South Indian productions rake in 44% of Hindi movie collections

Hindi movies appear to be inching closer to pre-Covid collection figures, going by the latest data.

It is almost six months since Hindi movie audiences returned to single-screen theatres and multiplexes after months of Covid-induced restrictions, which began in March 2020.

Though the number of releases was almost one-third pre-pandemic level, the box office collection was almost 88.87 per cent.

It must be remembered that in the initial months of the post-pandemic market, movies were screened with 50 per cent occupancy due to Covid restrictions in some states.

Data from entertainment news website ‘Bollywood Hungama’ showed there were 31 Hindi movie releases from November 2021 to April 2022.

A comparative analysis of pre-Covid period — November 2019 to March 2020 (lockdown was in force in April) and November 2018 to April 2019 — showed 94 and 101 releases, respectively.

Rohit Shetty’s Sooryavanshi was the first major release in the post-pandemic market and it recorded net collections exceeding ₹190 crore. Until then, a majority of the bigger Hindi stars’ movies were released on OTT platforms.

Rise of south
Movies originally made in South Indian languages and dubbed in Hindi ruled the post-pandemic market for Hindi films, accounting for around 44.18 per cent of the box office collections.

Yash-starrer KGF-2, produced by Bengaluru-based Hombale Films and directed by Prashant Neel, raked in more than ₹412 crore in the Hindi market alone, topping the post-pandemic market. It accounted for 23.04 per cent of Hindi movies collections during the period. The Hindu BusinessLine