall count of Hindi releases has also reduced.”
WHAT IS CHANGING?
Changes are important, sure, but what is leading to the rapid decline in footfall in theatres? Are the makers running out of ideas for good content or has the audience consumption pattern changed, leaning more towards OTT?
Akkshay said, “Those two years of lockdown expedited the consumption pattern change drastically. What would have organically happened in, let’s say 10 years, actually happened in 2 years. The audience got used to the convenience of sitting at home and consuming content. They’ve become a lot more selective about what they venture out to the cinemas for. People now actually prefer to watch films at home.”
Anil Sharma, director of hitmaker Gadar 2, reflected on how OTT has played a huge role in people’s theatrical patterns. He told India Today Digital, “Movies start coming on OTT after eight weeks. People wait for films on OTT when they can watch them with the whole family. Tickets are so expensive these days. People think ‘How many movies should I watch? I have already seen one’.”
Higher costs of tickets also play a huge role in why a person can think twice before watching a film in a theatre. Not to forget the outrageous prices of popcorn and snacks. An average middle-class person might not want to shell out Rs 2000 in the theatres for a family of four. And to top it all, the audience’s taste is also changing.
“The audience has become more ruthless. But then, the audience was ruthless earlier too,” said Taran Adarsh, further adding, “Today, going to a theatre is more expensive than it was earlier because the ticket pricing needs to be made more affordable.”
LACK OF BIG TICKET RELEASES AND A FORMIDABLE FILM CALENDAR
Let’s go back to 2007. Every second Hindi film, Chak De India, Dhamaal, Guru, Heyy Babyy, Om Shanti Om, Partner, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Welcome, Taare Zameen Par, went on to become blockbusters. Can you imagine that happening in 2025?
It is the lack of good scripts and big stars that is leading to a lack of audiences in theatres.
“Every year has different kinds of films coming in different budgets and styles. Hopefully, this year we will have all the 52 windows, 52 Fridays, being grabbed by the movies because last year many important dates were left out. That was one of the reasons why there was scarcity of content and the lack of audience resulted in the bleeding of theatres. I hope things get better this year,” said Taran Adarsh, optimism running high.
He said, “Yes, we need big films. We need to keep going. The big stars at least guarantee big openings, but, eventually, it all boils down to content. I’m not denying that, but big stars have to be there.”
Taran added, “We must have a good and impressive film calendar. Only then will things work.”
EVOLVING AUDIENCE TASTE PRE-COVID AND POST-COVID
In 2018-2019, the two years before the pandemic hit us, we had both big ticket and small-scale films working for Hindi cinema. Take, for instance, Manmarziyaan, Padman, Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, Sanju, Andhadhun, Gully Boy, Kesari, Mission Mangal, URI and Dabangg 3.
This was followed by three years of duds (2020–2021) and the deadly Omicron wave in 2022, when stepping inside theatres would be considered an act of courage. In 2023, the Hindi film industry saw a resurrection with Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Sunny Deol, and others, belting out one hit after the other. It was a year that truly resurrected the Hindi film industry.
2024, unfortunately, was abysmal for Bollywood. You did have National Award-winner Alia Bhatt in Jigra, Akshay Kumar-Tiger Shroff’s Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Sidharth Malhotra’s Yodha, Hrithik Roshan’s Fighter, Randeep Hooda’s Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, Kareena Kapoor Khan’s The Buckingham Murders, and others, but none of them worked at the box office.
Simultaneously, small-scale films didn’t work either. Thankfully, films like Laapataa Ladies and Stree 2 did hold the fort, but then that’s it. When you have to strain your brain to recall the superhit films of the year, you know there’s a problem.
ARE HOLIDAY WINDOWS WORKING?
Hindi film producers and distributors often eye a holiday release. However, that isn’t a shortcut to success. Neither does it guarantee a longer running time at 70 mm.
“It does help to an extent, because you get the advantage of a holiday and people want to step out and watch movies. But having said that, eventually, it all boils down to the content and whether it is worth watching. Holiday or no holiday, a film will work if it’s good. Animal and Pushpa 2, both were non-holiday releases. Makers need to be aware of what the audience wants to watch instead of giving them what we want them to watch,” said Taran.
IS THE WAIT FOR THEATRICAL RELEASES FADING AWAY?
When was the last time you waited for a weekend, only to socialise all the way? All you want to do on a weekend now is to just stay indoors, cosy up in a blanket with a warm cup of cocoa, order your favourite food and watch content controlled by a remote. You can take as many pauses as you want and not finish the film at one go. The world is rapidly moving towards a faster life. Hence, a lot of youngsters and 9-5 corporate employees prefer staying indoors and consuming content, until the makers are creating films that will compel the audience to step out of their comfort zones and dedicate their time and energy to going to a movie hall and watching a film.
Latching onto this thought, Akkshay Rathie said, “There’s so much access to recreation now. But then, people were waiting for Pathaan and Animal. These days, there are only a handful of films which give you a theatrically worthy experience.”
Agreeing that people’s enthusiasm to watch a film in theatres is indeed fading away, Taran believed that theatre’s good days might return soon. “Hopefully, there will be a corrective issue and, in the passage of time, we’ll be able to sort it out and bring back the audience’s trust.”
PEAK OF OTT
The rise of OTT platforms has played a huge role in reducing the number of people watching films in theatres. A film runs in theatres for as many as eight weeks. The audience know that even if they miss a big theatre experience for a film, they can always catch it later on OTT, at their own convenience.
Akkshay said, “OTT has changed people’s theatre-going experience. But having said that, not just OTT, there are many other factors too. Cinema is not just competing with OTT. It’s competing with every form of outdoor recreation, which includes going out to a restaurant, a live concert, and many other things.”
Filmmaker Anil Sharma weighed in, and added how multiple forms of recreation and content-consuming platforms are leaving the ‘audience confused’. He said, “They consume content on OTT and TV. They are getting reels from all over the world and their patience level for reels doesn’t last over two minutes. There have been changes in the way the audience sees things, but cinema is still a cinema. When good films come, the public will go in large numbers.”
He observed why 2024 was a nil year in the Hindi film industry, as compared to 2023, when Pathaan, Jawan, Gadar 2, The Kerala Story, and Animal, left the cash registers ringing all year through.
“2024 didn’t perform well because the actors who gave superhits in 2023 will take a year or two to come back again,” concluded Sharma.
2025, on the other hand, looks rather promising with almost every big star returning with a film. Salman Khan’s Sikandar, Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par, Akshay Kumar’s Sky Force and Housefull 5, Vicky Kaushal’s Chhaava, Hrithik Roshan’s War 2, and Tiger Shroff’s Baaghi 4 – to name a few. But is the optimism worth it? One can only hope.
Not that makers aren’t trying, but one can only wish for a set formula that would revamp the fate of movie theatres for the Hindi-speaking audience. Sadly, there’s none. The only way out of this loop is to create stories that trace back to our roots and remind you of simpler times; knowing and accepting the audience’s ever-evolving taste and creating stories that will prompt the audience to book a big screen experience.
Its high time Hindi filmmakers took the road less travelled. And now, more than ever.
