Mint Explainer: Why single-screens and blockbusters are made for each other

livemint.com:

₹600 crore mark at last count while Gadar 2 had earned ₹525 crore. Single screens are often considered socio-cultural centres in their cities, with residents deeply attached to them.

But as Bollywood studios saw value in higher ticket prices at multiplexes, their stories began to cater to premium, urban audiences rather than viewers in tier-2 and tier-3 towns. What makes for this recent shift back, and how likely is it to sustain? Mint explains: The Hindi film industry made a remarkable recovery in the September quarter, raking in over ₹1,300 crore, or 75% of Bollywood’s total earnings for 2022.

This huge resurgence is on the back of blockbusters such as Gadar 2 and Jawan, as well as the success of movies such as Dream Girl 2 and OMG 2, which have drawn audiences back to theatres in big cities and small towns alike. This is a huge change from the pandemic years, when over 1,500 theatres are estimated to have shut shop.

Following the revival of the South Indian film industry with hits like RRR and Pushpa: The Rise in 2021 and 2022, several trade experts had sounded the death knell for the Hindi film industry. But now single-screen owners say they are heartened to see Bollywood filmmakers realising the potential windfall from catering to the masses.

Despite reasonable ticket prices, these small screens have brought in 35-40% of overall revenue for mass-market films such as Gadar 2, according to theatre owners and trade experts. The success of films such as Gadar 2 and Jawan has not only revived careers of actors such as Sunny Deol but also opened the doors for filmmakers of the 1990s to experiment with genres, such as action dramas, comedies and family entertainers and cater specifically to small-town moviegoers in the