Second time's a charm: Tumbbad becomes highest grosser in the year of re-runs

With its distinctive fusion of horror and mythology, Tumbbad has not only redefined the genre within Indian cinema but also solidified its reputation as a super hit.

This year will be special for the Indian box-office in more than one way – not only has 2024 seen new earnings records being made but re-runs, too, have the cash register singing and dancing.

More movies have returned to the big screen this year compared to the previous year, even more than the pre-pandemic period. For many, their second turn has been more rewarding. The recently re-released horror flick Tumbbad has become the highest grosser among the films to have returned to cinemas, beating the record of Rockstar which collected Rs 10 crore.

Originally released in 2018 and declared an under-performer, the movie has got the biggest ever re-release with 2,400 shows and revenue of over Rs 12 crore in its six-day run in cinemas. In its initial run, the movie collected around Rs 13.48 crore.

Tumbbad had a good weekend due to buzz about its re-release in theatres and the curiosity around it coupled with the nostalgia factor, producer and film trade expert Girish Johar said. The film is expected to do well on September 20, which is the National Cinema Day and to mark the occasion, tickets are being offered for Rs 99, he said.

Even on weekdays, the film has not seen a significant drop in business despite facing competition from new releases and the blockbuster Stree 2, which continues its strong run after its release on August 15.

Riding the Stree 2 tide

Tumbbad’s re-release couldn’t have come at a better time. Stree 2 whetted the appetite of the audience for the horror genre, he said. The movie is giving new content like Kareena Kapoor-starrer The Buckingham Murders a run for its money with higher ticket sales.

According to trade experts, on one of the movie ticketing sites, Tumbbad sold over 46,000 tickets on day five and The Buckingham Murders about 13,000. Both movies were released on September 13.

"There have been multiple re-releases in the last couple of months and some of them have done very well like Rockstar. However, none of them have been able to do business close to their previous years. But there is an exception to this -Tumbbad, which will surpass its original collection during its rerun," said Nitin Menon of NV Capital.

No new content 

Houseful shows for Tumbbad are encouraging but also signals the fact that theatres continue to face a shortage of new content.

"Re-releases are coming in large numbers because of a lack of content from across the country. This phenomenon is working for the Hindi and Telugu film industry where there is a lesser number of mainstream and new content this year,” said Amit Sharma, Managing Director, Miraj Cinemas.

The number of re-release this year is much higher than 2023 and also bigger than pre-pandemic, Sharma said. They were picking films based on what the youngsters and GenZ (people born between 1996 and 2010) audience prefer, as they are mostly the ones who come to watch re-releases.

"The content that is working is mostly movies that were released 10-15 years ago and which were not big hits but grew on streaming platforms and TV, which movie goers now want to watch in cinemas," he added.

Old hits gold

From Shah Rukh Khan's Veer Zara to R. Madhavan's Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein, reruns are keeping cinema-goers engaged.

From April to August, re-releases recorded an average occupancy rate over of 30 percent, noted Niharika Bijli, Lead - Strategist, PVR Inox.

"This trend (re-releases) caught up suddenly due to the gap in new content and makers are taking the risk of re-releasing movies. Hindi releases have dried up in 2024," Johar said.

The next big release from Bollywood will be Alia Bhatt's Jigra and Rajkummar Rao and Tripti Dimri’s Vicky Aur Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video, which will be released on October 11.

Johar said there is a correction in the movie market which was expected. "Correction of prices in terms of satellite and digital (rights) has come in which is causing makers to rethink about budgets, storyline and of not going extravagant with budgets," he said. “Certain films that were announced have been pushed and some have been shelved. So, currently, it is the old content that is keeping the box office ticking and ensuring that the box office doesn't dry up.”

Veer Zara from the house of Yash Raj Films, which re-released on September 13, was to have 250 shows but those were increased to 400 with the movie's collection reaching Rs 90 lakh in three days.

Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein, popularly known as RHTDM, earned Rs 1.1 crore in its opening weekend.

Away from home, Karan Johar's Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, which was re-released in the UK last weekend, has had the seventh highest earnings for an Indian film in that country with collections of Rs 27.76 crore, so far.

"Movies like Ghilli at Rs 40 crore, Tumbaad at over Rs 13 crore in one week, Rockstar at around Rs 12 crore, Laila Majnu at Rs 9 crore, Pawan Kalyan’s Gabbar Singh at Rs 8 crore, Murari at Rs 8 crore), Devadoothan at Rs 5 crore, Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein at over Rs 3.5 crore, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara at Rs 2 crore, Veer Zaara at Rs 1.50 crore in opening week and a few others have done particularly well, drawing in both new and nostalgic viewers," Bijli said.

Dull box office

"Re- releases are adding some extra flavour during the lull period but their contribution is very minuscule as compared to the overall box office collections," Menon said.

This year, however, has been a special year for re-releases where conversations around them are getting stronger and “we have had some sleeper hits like Tumbbad” to bolster the case for re-releases, he said

Johar said old classics are mostly to fill gaps, created due to a lack of new movies.

In the first half, box office, especially for Hindi films, was not up to the mark compared with the previous year, Johar said.

The box-office collection for January-August releases stands at Rs 6,868 crore, down 7.5 percent from 2023, media consulting firm Ormax has said.

While exhibitors are betting big on the upcoming releases, it is Stree 2 and re-releases that are holding the fort.

The re-releases trend won't stay for too long, said Sharma. "In the next one and one and a half year years, it will be difficult for more re-releases to come on the big screen because we have reached a peak," he said.