The Indian box office has shown great heart and resilience in the initial three quarters of 2025, collecting Rs 9,264 crore, a substantial 16.54% increase over the corresponding period last year.
Strong performance is a sign of a thriving theatrical marketplace. However, the Hindi film industry, Bollywood, presents a mixed picture, with some blockbuster hits and significant underperformers, especially in its sequels.
The record-breaking growth is fueled by a steady stream of hits across different Indian film industries, without relying on a single mega-blockbuster. According to analysts, audiences have been extremely choosy in the post-pandemic world.
With only movies providing outstanding content, fresh stories, or mass market appeal, they went on to achieve great success.
The top 10 grossers during the period are occupied by six Hindi films, which prove the size of the Bollywood market. The best performers are the historical action drama ‘Chhaava’ (grossing an estimated Rs 693 crore) and the action thriller ‘Saiyaara’ (Rs 396 crore).
Others that contributed significantly among Hindi films are ‘War 2’ (Rs 283 crore), ‘Sitaara Zameen Par’ (Rs 201 crore), ‘Housefull 5’ (Rs 200 crore), and ‘Raid 2’ (Rs 199 crore).
Even with such triumphs, overall Bollywood performance is characterized by uncertainty. Trade officials point to a pattern in which films from robust franchises struggle to engage their target audience. Sequels such as ‘Jolly LLB 3’ and ‘Baaghi 4,’ for all their lineage, reported poor numbers.
Shyam Shroff, Director at Shringar Films, commented on the situation, saying, "Banking on big stars alone will not draw an audience. The storyline has to be stronger, as seen with some sequels not performing well."
The sector had placed strong bets on a ‘year of sequels’ for Bollywood, but the percentage of hit sequels for Hindi-language films this year is at a mere 40-42%.
This stands in contrast to the sequel strike rate of regional cinema, which has consistently maintained an 80-85% level, copying the template of pan-India blockbusters such as Bahubali, KGF, and Pushpa.
The patchy box office performance of Bollywood reflects a broader trend in audience taste. As Bhuvanesh Mendiratta, MD, Miraj Cinemas, pointed out, “Audiences in the post-pandemic world are far more discerning, given that they are exposed to OTT content. So, viewers are looking for fresh talent, more rooted stories, solid action, entertainment, and music.”
Though Hindi films continue to hold a significant market share, regional cinema's consistent high performance and the comeback of Hollywood films (which has regained a double-digit share) indicate an economy where the quality of content across languages is the deciding factor.
If the present momentum continues, industry reports estimate that 2025 will close at an all-time high of Rs 13,500 crore, making it the highest-grossing year ever for the Indian box office. This, however, depends on the performance of the packed line-up of big banners lined up for the last quarter.