Mumbai, December 31: The rest of the economy may have reeled under recession, but Bollywood laughed its way to the bank this year. A year-end report by trade analysts revealed that the 120 films that released this year have raked in a total of Rs 2,590 crore, more than making up for the huge losses the industry incurred in the last three years. Experts say it’s been a landmark year for Bollywood.
“The moolah came in from all directions and the net collection at the domestic box office alone is about Rs Dirty picture 1,740cr. However, the revenue mostly came from 15-20 major movies,” says trade analyst Joginder Tuteja.
“We’ve gone back to making more films for single screens and the masses. The first five months were not that good, but we made up splendidly,” adds trade pundit Atul Mohan.
For the first time, four Indian movies —Ready, Bodyguard, Singham and RA.One — crossed the Rs 100 ($18.6 million) crore mark in a year. “The satellite and music rights and other subsidies were also a major source of the revenue. In fact, movies such as RA.One could have made more money in theatres, but then since the makers sold satellite rights, a large chunk of the audience just waited for the movies to come on air,” adds trade analyst Komal Nahta.
Besides the Rs 100 crore club, there were big grossers such as Delhi Belly, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, The Dirty Picture and Rockstar. The few duds of the year were Game, Dum Maaro Dum, Aarakshan and Mausam. “Last year, small budget movies worked, but this year, of the 80 odd small-budget movies that released, most went for a toss. Only the likes of Ragini MMS and Pyaar Ka Punchnama worked.”
Breaking down the Box Office
BO collections in India: Rs 1740 crore
BO collections overseas: Rs 350 crore
Satellite revenue + music: Rs 500 crore
Number of releases: Over 120
Total revenue earning: Rs 2,590 crore
Courtesy: HT