Old movies strike box office gold on rerun; Gangs of Wasseypur, Tumbbad back to theatres

Gangs of Wasseypur and other old content re-released in theatres.

Indians are reliving Gangs of Wasseypur moments - not on streaming platforms or via memes but on the big screen as theatre owners bring back old content in cinemas amid irregularity of new releases.

Post-Covid, the strategy of re-releasing old movies has picked up pace due to the slowdown in the box office business, release delays as well as long gaps between new releases.

Miraj Cinemas exclusively started showing Gangs of Wasseypur parts 1 and 2 in theatres from August 30 in over 50 locations of the multiplex chain. The franchise was originally released in two parts in 2012, in June and August.

"We had it (Gangs of Wasseypur movies) exclusive in Miraj for our festival called gangster week and we are coming up with a few more such films. The response for Gangs of Wasseypur has been strong with the movie collecting Rs 36 lakh in its initial days. We are looking to close the (first) week with a Rs 50 lakh number," said the multiplex chain's Managing Director, Amit Sharma.

The next old gem coming on the big screen is the horror flick Tumbbad at a time when the horror genre in some form or the other has kept the cash registers ringing this year. Three of the most profitable Hindi films of 2024 belong to this genre, including the blockbuster Stree 2 which continues to dominate the box office while the other two were Munjya and Ajay Devgn and R Madhavan's Shaitaan.

Old is box office gold

The buzz is strong for Tumbbad with expectations of over Rs 1 crore coming in the first two days of the film's re-release on September 13.

While collections in the range of Rs 20 to Rs 30 lakh are considered impressive for re-releases, movies like Rockstar which was brought back on the big screen in June and Tamil language film Ghilli which re-released in April this year have made record earnings with collections in crores.

Released again after 20 years, Ghilli raked in around Rs 33 crore worldwide whereas Rockstar made Rs 10 crore in India. Movies like Ghilli and RRR which were released again this year were blockbusters in their initial run.

However, movies like Rockstar and Gangs of Wasseypur had underperformed at the time of original release. But it's the fan following these movies have gained over the years that has led to strong box office performance upon re-release.

Rockstar directed by Imtiaz Ali collected Rs 10 crore after its re-release while Laila Majnu, another of Ali's ventures, earned Rs 5.80 crore.

Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein, another underperformer at the box office when first released, and which became a cult classic later on thanks to the unforgettable music and Madhavan's character 'Maddy', was released again on August 30. The movie opened with Rs 10 lakh earnings which jumped to Rs 40 lakh and recorded over Rs 1 crore in its opening weekend, according to entertainment site Koimoi.

More re-releases post-Covid

The re-release strategy has become more prominent in the post-Covid period, said exhibitors.

"It (re-release) has become more of a phenomenon post pandemic and the reason is because of the irregularity of (release of) new content in cinemas. The weeks when there are no new releases, to maintain box office numbers or to have the movie momentum going, we re-release old content," Sharma said.

There has been an observable increase in the traction for re-released films post-Covid, Rahul Puri, managing director, Mukta Arts and Mukta A2 Cinemas, said.

"Moreover, after the long lockdowns, people were eager to enjoy the theatrical experience again, and familiar titles with strong fan followings became a natural choice. In comparison to the pre-Covid period, the appeal of classic and iconic films has certainly seen a boost, largely due to the pent-up demand for the big-screen experience," he added.

Biggest gainers

The biggest gainers of this strategy are the exhibitors, said Varun Gupta, Founder-Director, Max Marketing, an agency which has worked on marketing campaigns of movies like Animal, Hanuman, Article 370, Crew and Shaitaan, among others.

"When a movie is re-released, the exhibitor's share in box office collections is 20-25 percent higher than what it is for new content," he said.

For new releases, the revenue share of producers is around 50-52 percent in the first week, with the rest going to exhibitors.

"Re-releasing films is a great way to maintain cinema footfall during periods when there may be fewer new releases. This trend has seen a strong resurgence, with many titles performing better than expected. The nostalgia factor combined with the theatrical experience has driven audiences back to cinemas. Old films re-released this year have shown consistent performance at the box office, which is quite encouraging for the exhibition industry, Puri said.

He added that the re-release strategy provides an opportunity to attract different segments of audiences.

Tumbbad became a cult after people watched it on OTT, pointed out Gupta.

"When Kantara released (in 2022) people brought back the conversation around Tumbbad which was released pre-Covid. During the pandemic, people were exposed to a lot of content, world cinema and now the audiences are more evolved and open to concepts like these," he added.

Re-releases primarily attract two types of audiences, Puri pointed out.

"There's the loyal fanbase of the film, those who watched it when it originally released and are eager to relive the magic on the big screen. Then there’s the younger generation, who may have discovered the movie on OTT platforms or heard about it from friends and family, and are excited to experience it in theatres for the first time," he said.

At the time of re-releasing Gangs of Wasseypur, director and co-writer Anurag Kashyap had said he is grateful that a whole generation that discovered the movies on OTT (over the top) platforms will get to watch it on the big screen.