Hindi
‘RRR’ brings tsunami at the box office, signalling normalcy in film business
Mumbai: Star filmmaker SS Rajamouli’s latest magnum opus “RRR” opened to a terrific response across 7,000 screens in India and globally on Friday. The fantasy-drama film recorded the highest opening numbers after “Baahubali: The Conclusion,” the filmmaker’s last outing. Trade pundits believe that it is the glowing word of mouth that helped “RRR” to become immensely popular amongst moviegoers within just three days of its release.
“RRR” is the first film after two continuous years of instability to have a 100 per cent opening in terms of occupancy. Reportedly, the film overtook “Baahubali 2” with the first day’s earnings and has earned Rs 580 crore till Sunday evening.
On its debut day, the film earned Rs 18 crore in the Hindi belt alone. On the second day, the film continued to rake in Rs 24 crore. On the global front, the film is doing well in Australia and USA as well. It earned Rs 223 crore worldwide. In India, the film earned Rs 156 crore, while in the USA, the film minted Rs 42 crore and in the non-US market, it nabbed Rs 25 crore, which takes the total to a solid Rs 223 crore.
Rajamouli’s marketing strategy did the magic for “RRR”
The marketing team of “RRR” has done a tremendous job to create a buzz around the film even before its release. While being a visual masterpiece, “RRR” has been in talks since 2018, when the shooting schedule was planned.
“RRR” was never meant to be a Tollywood film. As a pan India film, it targeted gen-Z and millennials by using social media applications like Snapchat.
Movie business returning to normalcy
Experts believe that full-year FY23 box office revenue should be in line with pre-Covid levels as of now. Even on a like-to-like basis – while comparing March 2019 too, there is a 30 per cent + growth in box office revenue for exhibitors, estimated by Elara Capitals before the release of “RRR.”
With back-to-back hits, including “RRR,” “The Kashmir Files,” “Gangubai Kathiawadi,” March 2022 has seen Hindi box office revenue growth of at least 30-35 per cent versus pre-pandemic levels of March 2019.
Elara Capital’s Taurani expects this momentum to accelerate from April 2022 onwards.
Bollywood business growth for 2022 is backed by promising content lineup
If we see the trend so far, the year opened with “Badhaai Do,” a comedy-drama crafted around the LGBTQI+ community and same-sex relationships.
Soon after, Bollywood saw two big historical films – “Gangubai Kathiawadi” and “The Kashmir Files.” The two films turned out to be a great surprise not just for the audience but for producers too by collecting Rs 150 crore and Rs 250 crore, respectively.
Along with the huge openings in the first quarter, big-budget films like “Jersey,” “Brahmastra,” “Heropanti 2,” “KGF 2,” “Tejas,” “Ram Setu” are also lined up for release in the next few months.
Looking at the content lineup for the next nine months of 2022, it can be said that the present growth will sustain and 2022 will manage to match pre-Covid levels leading to normalcy in the film business.
What is the story of “RRR”
Set in the 1920’s, “RRR” is based on the lives of Telugu freedom fighters, Alluri Sitarama Raju (played by Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (Jr NTR). Bankrolled by DVV Danayya, “RRR” was reportedly made on a massive budget of Rs 450 crore. Alongside the lead turn from Ram Charan and Jr NTR, the film also features Ajay Devgn and Alia Bhatt in extended cameos.
Hindi
GUEST COLUMN: Why film libraries & IPs are the new engines of growth
Unlocking value through catalogue strength and IP synergy
MUMBAI:In a media landscape defined by fragmentation, platform proliferation, and ever-evolving audience behavior, the economics of filmmaking are undergoing a fundamental shift. No longer confined to box office performance, a film’s true value is now measured across an extended lifecycle that spans digital platforms, syndication networks, and global markets. As content consumption becomes increasingly non-linear and algorithm-driven, film libraries and intellectual properties (IPs) are emerging as strategic assets, capable of delivering sustained, long-term returns. For Mohan Gopinath, head – bollywood business at Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd., this transformation signals a decisive move from hit-driven models to portfolio-led value creation. In this piece, Gopinath explores how legacy content, when intelligently repurposed and distributed, can unlock recurring revenue streams, why the interplay between catalogue and original IP is critical, and how media companies can build resilient, future-ready entertainment businesses.
