The Indian film industry is having a difficult run in 2024, with box office collections from January to October dropping 7 per cent year-on-year to Rs 8,951 crore (Rs 89.51 billion).
Yet, a sliver of optimism emerges from Ormax Media's India Box Office Report: October 2024, which suggests that the tide could still turn.
With the strong opening box office performances by Singham Again and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 in November and the eagerly awaited Pushpa 2: The Rule set for release in December, there's a chance the industry could match, if not surpass, the collections of 2023.
Cinemas, facing dwindling footfall, have tried almost everything to lure audiences back.
This year has seen a surge in strategies aimed at rekindling the theatrical experience, from re-releasing popular films to offering food and beverages at attractive prices to moviegoers.
But the bigger story of 2024 lies in a shift within the industry itself.
October brought with it a critical boost, primarily driven by the Tamil film industry.
Domestic collections for the month totalled Rs 994 crore (Rs 9.94 billion), nearly half of which came from Tamil films, including their dubbed versions.
Among these, Amaran, starring Sivakarthikeyan, was a standout, grossing Rs 269 crore (Rs 2.69 billion) and earning its place among the top 10 releases of the year.
Following close behind was Vettaiyan, featuring Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan and Fahadh Faasil, which collected Rs 173 crore (Rs 1.73 billion).
October 2024's top three films were dominated by Tamil and Telugu productions (including Dulquer Salmaan's Lucky Bhaskar).
Hollywood's Venom: The Last Dance took the fourth place.
Rajkummar Rao and Triptii Dimri in Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video rounded out the top five.
The numbers evoke a sense of déjà vu, harking back to October 2023, when Tamil-language films also carried the month. That year's blockbuster Leo accounted for half of the Rs 812 crore (Rs 8.12 billion) collected domestically in October, a pattern now echoed in 2024's data.
Across the broader landscape of 2024, the balance of linguistic contributions to box office revenue has shifted. Hindi films, long considered the industry's backbone, saw their share drop to 34 per cent of domestic collections in the January-October period, down from 41 per cent in the same period last year.
Tamil cinema, on the other hand, has gained ground: Its share rose from 15 per cent in the January-September period to 18 per cent by the end of October, according to the report.
