For some time, Hindi cinema has gone the way of the major festivals to box office goldmines. This can be seen from the schedule of upcoming movies like Stree 2, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, Singham Again, Sky Force, Baby John and Sitaare Zameen Par set for release on Independence Day, Gandhiji Day, Diwali and Christmas respectively. Holiday seasons have historically been proven as high points in the industry when it comes to attracting more viewership and revenues. In addition to this Atul Mohan a trade expert notes that there is an added value in releasing films during this time because “Holidays do generally guarantee more foot traffic than weekdays and wider screenings of movies, so even if a movie has a mixed response it can still attract a larger audience” (2019).
Holiday 2024 Release
A winning combo?
Historically, Indian film business understands the marriage of pictures with festivities as profitable one. Diwali, Eid, Christmas, Independence Day among others are characterized by heavy consumer spending and leisure time. This creates a perfect environment for moviegoers during which they watch movies on these public holidays and in turn it leads to an increase in the number of people who go to theaters. The major film distributors and producers exploit this tendency by releasing their blockbusters around these dates, intending to capture a festive mood of the audience and get more people in. According to trade analyst Girish Wankhede: “Festivals along with weekends give families a good reason to step out of homes mostly towards malls & cinemas”. This year’s Independence Day for example has 15-20 different language films released over the long weekend.
In this regard distributor-exhibitor Akshaye Rathi commented that “There is a big push from big festivals because nobody works and there is plenty of time for people to go to cinema houses for compelling movies.” ”Nevertheless at any given point in time, a well-packaged film may attract viewership. However, ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’ was released during Ramadhan and had amazing sales.” There are so many films that have been successful without taking advantage of holiday periods. While it is true that holidays can boost a movie’s opening; they may not necessarily have an effect on its overall performance.
The worst thing is long weekends
Streets 2 which is expected to be another hit horror comedy follow up will be out on Independence Day. Following the first Streets’ surprising blend of humor versus horror, it is expected that this sequel will either equal or surpass it (Schwartzbauer). By opting for “Independence Day”, the producers enable their movie make use of the long weekend thus making huge income from Box Office collections. Other films due for release on Diwali are ‘Singham Again’ and ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’.
Holiday 2023
Joyful ambience
Many families have made a tradition of watching movies on Diwali festivities. Film openings at this point usually bring in much more money through the box office. Singham and Bhool Bhulaiyaa established festive mood at Diwali box office, with their already existing fan base and an entertainment-starved crowd gathering there.
Holiday-oriented publishing strategies don’t just revolve around Independence Day and Diwali. Other festivals like Eid, Christmas, and Republic Day also form a basis for major film releases. To illustrate, whenever any movie comes out during Eid holidays by Salman Khan he always holds the top spot on the charts for it has to do well as usual or even better if possible. Moreover, Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan usually release their blockbusters during Christmas and Diwali respectively.
Holiday 2022 release
More viewers
Several factors drive this holiday dependence. Firstly, holidays provide an opportunity for a larger audience, thanks to long breaks and generally cheerful atmosphere. Secondly, the race for these dates by movie-makers indicates their significance in the box office battle. Most times, release of a movie during holidays becomes the difference between it being regarded as great or a classic. Thirdly, marketing campaigns which come with festivals are usually more successful as they can resonate with the people’s feelings. However, this trend also brings challenges. Tough competition in the festival slot can lead to conflicts among major releases thereby splitting audiences and affecting individual receipts of box office revenue. Also at such prime times smaller films may be unable to gain traction because of big budget releases hogging all attention.
However, Komal Nahta – trade analyst disputed this trend related to holidays that he did not exist before: “This trend didn’t exist about 10-15 years ago because movies would be in theaters for 10-15-25 weeks but now the game is pretty much over in the first week,” he said.
Strategic adjustment
In summary, Bollywood’s dependence on holidays like Independence Day and Diwali shows that it understands consumer habits and market forces very well. Examples include “Stree 2” and “Singham Again” which illustrate how holiday seasons can amplify box office returns thus making festive releases central to film distribution strategies of industry players. Should cultural or social relevance continue dominating this celebration; then we should expect this move ahead into future years impacting Bollywood’s calendar of releases in upcoming decade?
