Last year, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Jab We Met and Amitabh Bachchan’s 80th birthday week saw his films re-release in theatres and were received with great enthusiasm. However, many thought this was a one-time thing and the momentum would slow down. However, the number of films we are seeing re-released in theatres is worth noting.

Last week, while audiences flocked to theatres to watch Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ and its sequel, the romantics at heart also got a chance to relive old memories. Bollywood love stories like ‘Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein’ and ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’. Before that, ‘Laila Majnu’ gets more viewers than the original release,

Films like ‘Tumbaad’ and ‘Tujhe Meri Kasam’ have already been announced for re-release next week (September 13). Reports also suggest that Shah Rukh Khan-Preity Zinta’s ‘Veer Zaara’, Madhuri Dixit-Anil Kapoor’s ‘Tezaab’ and Aishwarya Rai’s ‘Taal’ will also return to theatres soon.

This new trend has delighted cinema lovers of all generations. While some were too young to watch these films in theatres earlier, some did not have access or missed it by chance. Though they may have watched them on TV or OTT, the magic of cinema is unforgettable.

Echoing this belief, filmmaker Anand Tiwari called it a ‘great trend’ but added that it is nothing new. “This used to happen earlier, and the trend has emerged again. Internationally, it still happens, as I remember watching Satyajit Ray’s films when I was in Paris. People can watch these classic films on the big screen as well, rather than just on OTT,” he told India Today. He further added that he wants ‘Guide’, ‘Ganga Jamuna’ and ‘Sholay’ to be re-released.

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The decision on which films should be re-released is made through a well-structured process that involves both audience insights and industry relationships. Surveys are conducted to gauge audience interest levels. Theatres and production houses work together to figure out which classics need a comeback. What has also worked in these films’ favour is the comparatively low ticket prices.

Discussing the box office business of re-released films, Devang Sampat, Managing Director, Cinepolis India, said that key considerations such as cinema occupancy rates during the specific week of release, content lineup and the level of anticipation or response to the re-released content influence the rates. He also shared that there is a significant difference in financial and distribution costs for re-released films from their original release.

“Usually, re-releases are less costly as the initial marketing and production expenses are covered during the original release itself. The main expenses include distribution rights, digital remastering if required, and minimal marketing efforts to re-introduce the film to the audience,” Sampath said.

Filling in the blanks

There could be many reasons for the re-release of old films. While the magic of nostalgia tops the list, it also reflects the short supply of new releases or commercial successes. It is also interesting to note that the number of tickets sold overall for these films has been quite low, said to be around 2.5 to 5 percent. However, ‘Rockstar’ and ‘Laila Majnu’ surpassed the box office numbers of films released the same week of their re-release. Sharing information about this, film distributor Akshaye Rathi said that these films are not the main ‘movers and shakers’ of the film business, but are just fillers.

“These films are not making more profits than the original releases. They are just interim fillers between the big blockbusters to keep the scoreboard moving. There have been some films that have done good business and earned more money, but they are not the tent poles that make or break the balance sheet. They are good to fill in the gaps but they don’t have much impact on the profit and loss of the film business,” he said.

He said that the re-release of ‘Rockstar’ was a great decision and ‘Tumbaad’ can also do good business when it releases next week. Rathi also mentioned the cult classic ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ and said that ‘Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein’ also got a tremendous responseConsidering that most of the 90s kids had a huge crush on Dia Mirza and R Madhavan.

win-win situation

A few months ago, producer Ronnie Screwvala had told IndiaToday.in about the possibility Re-release of ‘Swades’ and said that the film should get a second run as it has been called ‘way ahead of its time’. When we asked him if this trend is beneficial for the producers too as they earn money the second time around, he smiled and said, “It gives more satisfaction than money.”

Throwing light on this, Devang Sampat explained that this trend is mutually beneficial for all stakeholders. He also added that cinemas benefit the most as they get to utilise the extra capacity in times of lack of content.

He added, “For producers and distributors, re-releases provide an opportunity to earn royalties from the screening rights of their films without incurring additional production costs. This win-win situation allows cinemas to attract audiences with proven, popular content while producers and distributors are able to leverage their existing intellectual property.”

Threat to new films?

The success of this trend also raises the question – will it become a threat to new releases? There is also a view that with a lack of good films releasing, these re-releases have become a viable option to draw audiences to theatres.

Reacting to this, Anand Tiwari said, “I think commerce will decide whether re-releases can be a threat or not. However, I really feel that our films are doing quite well at the box office. The kind of numbers we are getting now, we were not able to do that earlier. Some people may say that the films are not working, but if you compare the hit and flop ratio of the previous films, it is still the same.”

What will happen next?

Talking about what lies ahead for this trend, Devang Sampat said that he believes other iconic films with a strong fan base could do well upon re-release, especially those that have had a significant cultural impact or still have a dedicated fan base.

Akshaye Rathi, on the other hand, said that reliving old memories is great, but the industry needs to be practical about it. “If there is a re-release every other week, the excitement will be lost. We should not overdo it. Giving a film a wide release over a few weeks can create more attraction and keep the excitement going.”

The distributor said that though it is making money, one must understand that formulas never help in retaining the audience as they are always looking for a mix of different genres, and oversaturation only leads to the death of trends.

He concluded, “As an industry, we need to be more pragmatic and restrain ourselves. We don’t need to re-release films and kill the idea and excitement. It can become an iconic property that people eagerly look forward to, rather than making it something so easily accessible.”