As we welcome 2025, it’s time for the Indian film industry to undergo some major changes to have a profitable year at the box office. Here’s a look at 5 big reforms that could help the film industry write commercial history this year.
Indian film industry will have to bring 5 major reforms for a better 2025:
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smart budgeting
Nowadays no film comes with a guarantee. The film business has become very risky in the post-pandemic times. Now is the time for filmmakers to take decisions and budget their films very wisely by analyzing the market demand, non-theatrical deals and of course star remuneration.
To be successful at the box office, producers must control their overhead costs and maintain star remuneration. A large portion of the production cost is spent on the stars and their irrelevant demands, resulting in over-budget and ultimately loss of money. A star should be paid only on the basis of his ability to fill theatres.
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avoid remakes
The past few years have taught that audiences are no longer welcoming remakes, especially in the Hindi film industry. For the record, around 25 Hindi remakes were released in the post-pandemic era, of which only two were successful – Drishyam 2 and Shaitan.
The rest failed to create any spark among the audience. Varun Dhawan’s Baby John is the final nail in the coffin. Everyone saw how it flopped at the box office. Now is the time to say no to remakes and work on original stories.
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better calendar planning
2024 can be seen as one of the worst movie release calendars. In 2025, filmmakers should plan release dates wisely so that we don’t miss any good dates. Moreover, now is the time to avoid confrontation, especially for films that have big box office potential.
We have seen how Veda and Khel Khel Mein had to suffer due to the clash with Stree 2. Although the clash between Singham Again and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 was somehow successful, both the films had the potential to perform better on a single release.
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discounted pricing
Pricing is one of the major issues for the Indian film industry. We have seen how the prices of Pushpa 2 were raised to another level. This should not be a regular occurrence. A large section of the audience avoids going to theaters due to such expensive ticket fares, resulting in a huge decline in footfall.
Producers must price their films at affordable rates to register significant viewership. Filmmakers, exhibitors and distributors must collectively decide the right price for their film based on budget, scale and star cast. If it is a small budget film then its price should be quite low so that it can reach the people.
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digital release window
A major problem with audiences not going to theaters is the short window between theatrical and OTT releases. Filmmakers should keep a gap of at least 3 to 4 months between these two mediums. A film deserves enough time to enjoy its theatrical run before it hits streaming platforms.
The time has come to extend this theatre-OTT window to attract cinema lovers to theatres.
Let’s enter 2025 with a positive mindset and hope for a better business year. Pinkvilla wishes you a very happy new year. Stay connected to Pinkvilla for more such articles.
Also read: Marco Box Office: A well-planned, sequenced pan-India release; Analyzing how Mollywood action became a big phenomenon
