Bollywood’s box office 'report card' for the first quarter of 2025 projects a rather bleak picture. Only one film has done extraordinary business in the first three months of this year Chhaava, featuring Vicky Kaushal in the lead role. Two other films have just about managed to draw audiences to the theatres - Akshay Kumar's Sky Force and The Diplomat, starring John Abraham.
Compare this to the corresponding period last year, and there were multiple hits such as Shaitaan, Article 370, and Crew. The industry is understandably unhappy.
Talking about Sikandar, the Eid release, trade analyst Taran Adarsh says, "One didn't expect this performance from a Salman Khan film. It started off okay due to the Eid holiday, but the foundation is weak for the numbers to sustain in the weekdays. Also, the BOGO and free ticket offers for the film are very unfortunate. It shows the phase the industry is going through."
Amit Sharma, managing director of Miraj Cinemas, however, is optimistic: "After five years of struggle, we now have a release every week. It's a spread-out calendar unlike last year, when multiple films released on the same day."
{{/usCountry}}Amit Sharma, managing director of Miraj Cinemas, however, is optimistic: "After five years of struggle, we now have a release every week. It's a spread-out calendar unlike last year, when multiple films released on the same day."
{{/usCountry}}There's room for improvement in the second quarter, feels Devang Sampat, CEO, Cinepolis Cinemas. “Q2 looks very good, especially the combination of Hollywood and Bollywood films will give a huge boost this summer," he says.
THE MAJOR RELEASES THIS FAR
CHHAAVA 545 crore
SKY FORCE 131.44 crore
THE DIPLOMAT* 30 crore
DEVA 32 crore
BADASS RAVIKUMAR 9.66 crore
SIKANDAR* 55 crore
(*still running in theatres)