Karan Johar and Ajay Bijli had a fun conversation at a recent summit after their previous disagreement over ticket prices at multiplexes.
Director Amar Kaushik’s Stree 2 starring Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor earned Rs 857.15 crore worldwide and despite the successive successes of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and Singham Again, there is no denying that Bollywood is going through a bad phase and 2024 is set to be one of the worst years in its history. While 2023 saw the industry deliver back-to-back hits, including two films that grossed over Rs 1,000 crore, the highest-grossing film of 2024 until Stree 2 hit the screens in August was Fighter, which released in January and earned Rs 358.83 crore.
Director-producer Karan Johar, who co-owns film production and distribution company Dharma Productions with Serum Institute of India CEO and Poonawalla Fincorp chairman Adar Poonawalla, recently discussed film economics and what producers – including those investing money in the business – need to do to improve box office returns.
During an appearance at CNBC-TV18’s Global Leadership Summit, Karan was asked about the current state of the theatre business, its future and what can be done to turn things around. The filmmaker responded by stressing on the importance of understanding audience behaviour and pulse, “I believe we have to read the room as filmmakers.
You have to note that today, there is a lot of content available on streaming services. But there is still a lot of desire by the community to watch cinema. So, please make high-concept films, which immediately take you to the cinema hall; not films that you can watch on a daily basis on a streamer.
So, apart from tentpole films, it is the high concept films or intelligently made films (that work), because today, the star cast is not the only driving force. It’s the trailer! It’s the first impression!”
Karan added, “While it may sound like a sales pitch, I always tell filmmakers to plan their trailer. If a film is giving you a great theatrical trailer, it will give you a great theatrical opening;
Anything ordinary will be missed. Anything ‘done before’ will not work. So you have to plan your first unit, which ensures that the audience says, ‘I have booked my tickets and I am going!’” He also mentioned the success of horror-comedy Munjya, which, led by lesser-known actors Sharvari and Abhay Verma, grossed over Rs 125 crore globally. “That is the power of the theatrical audience. We just have to give them what they really want.”
In a light-hearted moment at the summit, Karan and PVR Inox Ltd managing director Ajay Bijli had a fun exchange after their previous disagreement over ticket prices at multiplexes. During a roundtable discussion organised by The Hollywood Reporter India in September, Karan had criticised the alleged high cost of tickets and food and beverages as the reason people were visiting cinemas less frequently.
However, Ajay had argued that the impact of ticket prices on Bollywood films is a “perception” and the real issue lies with the quality of the content. “Everything I say today is recorded. I am looking at Ajay Bijli and I want to say, the prices (of tickets and F&B) in all multiplexes are really great; popcorns are cheap,” Karan said, making Ajay and the audience laugh. “I am very scared that I will get into trouble. I am just looking at Ajay. Bijli (electricity) and everything is cheap in cinema halls. Go watch the film guys; we need you; we need footfalls.”
