Bollywood earnings in second quarter may show drop of 20% against last year

This quarter, Bollywood will miss the Baahubali push. Last April, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion alone made Rs 600 crore, taking the total earnings of the quarter to Rs 900 crore. The film also made the second quarter the most successful one for the year.  According to analysts, Bollywood will bring in around Rs 750 crore to the box office in the April-June quarter.

“The second quarter is not the time for films to make money. It is generally slower than the other quarters mostly because it is also IPL time. And in a nation that is crazy about cinema and cricket, one must not mix the two,” said Bollywood film trade analyst Atul Mohan.

Blackmail, that released just a day before IPL season 11 took off, is a classic example of the league hogging all the limelight. According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, Blackmail witnessed 37.01 per cent growth on day two as business was affected, to an extent, by the commencement of IPL 2018.

“It is only content-driven films that work well during the quarter, Baahubali, of course, being an exception,”added Mohan.

Last year’s second quarter pitch for content-driven films included the likes of Jagga Jasoos, Begum Jaan, Noor, Hindi Medium. The films made anywhere between Rs 7 crore and Rs 60 crore. The only commercial attempt in the quarter last season was Tubelight, that failed to bring in any cheer to the box office. October is this quarter’s entry to the content-driven section that did well on its opening weekend, clocking Rs 7 crore in two days. The film, though appreciated by the audience as well the critics, does not have a bright chance to enter the Rs 100 crore club of Bollywood.

However, this time, the onus is on films like 102 Not out, Raazi, Veere di Wedding and Race 3. Setting a new and adventurous trend for the second quarter, most of the big releases this season are commercial ventures expected to bring in good money to the box office.

Each of the films is expected to bring in at least Rs 250 crore to the box office. Given the year has already started on a happy note with 30 per cent jump in collections against the same period last year, the second quarter is expected to touch at least Rs 750 crore. Collections will not surpass the money collected at the box office same time last year, given there is no Baahubali to clock the hundreds of crores the movie did during its run. However, analysts are putting their money on Raazi and Race 3 to spin some magic at the box office.