From Kantara mania to concert tourism: 2025’s blockbuster year for movies, live events

Kantara – Chapter 1 storm

A few films bombed at the box office but there were huge hits that kept the ball rolling for cinemas in 2025, so much so that it could be a record year for movie business.

Salman Khan's Sikandar faltered but Saiyaara flourished. Bollywood business boomed but regional films ruled the roost.

Kantara: A Legend Chapter-1 became the year’s biggest repeat-watch phenomenon, drawing over 6 lakh fans back for a second viewing, according to BookMyShow data.

Rajinikanth's Coolie delivered the strongest advance sales of the year with 2.4 million tickets booked ahead of release.

Single screens thrived too, led by Hari Hara Veera Mallu – Part 1, which earned more than 55 percent of its total sales from these iconic theatres.

Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Assamese, Odia, Bengali, Punjabi and Marathi films soared, proving once again that Indian storytelling has no single language.

New films had a blockbuster run but old classics minted box office gold as well.

Re-releases drew 58 lakh moviegoers nationwide, with Hyderabad emerging as the undisputed re-release capital. Interstellar delivered the year’s most dramatic comeback — selling out its February run before returning by public demand in March, the data added.

Additionally, cinema halls recorded milestone moments with Dussehra weekend seeing the highest footfall of 2025 with 6.8 million tickets sold, followed closely by Independence Day weekend.

Also, Bengaluru strengthened its reputation as India’s night-owl cinema capital, leading the country in 12 AM–6 AM screenings for the second consecutive year and redefining nightlife as a 70MM affair.

Cinema remained India’s most cherished collective ritual — the place where the country laughed, cried and returned for more.

Record-smashing blockbusters, a surge of regional triumphs and a nostalgia-fuelled wave of re-releases brought audiences back for a glorious second innings.

Indians entertained themselves not only with movies but also with concerts, sports and more.

In 2025, live entertainment consumption surged by 17 percent, with 34,086 events turning evenings into memories and weekends into spectacles, according to the platform data.

The concert economy became mainstream, firmly placing India on the global touring map.

State partnerships powered this rise. BookMyShow signed Memoranda of understandings (MoUs) with Assam, Telangana, Gujarat and Delhi tourism boards to welcome more national and international acts, strengthen infrastructure, expand skills and energise local ecosystems.

Music tourism emerged as one of the year’s defining trends. Over 5.62 lakh fans travelled to another city for concerts, delivering a windfall to hotels, transport, restaurants and neighbourhood businesses.

Premium live experiences nearly doubled as fans embraced VIP pits, elevated decks, luxe lounges and immersive hospitality zones — a marker of a maturing, experience-first audience.

More than 1.8 million fans attended events solo, signalling growing confidence in independent cultural exploration.

India’s cultural boomtowns also made their presence felt, with extraordinary spikes in consumption from Vishakapatnam (409 percent), Vadodara (230 percent), Indore (214 percent), Shillong (213 percent), Rajkot (159 percent).

Other live entertainment segments like plays also caught India's attention. Theatre (plays), too, enjoyed its spotlight, recording a 45 percent surge as new audiences rediscovered the immediacy and magic of live performance.