For all these years, we thought that a film is successful if it performs well in theatres. There are opening weekend numbers, box office milestones, and distribution footprints that gave a good picture of how the movie has done commercially and also tell us about its cultural impact. However, there are multiple platforms today, always-on content ecosystem, which has caused a shift. Today, the theatrical performance is not the culmination of a film’s journey but merely the beginning of a much longer and more dynamic lifecycle.
Film libraries today are emerging as high-value, constantly evolving assets that deliver sustained returns well beyond initial release cycles. This becomes a point of great advantage for legacy content owners with diverse catalogues, to shape long-term business outcomes.
According to FICCI-EY, the media and entertainment industry of India achieved a valuation of Rs 2.78 trillion in 2025 which is expected to reach Rs 3.3 trillion by 2028 through a compound annual growth rate of approximately 7 per cent and digital media will bring in more than Rs 1 trillion to become the biggest sector which generates about 36 per cent of overall market revenues.
This shift is the expansion of distribution endpoints. We know how satellite television was once the primary secondary window but today, it coexists with YouTube, OTT platforms, Connected TV, and FAST channels. Each of these platforms caters to distinct audience demographics and consumption behaviors, helping content owners to obtain more value from the same asset across multiple formats.
For instance, films that had great reruns, now find continuous engagement across digital platforms. On YouTube, classic Hindi cinema continues to attract significant viewership, reaching audiences across generations and geographies with remarkable consistency. At Shemaroo Entertainment, this is reflected in our film library shaped over decades as part of a long association with Indian entertainment. From classics such as Amar Akbar Anthony to much-loved entertainers like Jab We Met, Welcome, Dhamaal, Phir Hera Pheri, Dhol, Golmaal, and Bhagam Bhag, many of these titles continue finding new audiences while retaining their place in popular memory. Their enduring appeal reflects how culturally resonant stories can continue creating value over time. Similarly, FAST channels have created curated, always-on environments where catalogue content can continue to thrive through star-led and genre-based programming.
This multi-platform approach has very well transformed films into long-tail IP assets which are capable of generating recurring revenue across advertising, subscription, and syndication models.
The evolution of audience behavior is equally important. Nowadays, it’s more important to find what’s more relative than what’s recent as viewers are more influenced by mood, memories, and algorithmic suggestions than by release schedules. Even if a movie was released decades ago, it can trend alongside a newly released movie, if surfaced in the right context. Thoughtful packaging, whether through festival-based playlists, actor-driven collections, or genre clusters, allows catalogue content to remain dynamic and continuously discoverable. Shemaroo Entertainment has built extensive film libraries over decades and its focus has mostly been on recontextualizing content for the consumption of newer environments. This process doesn’t just include digitization and restoration, but also re-packaging of films as per platforms.
Syndication itself has evolved into a key growth driver. In perspective, when looking at the domestic market, curated content packages continue to find strong demand across broadcast and digital platforms. Meanwhile, in the international market, especially in markets like Middle East, North America and Southeast Asia, the appetite for Indian content is opening up new monetization avenues. Here, the ability to package and position catalogue content effectively becomes as important as the content itself.
Importantly, the need to re-package catalogue content does not diminish the role of new content. In fact, originals and fresh IP are essential to sustaining the long-term value of a film library because they act as discovery engines that bring audiences into the ecosystem, while catalogue content drives depth, retention, and repeat engagement.
This interplay between the “new” and the “known” is what defines a robust content strategy today. While new films generate spikes in consumption, catalogue titles offer familiarity and comfort. These are factors that are increasingly valuable in an era of content abundance and decision fatigue. This is also shaping our strategy, drawing value from both a deep catalogue assets and a growing focus on original IPs to strengthen long-term audience engagement and build more predictable revenue streams.
There is growing recognition that long-term value in entertainment will be shaped not only by how intelligently existing content continues to live, travel and find relevance, but also by how consistently new stories are created to renew that ecosystem. In that sense, film libraries and original IP are not parallel bets, but reinforcing engines of growth. For media companies, the opportunity lies in making these two forces work together, because that is increasingly where more resilient and predictable businesses are being shaped.
Note: The views expressed in this article are solely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect our own.
