As the curtain falls on the year, December has solidified its reputation as the go-to month for the Indian film industry, outshining even the grandeur of Diwali celebrations. With a delightful mix of cinematic offerings, audiences can dive into a thrilling lineup, featuring everything from the exhilarating ‘Dhurandar’ and ‘Akhanda 2’ to the eagerly awaited spectacles of ‘Avatar’ and ‘Anaconda’. At one point Diwali was considered to be the most lucrative period of movie business, it was said that during this period people are more willing to spend money. But over the years, the landscape shifted and December became the industry’s most valuable month, thanks to long holidays, extended weekends, Christmas–New Year celebrations, and a nationwide vacation mood. Talking about how the mood shifted from Diwali to Christmas exhibitor Akkshay Rathie says, “ December is the festive season between Diwali to December is a time when a lot of people want to go out, they want to, take it easy and be with their family, go for vacations etc and that’s where every sector right from travel and tourism to theatres, to restaurants, hospitality, all do really well and same is the case with the entertainment sector”.Rathie also opens up about how we as an industry haven’t been able to deliver a good Diwali release for a while, he says , “ Diwali is still one of the most exciting periods. The only thing that has happened is that we haven’t been able to deliver the kind of movies that Diwali deserves. Last year, if you look at it between Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and Singham Again the day after Diwali the collection was 80 odd crores in a single day between the two films. So the period is still fantastic, what’s gone missing is the kind of festive celebratory releases”.
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Trade Analyst Taran Adarsh also concurs with Rathie and says , “Christmas and New Year are major vacation periods- not just in India, but across the world. People everywhere are in a celebratory mood. In India too, both events are widely enjoyed. It’s a long holiday window and movies tend to do exceptionally well during this period.The festive momentum starts around December 24th and continues right through to January 2nd, giving films a solid extended run. This is not to say that films which release in the start of December do well, in 2023 both Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal and Vicky Kaushal’s Sam Bahadur – both performed well.” This year the month has become a battlefield for films across the country as they try to gain as many eye balls as possible. December 5: Dhurandar, Lockdown, Akhanda 2 and Kalam Kaval
