From Pushpa 2 to RRR: South Indian cinema rules the ₹1,000 crore club

Becoming the fastest film to cross the ₹1,000 crore mark in gross worldwide collections, Pushpa 2 amassed almost ₹11.72 lakh per minute over the last six days. By the time you finish reading this three-minute article, the film would have earned another ₹35.16 lakh. However, this rate is unlikely to sustain as collections typically taper off with each passing day.

By now, you’ve likely read numerous articles about other films in the ₹1,000 crore club. Here’s however, a deeper dive into box office collection figures, as provided by data source Sacnilk, and what they reveal about the broader trends in India’s film industry.

Pushpa 2 has so far amassed ₹1,012.7 crore. Of this total collection, 33% came from Telugu, 59% from Hindi, and minor 6%, 2% and 1% from Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada. While Telugu box office collections have grown at a faster rate than Hindi collections, they have also experienced steeper declines. Following its opening weekend, the box office collections for Pushpa 2 have begun to decline, mirroring the trend seen with other ₹1K crore club films. While the film’s strong Indian identity may have contributed to its initial success, its slowing momentum in the coming weeks could be attributed to audience dissatisfaction and unmet expectations that initially fuelled the craze.

South Indian cinema wave?

Of the eight films that have surpassed ₹1,000 crore in worldwide collections, five are from South Indian cinema, highlighting the dominant wave of South Indian films in the country. This includes RRR, Pushpa 2, Baahubali 2, KGF Chapter 2, Kalki 2898 AD, and RRR.

Further, not just at the box office have these regional films performed well, but RRR became country's first feature film to win an Academy Award for best original song at the global level for its song 'Naatu Naatu'.

Interestingly, the first instalments of all sequels in the ₹1,000 crore club performed better in regional languages than in Hindi. This includes Baahubali, KGF and Pushpa. However, with the hype generated for their subsequent parts, this trend has reversed with Hindi versions performing better than the original language.

Profitability remains low as budgets inflate

When one compares the budgets of these films, Kalki 2898 AD stands out as the highest-budget film at ₹600 crore but has underperformed at the box office compared to its peers. Most of the eight ₹1,000 crore club films had substantial budgets exceeding ₹250 crore. However, Dangal delivered the most phenomenal performance, earning ₹2,070.3 crore on a modest budget of ₹70 crore. This is followed by KGF Chapter 2, which was made on a ₹100 crore budget and grossed ₹1,215 crore.

Box office collections also vary when compared to the time taken to join the ₹1,000 crore club. Dangal took the longest, while Pushpa 2 achieved the milestone in just six days. The other six films took an average of 17 days, indicating that their theatrical run remained strong for over two weeks, extending their lifespan beyond the usual.

Overseas collections filled the pockets of ₹1K crore films

A notable observation is the significant contribution of overseas viewers to the box office collections of these films. Dangal holds the highest overseas collection at ₹1,535.3 crore, driven largely by the Chinese audience. In contrast, Pushpa 2 garnered most of its earnings from the domestic audience, marking a departure from usual trends. This aligns with the pattern of Pushpa 1, where overseas revenue accounted for only 10% of its worldwide gross. As of Friday, figures from Sacnilk show that overseas collections for the sequel make up 19% of its total gross, reflecting a slight increase in international appeal.

OTT lesson and is it really higher sales?

Something that filmmakers can learn from these films is that these films were released on OTT platforms within one to two months of their theatrical debut, thus maintaining the hype and audience interest.

In 2016 and 2017, only one film each year entered the ₹1,000 crore club. After a long haul of five years, two films achieved this milestone in 2022, followed by two more in both 2023 and 2024. While movies are joining the ₹1,000 crore club more frequently, it’s worth noting the impact of rising ticket prices. Higher box office collections may not necessarily reflect a proportional increase in audience turnout, suggesting that viewer growth might still be lagging behind revenue growth.