Can a packed calendar of mega star releases in 2026 deliver the turnaround theatres are waiting for?
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Theatres are looking to 2026 for a turnaround after two uneven years. The coming year packs a rare concentration of star-heavy releases, with Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Vijay and several others returning to the big screen.
Trade experts believe that even in an increasingly content-focused market, the comeback of marquee faces could revive opening-day momentum, which has dipped recently as films either lack buzz or depend entirely on word-of-mouth. With each star aiming for around ₹500 crore in lifetime earnings from their projects, expectations are running high. Hindi cinema’s box-office slowed further in 2024, with gross collections slipping 13% to ₹4,679 crore, as per media consulting firm Ormax.
Its contribution to overall earnings also fell to 40% from 44%. Trade experts say exhibitors may close the year just 5–10% higher than 2024, but still below the highs of 2023—putting added pressure on 2026 to deliver. “2026 is shaping up to be a solid year for the theatrical business, propelled by a formidable line-up of large-scale releases led by some of India’s most prominent mainstream stars," said Ashish Saksena, COO–cinemas, BookMyShow.
The year kicks off with war epic Border 2, starring Sunny Deol and Varun Dhawan, and Telugu romantic horror The Raja Saab headlined by Prabhas. The pipeline includes Toxic (Yash, Nayanthara), Vijay’s political actioner Jana Nayagan, the long-awaited Ramayana (Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, Sai Pallavi), Jailer 2 with Rajinikanth, Alia Bhatt’s Alpha, Salman Khan’s Battle of Galwan and Shah Rukh Khan’s King. “Films led by Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Vijay, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan have consistently
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