After a stellar 2023, a dry quarter ahead for Bollywood
Fighter, scheduled for release, as far as the first quarter goes. Top stars like Shah Rukh and Salman Khan will not see a film arriving in cinemas in 2024 but theatre owners and trade experts are pinning hopes on a slate of mid-scale films starring the likes of Shahid Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar and Vicky Kaushal.
“The year 2023 showed a lot of hope especially compared to 2022, when the business had hit rock bottom. The potential of the Hindi box office was evident in the fact that not only was the ₹500 crore milestone breached, but it happened four times through the year, so benchmarks are significantly higher now," independent distributor and exhibitor Akshaye Rathi said.
While many are concerned about the absence of big tentpole titles, Rathi is optimistic about the fact that Ajay Devgn will have multiple films releasing over the next few months—an untitled supernatural thriller co-starring R Madhavan and Jyothika in March, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha, a drama directed by Neeraj Pandey in April, and the next instalment of the Singham franchise directed by Rohit Shetty in August. Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar will begin the year with Startup, a remake of Tamil film Soorarai Pottru in February, while his action comedy Bade Miyan Chote Miyan co-starring Tiger Shroff, is slated for Eid in April.
There is also a possibility of pan-India hits originally made in southern languages this year, said Amit Sharma, managing director of Miraj Entertainment, a company that operates multiplex theatres. Kamal Haasan’s Indian 2, Prabhas’ Kalki 2898 AD, Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2 and Jr NTR’s Devara, are all readying for release.
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