No Movie Re-Releases After Diwali?

‘We
won’t
have
that
window
to
re-release
films
because
of
the
kind
of
movies
that
are
slated
to
be
released.’

Earlier
this
month,
actor-producer
Sohum
Shah
announced
on
Instagram
that
he
would
re-release
his
2018
folklore
horror
film

Tumbbad.

It
piqued
the
interest
of
cinephiles
and
sparked
an
unprecedented
frenzy,
reaffirming
the
film’s
cult
following.

Three
days
after
its
re-release,



Tumbbad
raked
in
close
to
Rs
7
crore
(Rs
70
million)
at
the
box
office.

The
film
that
boasts
of
stunning
visuals
and
a
knockout
background
score,
follows
a
greedy
village
boy’s
pursuit
of
a
cursed
ancestral
treasure
guarded
by
malevolent
entity,
Hastar.

Interestingly,
it
received
lukewarm
response
during
its
release
six
years
ago,
cornering
only
Rs
13.5
crore
(Rs
135
million).

Tumbbad‘s
stellar
opening
upon
its
re-release
comes
as
a
breath
of
fresh
air
for
Indian
cinemas
that
are
struggling
to
fill
seats
owing
to
muted
demand
for
new
releases.

The
cumulative
box
office
collection
from
January
to
August
2024
stood
at
Rs
6,868
crore
(Rs
6.868
billion),
a
7.5
per
cent
drop
compared
to
the
same
period
last
year,
according
to
Ormax
Media.

Tumbbad‘s
success
has
instilled
confidence
into
several
film-makers
who
are
planning
a
spate
of
re-releases
this
year.

Apart
from

Tumbaad,
Laila
Majnu,
a
2018
romantic
drama
and
Ranbir
Kapoor’s
2011
musical
extravaganza

Rockstar,
are
some
of
the
other
films
that
have
given
impetus
to
this
trend.

“We’ve
re-released
around
47
movies
from
April
2024
to
August
2024,”
said
Niharika
Bijli,
lead
strategist,
PVR
INOX,
told

Business
Standard.

“While
the
average
occupancy
for
regular
films
from
April
to
August
stands
at
25
per
cent,
re-releases
have
enjoyed
a
higher
average
occupancy
of
31
per
cent.
This
reflects
a
strong
demand
for
audiences
from
a
diverse
age
group,”
she
explained.

Banking
on
the
recent
re-release
success
of
Imtiaz
Ali’s
films,
Zoya
Akhtar’s
films
and

Tumbbad,
she
said
that
PVR
INOX
now
wants
to
make
re-releases
a
dominant
part
of
their
programme.

“There
is
a
lack
of
demand
for
new
films,
which
means
that
there
are
a
lot
more
theatres
that
are
available
for
these
old
films
being
re-released,”
said
Rahul
Puri,
managing
director,
Mukta
A2
Cinemas.

“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
and

Rockstar
have
brought
a
renewed
energy
to
this
trend,”
Ashish
Saksena,
COO,
Cinemas,
BookMyShow,
said.

“These
films
continue
to
resonate
with
audiences
because
they
tell
timeless
stories
that
transcend
generations.
With
strategic
marketing
and
strong
digital
promotions,
these
films
are
now
reaching
an
even
wider
audience
tapping
into
the
growing
demand
for
nostalgia,
yet
remain
relevant,
so
much
so
that
the
renewed
interest
in

Tumbbad
has
helped
producers
announce
a
sequel
thanks
to
its
response
at
the
box
office,”
Saksena
added.

Films
like

Yeh
Jawaani
Hai
Deewani,
Gangs
of
Wasseypur,
Rehna
Hai
Dere
Dil
Mein
and

Jab
We
Met
are
released
to
target
Gen
Z
audiences,
who
couldn’t
experience
these
films
on
a
larger
screen,
said
Amit
Sharma,
managing
director,
Miraj
Entertainment.

“After
Diwali,
I
don’t
see
this
trend
of
re-releases
going
forward.
We
won’t
have
that
window
to
re-release
films
because
of
the
kind
of
movies
that
are
slated
to
be
released,”
Sharma
added.

there
are
fewer
new
content
releases
in
Hindi
and
Telugu
languages,
Sharma
said,
and
as
a
result,
there
are
more
re-releases
in
these
languages.
The
space
for
re-releases
in
Tamil
and
Malayalam
box
offices
is
less
as
their
box
office
collection
remained
steady.

“The
pricing
for
such
re-released
movies
is
discounted
by
30
to
50
per
cent
as
compared
to
the
new
release
of
the
film,”
he
explained.

This
weekend
PVR
INOX,
India’s
largest
film
exhibition
company
with
1,745
screens,
has
two
film
festivals
with
select
movies
of
Akkineni
Nageswara
Rao
and
Kareena
Kapoor
Khan
being
re-released.

PVR
INOX
has
hosted
over
20
film
festivals
since
COVID,
with
re-releases
in
10
to
50
cities
depending
on
the
film’s
scale
and
appeal.

However,
some
cities
stand
out
in
terms
of
demand
like
Mumbai,
Delhi,
Pune,
and
Bengaluru.

As
things
stand,
PVR
INOX
is
planning
a
horror
genre-based
film
festival
around
Halloween.