Nervous industry opts for take two, Box Office faces squeeze

"Recently, action scenes of an upcoming film of a superstar have been reshot, especially after considering the stupendous success of the Dhurandhar franchise," said a producer who requested anonymity.Trade analysts also cite fear, confusion and lack of confidence among makers as reasons for postponing and reshooting films. "There is lack of confidence among makers about their own works. This is a reason they are postponing and re-shooting films. After the success of Dhurandhar franchise films, films which are realistic and have high emotional depth are likely to succeed," explained S Kumar Mohan, a veteran film trade analyst.

Distributors said high dependence on mid-budget films for strong box office collections is fraught with uncertainty, given the relatively lower level of awareness about these films compared to big-star films. "Awareness level of mid-budget films among audiences has been relatively low. Makers do not even invest in traditional and old marketing avenues so that audiences beyond metros can at least know the name, cast and a broad storyline about a mid-budget film. This impacts footfalls and the overall all-India box office collection," said Shaaminder Malik, film distributor and trade analyst.

Down south, trade analysts said there are very few pan-India southern films which could elevate all-India box office collections. They also said that there is no transparent practice about the release dates of films, which makes it difficult to assess their contribution to the all-India box office. "The number of pan-India southern films is relatively lower in 2026 compared to 2025. Besides, there is no clarity around release dates of big-star films," explained Chennai-based movie trade analyst Ramesh Bala.