Are Bollywood re-releases a profitable box office model?

This has been a decent year for Bollywood films at the box office. While it took the industry eight months into the year to deliver a solid box office blockbuster in Stree 2, several re-released films also kept holding the fort right. But, how viable is this business of re-releasing films in theatres? Is it actually boosting the industry and helping it revive the box office in the absence of new films? Or is it just another blind trend at the ticket window that’s being followed left, right and centre?
India Today digital spoke to trade experts to shed light on the reality of this business model. According to Rohit Jaiswal, the industry has definitely benefitted from the re-releases. Talking specifically about the numbers that the re-releases have added, he said, “The business is not as high as Rs 100 crore, which is what several reports have claimed, but it is also nothing. Tummbad has recorded good traction, followed by Rockstar, Laila Majnu, Veer Zara, and others. These re-released Hindi films have collectively earned in the range of Rs 60-70 crore nett at the box office, which is not a figure to be dismissed.”
Rohit added that this business model is not new. He continued, “Movies have been re-released since forever. And it provides a new lease of life to those films which deserved a good presence in theatres but somehow, couldn’t garner the same upon their original release. Imagine the kind of visibility Tumbbad, which was a brilliant film, has received upon its re-release now in theatres. In fact, it also revived actor Sohum Shah’s career. The motivation was such that the makers ended up announcing the sequel to the film.”
Even though the business is not tremendous, it seems the industry is not losing anything by re-releasing the films. Rohit went on, “There’s moderate business happening at the box office with these re-releases. And this trend is going to continue in the coming year as well. Because why not? We are not losing anything. In fact, the audience is only enjoying these movies more. Another thing is how these re-releases are helping the multiplexes in Tier I cities. These major urban centres have a lot to benefit from re-releases. I would agree that single screens have nothing to gain, but multiplexes have an opportunity to thrive.”
While Rohit is of the opinion that the industry should continue with the trend, another trade expert, Joginder Tuteja, feels this is just an overdone trend. While speaking to us, he called the trend a “fallacy”. When asked if these re-releases have collectively earned Rs 100 crore nett at the box office or not, he shared, “It’s a fallacy that Rs 100 crore has been collected. That’s false. The business of these releases is not more than Rs 50 crore. Tumbbad made about Rs 30–32 crore, Laila Majnu did about Rs 7–8 crore and Rockstar did about Rs 7–8 crore, Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein did around Rs 5–7 crore. That’s about it. Veer Zara made around Rs 3–4 crore. Apart from that, no other film has touched even Rs 1 crore.”
He continued, “All of it combines to around Rs 50–60 crore, but not Rs 100 crore. It’s a huge fallacy that this is a new business model. Because if you see, after Tumbbad, about 5–6 movies were released, and I am sure, no one is even aware when they came and left. Wake Up Sid, the Kareena Kapoor film festival – nothing fetched any major audience.”
Tuteja added that the problem is in overdoing the trend. According to him, the trend could have resulted in a measurable success if the industry didn’t simply blindly follow it and made thoughtful choices about which films to re-release in theatres. He shared, “Honestly, among all these movies, only Tumbbad saw good traction in theatres. That too, because it was pitched like a fresh film. It is just a fad like how they say Hollywood films are doing well, and then we see outside Marvel, there are hardly any films that are doing well. Saying that business is back, and the audience is back in theatres, it’s all nothing. It gets overdone and eventually gets quashed by the audience.”
He went on, “They ended up re-releasing so many movies that it took the whole charm away. Today, even though there are movies arriving in theatres all over again, there is hardly any audience. So, no, it’s definitely a failed model. I do not see it converting into a legit business unless they come up with a way and release something which didn’t find any audience in theatres upon its original release but was hailed as a classic later.”
For Ashish Saksena, COO – Cinemas, BookMyShow, the trend establishes the audience’s love for having a big screen experience at last. In an exclusive conversation with us, he underscored the importance of a theatrical viewing experience in the age of OTT.
He highlighted that even if the business remains moderate, it proves that the audience wants to watch cinema. “There is one key takeaway from this trend of re-releases – people want to watch films on the silver screen, an experience that is ingrained in the culture of Indian audiences. It is especially encouraging considering that a lot of these re-released films are currently available on OTT platforms. This is a reassurance that the cinema business is here to stay and audiences will flock to cinemas if the content is engaging and carries relevance across time. The buzz created on social media further adds to the anticipation particularly among younger audiences who may have missed these films during their original runs,” he explained.
Saksena added that it’s all about giving another chance to the “timeless classics”. He said, “Historically, re-releases of some fan favourites and classics like Sholay, Deewar, and Mughal-E-Azam have always seen success. Recent re-releases like Tumbbad, Laila Majnu, Veer Zara and Rockstar have brought a renewed energy to this trend. These films continue to resonate with audiences because they tell timeless stories that transcend generations.”
Saksensa went on to provide some data to support how the re-releases have definitely been accepted and liked by the audience. He shared, “These titles have found reaffirmed appreciation, showing that timeless stories resonate across generations. With 2.5 million tickets sold for Bollywood re-releases this year on BookMyShow, these films have created fresh momentum at the box office.”
The biggest trend to observe is that there’s an audience for all kinds of cinema. While re-releases have potential, a lot depends on how these films manage to re-gauge the audience’s attention at the ticket window. “Looking back, the success achieved so far highlights that there is a dedicated audience for thoughtfully curated films that stand the test of time and as this trend grows, it can provide additional business opportunities. It’s an exciting space for filmmakers and exhibitors to explore in the coming years, as cinephiles clearly enjoy revisiting cinematic gems on the silver screen,” he concluded.
In the cinema, things are not usually black or white. Success of any film doesn’t depend on the box office, but like anything in life, if you are lucky enough to get that second chance, you should immediately grab it and put efforts into making it work better this time. For many of these films, made with immense love and creative narratives, the trend of re-releases is a second opportunity to find a place in the audience’s heart and add to their viewing experience.
Having said that, success is all about making the right choice. Make it count the second time!