The last two months of this year will mean big business in Bollywood. Over 30 films, including big-ticket flicks like Thugs of Hindostan, Simmba, Zero and Total Dhamaal, are all set to hit the silver screen. And industry sources estimate that there will be around Rs 1000 crore at stake in November and December.
“The start of this year was fantastic, and if it ends well, it will be great for the film industry,” says trade analyst Atul Mohan.
Another trade source, however, says that the months ahead may not be so promising after all. “Badhaai Ho is expected to pick up, but it should have done around Rs 10 crore on the first day, and it did much less than that,” the source says.
But Atul says that this isn’t necessarily indicative of how films coming out in the next few months will fare. “These days, a lot of money is put into marketing. Film teams get teasers and posters made early, and they spend a bomb on social and digital media promotions. Total Dhamaal will be made at a cost of over Rs 100 crore; Thugs of Hindostan is YRF’s costliest film to date with a budget of around Rs 180 crore; Simmba must also cost around Rs 100 crore; and Zero will have many zeroes in it, with its budget touching Rs 200 crore. But the reports doing the rounds about these films are good, and people have high expectations of them,” he says.
