Old Movies Back In Action: Nostalgia Or Filler?
Most of the Bollywood movies released in the June quarter were either a flop or a disaster.
You decide to watch a movie over the weekend and browse through a ticket booking app, searching for a theatre-worthy film. Nothing catches your eye until you stumble upon a classic movie from your childhood, an evergreen favourite.
Recently, many theatres across the country have been showcasing a series of nostalgic re-releases. This includes all-time blockbusters and underrated movies. What is really behind the re-release of old movies? Nostalgia?
These re-releases are "more like a cushion" to cover up the losses due to a lack of films and hits, according to Karan Taurani, research analyst at SVP Elara Capital. "Content has been very volatile. The number of films in Hindi specifically has come down almost about 25% compared to pre-Covid levels."
No Trace Of Blockbusters
Most of the Bollywood movies released in the June quarter were either flops or disasters. The top-grossing movie in 2024 so far is the Telugu movie Kalki 2898 AD.
The total number of movies produced in 2022 was 287 and 347 in 2023. So far this year, 238 movies have been produced, according to reports.
Evergreen Movies, Other Surprise Receptions
Laila Majnu was a disaster when it was released in September 2018. The movie collected just Rs 2.18 crore back then. But, after six years, Laila and Majnu made a comeback on Aug. 9.
The Triptii Dimri and Avinash Tiwari starrer surpassed its original run in just four days, according to Box Office Worldwide. Dimri's Bad Newz, which was released in July, was a flop.
Tiwari expressed his gratitude to the audience following the reception the movie got. "This is your victory," he posted on X.
Rockstar was an average movie in 2011 due to its high budget. In its re-release on May 17, the movie grossed Rs 10.5 crore.
Old blockbuster movies also made a comeback in the last few years. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Gadar: Ek Prem Katha and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge are the all-time blockbusters still ruling the theatres now.
However, Taurani observed that the re-releases would not provide any kind of big respite. "Re-releases are to make sure that some costs are recovered when the film pipeline is poor."
Kollywood, Mollywood: The Re-release Trend
Ghilli, which was re-released after 20 years, collected Rs 30 crore, as per Box Office India data. On the ninth day of re-release, Gilli surpassed the collection of Rajnikanth-starrer Lal Salaam, according to IMDB.
Devadoothan, a Malayalam movie that was not well-received by the audience, was remastered to 4K and re-released on July 26. The cult-classic collected Rs 5.2 crore globally. Devadoothan is now the most successful re-release in Kerala's cinematic history, surpassing the record of the 2023 re-released previous blockbuster movie Spadikam, according to Forum Reelz, which analyses box office collection.
The 1993 hit movie Manichithrathazhu made a nostalgic comeback to the silver screen on Aug. 17. The original version of Bhool Bhulaiyaa and Chandramukhi had a box office collection of Rs 7 crore in 1993. The 4K remastered version grabbed Rs 50 lakh in gross on Day 1, according to Friday Matinee.
Taurani observed that the trend of re-releases is going to continue for a while, as the content is going to remain volatile.
