Regional films lag even as Hindi box office soars
NEW DELHI : Smaller regional language industries such as Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali and Gujarati saw a dip in footfalls and revenue in 2023 despite ticket prices not rising, according to media consulting firm Ormax. This comes in a year when Hindi language box office collections may have crossed the ₹5,000 mark. Film industry experts attribute it to a challenge of quality content in these markets.
They have also been hit by the influx of bigger budget productions from Hindi Tamil and Telugu cinema. Further, the smaller regional industries had not made many sales to OTT (over-the-top) streaming platforms during the pandemic, which is why a bigger slate was ready and available for theatres in 2021 and 2022. Films are no longer releasing at the same pace.
According to the Ormax Box Office Report 2023, gross box office collections for Kannada films shrank a staggering 61%, while those of Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali and Gujarati cinema shrank between 10% and 25% in 2023 when compared to 2022. Excluding the two pandemic-affected years, Malayalam footfalls dropped below the 70-million mark for the first time since 2015, while Kannada footfalls dropped by 63%, and at 30 million, were even lower than the pandemic-impacted year of 2021. Comparatively, Hindi films saw footfalls of 275 million in 2023.
“While the number of annual releases might have resumed post covid, the competition for audience attention has intensified," Devang Sampat, CEO, Cinepolis India said. “This heightened competition underscores the importance of strategic marketing, compelling content, and innovative distribution strategies for regional films to maintain their market share and profitability. Audiences are common for content, and while 2023
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