On Friday, over 6 million moviegoers thronged theatres as about 4,000 screens across India offered film tickets at just ₹99 as part of National Cinema Day celebrations of the Multiplex Association of India (MAI). Even as new flicks such as Stree 2, Yudhra and Kahan Shuru Kahan Khatam made hay thanks to the promotional prices, older movies like Tumbbad and Veer Zara too had a terrific run.
In fact, re-runs are the surprise success story at the box office, raking in the moolah. Tumbbad, initially released in 2018, has minted over ₹16 crore during its second coming. Cinema houses say occupancies for older films – re-released by theatres to make up for lack of fresh content – are 25-40 per cent.
Kamal Gianchandani, CEO, PVR Pictures and President, MAI, said, “Close to 50 films have been re-released this year. What has been surprising is the quantum of business that some of the re-released movies have done. Movies such as Tumbbad, Rockstar, Laila Majnu, Veer Zara and Rehna Hai Tere Dil Me have done very well.”
Cashing in
Tamil blockbuster Ghilli, which was re-released in April after 20 years, garnered as much as ₹40 crore in collections. More recently, Rockstar garnered ₹11-12 crore. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh pointed out in a post on X on Saturday that Veer Zara, which was re-released last weekend, drew a notable number of viewers despite limited screenings.
Tapping into the trend, on Friday PVR INOX kickstarted a film festival dedicated to Kareena Kapoor, screening a curation of her iconic movies. “The team at PVR INOX has been consistently gauging consumer feedback to plan content re-release in various territories,” said Gianchandani.
Amit Sharma, MD, Miraj Entertainment Ltd said, “We are seeing young consumers and Gen Z movie buffs coming to watch the re-released movies. For Tumbbad, we have already recorded nearly one lakh admissions. We are showcasing Gangs of Wasseypur and the numbers are phenomenal.”
Producer Girish Johar said, “Box-office collections are lagging by 10-15 per cent compared to the same period last year. The re-releases are helping re-energise the box-office to a certain extent.”
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