Mid-budget films power Bollywood’s box office comeback
NEW DELHI: A quiet revival is underway in Bollywood, but it isn’t the tentpole films making all the noise. Mid-budget titles, once thought destined only for streaming platforms after the pandemic, are drawing audiences back to theatres, defying the post-Covid slump and showing that moviegoers want more than just spectacle.
Recent successes such as the romantic drama Saiyaara, the comedy Bhool Chuk Maaf, and Sitaare Zameen Par signals a shift. These films, made without major star power or massive special effects, had decent openings and are finding an audience, particularly if word-of-mouth is positive.
Industry experts say this trend is a vital lifeline for the exhibition sector, helping to sustain the theatre-going habit at a time when reliance on big-budget blockbusters alone is proving risky.
Mid-budget films typically cost ₹30-50 crore to make and feature actors short of the top tier but familiar to audiences. Tentpoles, by contrast, are star-driven spectacles costing ₹100-200 crore or more.
The box office numbers tell the story. Saiyaara, a romantic drama with a budget of ₹40-50 crore, has grossed over ₹335 crore in domestic box office collections. Comedy-drama Bhool Chuk Maaf, also made for around ₹50 crore, made close to ₹75 crore in theatrical earnings, while the thriller Raid 2 clocked in around ₹178 crore on a budget of ₹120 crore.
Big-ticket spectacles have stumbled in comparison. Action thriller War 2, made for a budget of ₹400 crore, earned ₹172 crore, and the Salman Khan-starrer Sikandar, made for over ₹200 crore, ended its theatrical run with ₹103 crore, their inconsistent performance highlights the importance of the mid-budget trend.
Trade experts emphasize that it is critical for smaller-scale and mid-budget films to do well to help sustain the theatre-going habit. While big-budget films starring popular faces arrive in cinemas once a quarter at best, or sometimes less frequently, the business needs to keep going. Theatres cannot depend on the big star vehicles scheduled a couple of times a year.
Why audiences are embracing content
The recent upswing suggests that audiences are no longer swayed purely by star power. The pandemic broadened exposure to quality storytelling on streaming platforms, raising expectations for what is worth a trip to the theatre. Viewers are rewarding content-driven narratives over glitz.
“The success of films like Saiyaara sends a signal that the audience is not obsessed with big star vehicles but good content. This is important because people going to theatres need variety and cannot be watching the same kind of films,” Rahul Puri, managing director, Mukta Arts and Mukta A2 Cinemas said.
When it comes to mid-budget films, audiences show a stronger affinity for the genre and the story, rather than the cast or the glitz, said Harikrishnan Pillai, CEO and co-founder, TheSmallBigIdea, a digital marketing agency.
“The mid-budget movie lover seeks emotion and narrative, while the blockbuster audience craves cinema in all its sensory glory. The ultimate marketing essence is to keep the audience interested in the story, music, characters, and the artists, identify who will be the first mover, the people who will go on word-of-mouth, and the others who would go because of curiosity. And create robust content to attract them,” Pillai said.
Sitaare Zameen Par benefited from legacy, tapping nostalgia among audiences who grew up with Taare Zameen Par and are now parents themselves. Family dramas remain a high-conversion genre, especially in tier-two and tier-three cities among 28–45 year-olds. Maa revived original horror, while Saiyaara offered a fresh love story that resonated with a younger, 16–25 demographic.
Trade experts noted that before the pandemic, momentum for mid-budget films starring relatively less familiar names was steady, citing hits like Bala ( ₹116.81 crore), Chhichhore ( ₹153.09 crore), Luka Chuppi ( ₹94.75 crore) and Stree ( ₹129.90 crore).
But after cinemas reopened, such films faced a long, dry spell, with opening weekends and lifetime earnings dropping significantly. This trend hit films like Badhaai Do ( ₹20.62 crore), Anek ( ₹8.15 crore) and Thank You for Coming ( ₹7.33 crore), all of which failed at the box office.
“Viewers are more choosy now but the box office seems to have stabilised,” said film producer and exhibition expert Girish Johar. “It is very important that the middle order performs for pressure to be taken off big tentpole films. This helps the average box office and sustains the theatre-going habit which is critical.”
