With the festival season expected to bring in larger returns than the rest of the year, as is often the case, could 2025 end on a high note for Bollywood? Mint explains:
Why is the festival season crucial for the box office?
The festive season, especially from October to December, is regarded as the key period for box office success each year, drawing audiences to theatres worldwide. Many of the most anticipated films across different languages and regions are released around this time, with producers aiming to benefit from long holiday weekends and the tendency for families to go out together and spend on entertainment.
Films grossed ₹5,723 crore in the first half of 2025. Hindi films made up 39% of this worth around ₹2,231 crore, up 30% from ₹1,700 crore in the first half of last year 2024, according to media consulting firm Ormax. Still, overall box office collections in 2024 had declined 13% year on year, falling below pre-pandemic levels. The next few months will help determine the extent of the industry’s revival.
For now, the start to this financial year is promising. In the June quarter of FY26, multiplex leader PVR-Inox said Bollywood’s gross box office grew 38% to ₹387.6 crore year on year. Hollywood box office, meanwhile, swelled 72% to ₹225.7 crore and regional box office remained largely stable at ₹242.9 crore in the same time period.
Also Read: Hollywood strikes back in Indian cinemas, but the real test lies ahead
How does the line-up look this season?
Despite no big-budget vehicles with top Bollywood stars, the coming quarter is packed with releases. The Varun Dhawan and Jahnvi Kapoor-starrer Sunny sanskari ki tulsi kumari is slated for the Gandhi Jayanti/Dussehra weekend in October.
Besides, there are a number of sequels and franchise superhits in the pipeline.
The Diwali weekend will see Ayushmaan Khurrana feature in a horror comedy called 10part of Maddock Films’ horror-comedy universe of previous hit films Stry and Munjya. Actor Ajay Devgn’s De de pyaar de 2Farhan Akhtar’s 120 Bahadur and Dhanush’s Tere Ishk Mein are slated for November. The year shall close with Ranveer Singh’s action film Dhurandhar and Alia Bhatt-starrer Alphapart of Yash Raj Films’ Spy Universe.
What about Hollywood and the southern industries?
In the first half of 2025, Telugu, Tamil, and Hollywood made up 20%, 15%, and 10% of the overall box office, respectively. That said, dubbed versions of southern films, especially Tamil and Telugu movies, appear to be losing their fizz in the Hindi-speaking belt. Recent titles, including Kamal Haasan-starrer Thug Life (Tamil) and Game Changer (Telugu), have performed below par, raking in less than a 10th of earlier blockbusters from the south.
All hopes are now pinned on Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1a prequel to the 2022 hit Canstthat is slated for the first week of October. Another big-ticket Tamil film HISTORY ASSOCIATION starring Sivakarthikeyan, releases this weekend. As far as Hollywood goes, the third instalment of James Cameron’s anticipated fantasy film Avatar: Fire and Ash will arrive in December.
Can smaller films aid this revival?
It looks likely. Recent successes such as the romantic drama Saiyaara, the comedy Bhool chuk maafand Sitaare zameen par signal an encouraging shift, according to trade experts. These films, made without major star power or massive special effects, had decent openings and are finding an audience, particularly if word-of-mouth is positive.
If upcoming films manage to build on this, the trend could prove to be a vital lifeline for the exhibition sector, helping to sustain the theatre-going habit at a time when reliance on big-budget blockbusters alone is proving risky. Many big-ticket spectacles have stumbled over the past few months. Action thriller War 2made for a budget of ₹400 crore, earned ₹183 crore, and the Salman Khan-starrer Sikandarmade for over ₹200 crore, ended its theatrical run with ₹103 crore, their inconsistent performance highlights the importance of the mid-budget trend.
Also Read: Mid-budget films power Bollywood’s box office comeback
What could derail the climb?
Festive periods often see cinemas hike ticket prices, resulting in a decline in footfall. This affects not just Bollywood but regional film industries like Kannada, Punjabi, and Marathi as well.
Still recovering from covid losses and evolving audience habits, cinema chains have been criticised for setting ticket prices, sometimes even for small and mid-budget films on par with big-budget blockbusters. Experts warn that this approach, especially when films hit streaming platforms within weeks, is driving more viewers away from theatres.
Also Read: Can small-budget films save Bollywood? Inside India’s new wave of movie producers
