December releases may do the trick for Hindi film industry
Bollywood movie--Baby John, starring Varun Dhawan. The other two are Hindi dubs--Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2: The Rule (a Telugu original) and Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King, with the titular character voiced by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan.
With the trade talking up their chances, analysts estimate these three movies have the potential to collect close to Rs1,500 crore at the box office, with Pushpa 2 accounting for as much as two-thirds of this. The film will be released on December 5, Mufasa on December 20 and Baby John on December 25.
“Pushpa 2 is the most anticipated film of the year,” said Gautam Dutta, CEO, revenue and operations, PVR INOX. “With its massive fan base eagerly waiting, the film is projected to be the highest grosser of the year. We are expecting house-full shows in cinemas across India.”
One of reasons for the optimism about December being a bumper movie month is the diversity of genres on offer. “December has always been huge for the Hindi film industry but this year is an exception,” said Girish Wankhede, an independent movie trade analyst. “Audiences have access to a diverse palette of genres: masala entertainer (Pushpa 2), action (Baby John) and a great franchise which has a strong recall or nostalgic value (Mufasa).
Besides this, these films are being promoted sufficiently well.” What will also work in favour of Pushpa 2 is the eagerness to discover what happens to the characters and plot threads introduced in the first instalment, Pushpa: The Rise (2021). The sequel could drum up Rs1,000
