First day, but no first show buzz for Bollywood

Mumbai: Bollywood's struggle to consistently attract masses to theatres continues, with recent big-ticket releases - Sky Force, The Diplomat, Sikandar, Jaat, and the latest, Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh - falling short of industry expectations in their opening box-office collections.

Industry experts attribute the growing reluctance among audiences to catch the first-day-first-show to deeper structural issues, including lacklustre pre-release buzz, weak promotions, the rise of over-the-top streaming platforms as a more affordable alternative, and shifting in audience behaviour, where a film's trailer often seals its theatrical fate.

Tepid openings, they say, have become the new normal - a far cry from the past when a film's Day 1 collection was seen as a benchmark of its star power and box office potential. For example, Kesari Chapter 2 earned just '7.5 crore on its opening day this Friday - half of the '15 crore projected by trade analysts.

"Earlier a film would have a reasonably good opening day collection, and then its collection would grow or fall depending on how well it connected. But, today, a film's opening day collection starts with a low number," said Suniel Wadhwa, cofounder and director at Karmic Films.



Also, many movie lovers are waiting for peer reviews and word of mouth rather than watching films on the first day itself even as there is an increasing distrust of opening weekend numbers.

"Audiences trust each other more than marketing campaigns," Wadhwa explained. "Unless a film emotionally resonates and feels authentic, audiences will not show up on a Friday. Artificial inflation of collection numbers will change things. We need to earn the audience's attention and not buy it. Opening day should reflect trust and not tricks."

Lack of adequate promotion is another major hurdle.

Bollywood producers are increasingly leaning on social media to promote films, banking largely on trailers released on YouTube to drive footfalls. While effective in urban centres, experts argue this approach may not connect with audiences outside the metros, who continue to rely more on traditional media for film updates.

"There is not enough awareness among people outside metros about films which are up for release," said Shaaminder Malik, a film distributor and trade analyst. "Producers spend big sums on making films. But in recent years, they don't invest adequately in film publicity across newspapers, electronic media, television, and trade magazines."



There are producers who believe that the traditions of watching films on a Friday and making decisions based on weekend collections are gradually declining as audiences want to ensure that a film is worth their investment.

"Friday numbers purely boost actors' egos. It is important to look at what a film collects in the long run," said Rajesh R Nair, who produced films such as Kaminey and Adipurush. "Today, audiences are no longer interested in watching a film's first-day show. They want a real deal. And that real deal is 'good scripts'."

According to Nair, a film made on a good script will have a longer run in theatres, and no amount of marketing gimmicks and fake data can prolong the presence of a film made on a bad script in theatres.

He cited the example of Chhaava - the only major Bollywood hit so far in 2025 - which continues to run in theatres even after almost two months of its release.

Copious and engaging content at a relatively lower cost on streaming platforms has also killed early enthusiasm for watching films on a Friday, experts said.

"Today, streamers are the cheapest form of entertainment if one takes into account the cost, time and hassles involved in reaching and watching a film in theatres," said the MD of a multinational media and entertainment company.