From Rs. 5,380 cr. to Rs. 4,679 cr. and 16% drop in audience: What’s behind Hindi cinema’s Box Office decline in 2024? 5380 : Bollywood News
2024 was a challenging year for Hindi cinema, which saw its gross box office collections drop from ₹5,380 crore in 2023 to ₹4,679 crore—a 13% decline. More notably, the share of Hindi cinema in the Indian box office reduced from 44% to 40%, highlighting increasing competition from regional industries and a struggle to maintain its dominance.
From Rs. 5,380 cr. to Rs. 4,679 cr. and 16% drop in audience: What’s behind Hindi cinema’s Box Office decline in 2024?
Veteran trade analyst Taran Adarsh, in an exclusive chat with Bollywood Hungamasaid that the lesser number of films releasing in 2024 was the reason for the collections going down. “We had certain weeks and also holiday weeks, including Gandhi Jayanti, where no movies were released,” he said. “That was a problem last year where certain windows and certain weeks were completely blank. And then there were certain weeks where it was crowded. One wonders as to why was this happening. Last year was the year of correction, which started the previous year. So, you saw limited releases. I think content is to be blamed and as well as lack of content.”
Adarsh also believes that the whole outlook of the decision makers needs a revamp. “Industry should stop making proposals,” he said. “They think like, we will take this actor for this price and another actor for this price, we will get this much amount from digital, theatrical and overseas, etc. Now, that has to stop. Yes, it is important to look at economics; I am not denying that. But that being a foundation is not right. Take a good story and a big star or whatever your choices are and give it that budget.”
He also touched upon the issue of actors’ fees. He said, “I think the actors have also realized it last year that they need to rework on economics. Earlier those who were sitting on a high horse have returned back to earth. They have realized that if there will be no work and no producers, how will our films get made?”
Over-Reliance on Dubbed Films
One of the most significant issues plaguing Hindi cinema in 2024 was its heavy reliance on dubbed versions of South Indian films. These accounted for 31% of Hindi box office collections, with massive contributions from blockbusters like Pushpa 2: The Rule and Kalki 2898 ADWhile these films bolstered the overall numbers, they exposed the industry’s overdependence on external content rather than homegrown productions.
Decline in Original Hindi Films
Original Hindi-language films suffered a staggering 37% drop in collections, revealing a significant disconnect with audiences. Only six original films managed to cross the ₹100 crore mark, a sharp decline from the 16 films that achieved this milestone in 2023. This downturn underscores a lack of compelling storytelling and innovation in the Hindi film space.
The Footfall Conundrum
Footfalls for Hindi films dropped by 16% in 2024, amounting to 23 crore compared to 27.5 crore in 2023. This decline reflects audience dissatisfaction and a growing inclination towards regional and international content. Pre-pandemic footfalls for Hindi cinema consistently exceeded 30 crore, highlighting the widening gap in audience engagement.
The Tentpole Film Dependence
In 2024, Hindi cinema became increasingly reliant on tentpole films to drive revenues. Pushpa 2: The Rule (Hindi) and Street 2 alone contributed a staggering ₹1,587 crore, accounting for 34% of the total Hindi box office collections. While these films showcased the audience’s appetite for high-budget spectacles, the lack of strong mid-budget films further emphasized the industry’s imbalance.
Competition from Regional and Hollywood Films
Regional industries like Malayalam and Telugu cinema witnessed significant growth in 2024, capturing larger shares of the market. Meanwhile, Hollywood, despite its decline, continued to cater to niche audiences, leaving Hindi cinema struggling to retain its once-dominant position.
As far as the reliance on Hindi dubbed South films is concerned, Adarsh is all for it as it benefits the exhibitors. “These Pan-India stars have become major stars,” he said. “Be it, Jr. NTR, Allu Arjun, Prabhas, Ram Charan, etc. But I feel when our stars don’t contribute to the numbers and these stars do, at least the exhibitors are getting what they want. When I see people cribbing that this was a south Indian film, first of all, we don’t need compartmental lives. We all come under one umbrella, which is Indian cinema. I agree it’s Telugu film dubbed in Hindi. But when the exhibitors play the Hindi version, all that matters are the box office collections.”
Sharing a recent example, he added, “marco Started on a very poor note of Rs. 1 lakh on day one. But today it has crossed Rs. 11 crores in the fourth weekend. Today, nobody is saying that it’s a Malayalam film. It’s been released in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil as well. The thing is that exhibitors are benefitting from it. We can’t be surviving on Pushpa 2 for the next three or six months. So, I feel dubbed films are welcome.”
Also Read: Box Office blues: India’s 2024 collections drop to Rs. 11,833 cr despite Pushpa 2 and Stree 2’s blockbuster success
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