Films with thin budgets reap rich rewards at box office, Stree hits bull’s eye

At a time when the Indian film industry is experimenting with big-budget film making especially after the success of Baahubali franchise, a slew of small and medium size films are showing promise with their refreshing storylines and quality content.

In the latest crop of small-budget releases this year is Rajkumar Rao-starrer Stree which continues to entertain audience with elements of horror and comedy. It tripled its investment in the first week of release and has surpassed every earning expectation. The film has also entered the list of most profitable films of 2018 and is also the smallest film in recent times to find a blockbuster status for itself.

The list also includes movies like Raazi, Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety that have been a pleasant surprise for the industry. These films were made on thin budgets but turned out to be big commercial successes.

It's the return on investment (ROI) which decides the scale of a film’s success. In simple words, ROI measures what a movie has earned against what they had spent.

For Stree, the ROI has gone above 300 percent — the film has raked in Rs 95 crore so far against a budget of Rs 20 crore. While Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety recorded an ROI of 172 percent, Raazi’s return on investment came at 225 percent. Hichki was another successful venture of 2018 which recorded an ROI of over 130 percent at an investment of Rs 20 crore.

Why are producers keen on investing in films made on tight budgets?

The primary reason for producers to find such films lucrative is the amount of money spent in making them. It is the small cost of the film that makes the proposition risk-free as producers do not have to invest a lot in various aspects of movie-making.

Also, when the cost is less an average performance of the film is lower risk for the producer. And with more and more small and mid-size films tasting success, studios have become more affirmative is taking up such films.