Year Ahead: Big movies will continue to rain in 2024

Bollywood, for instance, will have at least six big titles releasing in 2024. (Image/Reuters)

Cine-goers will have no dearth of choice in 2024 as the Indian film landscape will come alive with big-banner movies in both Hindi and regional languages. While 2023 saw the resurgence of Hindi movies and 2022 was all about south films, 2024 will be a happy mash-up of the two. The year will be choc-a-bloc with both south and Hindi movies, all competing for viewer eyeballs.

Many of them will release in multiple languages to take advantage of a pan-Indian audience that is lapping up larger-than-life stories and visuals coming from different industries, film exhibitors and distributors said. Geography is no bounds, they say, as south films are finding audiences in the north and Hindi movies are making inroads into the south. Actors from these respective industries are also freely collaborating on pan-India projects.

Bollywood, for instance, will have at least six big titles releasing in 2024. This includes movies such as the Hrithik-Roshan-and Deepika-Padukone-starrer Fighter, Singham Again (the third installment in the Singham franchise), Kalki 2898 AD, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Deepika Padukone, Prabhas, and Disha Patani, Merry Christmas, featuring Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, starring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff, Yodha, featuring Sidharth Malhotra, Diplomat, starring John Abraham and a tentatively-titled Atlee project called VD18, which stars Varun Dhawan.

Also ReadDunki Box Office Collection Day 1: Shah Rukh Khan’s film falls short on opening day compared to Jawan and Pathaan; Trails behind Adipurush and Sanju

The south industry, on the other hand, will have its fair share of action too on the big screen. The big films to hit theatres in 2024 include Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2, Kamal Haasan’s Indian 2, Suriya’s Kanguva, Junior NTR’s Devara, Ram Charan and Kiara Advani’s Game Changer, Mahesh Babu’s Guntur Kaaram and Vikram’s Thangalaan.

As Amit Kumar Sharma, MD, Miraj Entertainment, which runs the Miraj chain of cinemas across 200 screens in 43 cities within 16 states, says, “The last two calendar years (2022 and 2023) saw the Indian film industry adjusting to new preferences and tastes of the post-pandemic viewer. This included having larger-than-life visuals, larger-than-life heroes and franchise-based movies that have strong brand recall. 2024 will see this new dynamic being put to the test as south and Hindi movies will compete for wider audiences across the country.”

Kamal Gianchandani, president of the Multiplex Association of India, says that he expects 2024 to be a strong year for the movies. “The line-up of films across industries is strong, which means that viewers will have much to choose from. The content is also headlined by big stars and backed by film-makers who understand the tastes of viewers. This should augur well from a business perspective,” he says.

Also ReadDunki Movie Review: Shah Rukh Khan’s film is a dull plunge into predictability

Film exhibitors expect box-office collections to maintain their momentum in 2024 thanks to a wide array of films that are set to hit theatres next year. While 2023 is expected to close at gross collections of around Rs 12,500-12,700 crore, higher than 2019’s Rs 11,500 crore, 2024 could cross the Rs 13,000-crore-mark in terms of gross collections, film trade experts and exhibitors said. This will be led by a combination of factors including higher admissions, as well as higher ticket prices given that demand for movies starring A-listers will be high, said experts.

“The film industry is riding a wave at the moment. And the good part is that film-makers are taking note of viewer interests. Content is being tailor-made to suit these requirements. Film exhibitors are also opening screens across the country to cater to this demand,” said Rahul Puri, MD, Mukta Arts, which operates 100 screens under the Mukta A2 Cinemas banner.

Hollywood too will have its fair share of movies in 2024. The second installment of the 2021 movie and Oscar Winner Dune will release next year, Joker, first released in 2019, will see its second installment called Joker: Folie a Deux, out in theatres next year. The third installment of Deadpool and the fourth installments of Despicable Me and Kung Fu Panda as well as Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, which is the fifth film in the Mad Max franchise will all hit theatres next year. Some of the other much-anticipated Hollywood films in 2024 will include the prequel to The Lion King (called Mufasa: The Lion King) and spy thriller Argylle.