Synopsis
Mid-budget films are making a notable comeback at the box office, with titles like Awarapan 2 and DC gaining substantial financial success. This trend dispels the myth that viewers prefer streaming options over cinema. Audiences are returning for powerful narratives and emotional depth, indicating a refined taste influenced by streaming services.
Mumbai: The mid-budget theatrical space is increasingly seeing signs of clear recovery. This is demonstrated in the box-office performance of recent mid-budget films across languages.
Recent mid-budget films, such as Awarapan 2 (Hindi), DC (Tamil), and Chennai Love Story (Telugu), have each collected ₹59-₹100 crore at the box office. These films have been made in the budget range of ₹15-50 crore.
This impressive box-office yield, especially amid the stupendous and sweeping success of Hollywood spectacles or event films such as The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, has challenged the general assumption that audiences prefer to watch mid-budget films only on streaming platforms and not in theatres, the film fraternity told ET.
In the past few years, the mid-budget theatrical space has gradually turned into a risky bet as a category. High-ticket prices, rapid acceptance of streaming platforms, increasing focus of streamers on profitability and costs, and a clear preference for big-budget films among streamers to boost their brand equity impacted the recovery of investments in mid-budget theatrical films.
Additionally, many mid-budget theatrical films have bombed, reducing audience interest in this space.
But recent successes show that audiences have not abandoned this space. “A strong story, emotional connection, music, nostalgia and word-of-mouth
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