Jawan emerged the biggest GROSSER of the year and is the first film to breach the 550 crore nett mark. It also edged past the 600 crore nett number if we include the regional versions while Gadar 2 - The Katha Continues was the biggest BLOCKBUSTER of the year. The industry will generally see it the biggest hit due to the budget but when you get to these levels its not really about the budget but the footfalls and the film got around 3.5 crore footfalls which was easily higher than the other films.

This is a post pandemic benchmark when generally footfalls are less as compared to the pre pandemic times and lets see where this 3.5 crore number stands in time. Jawan (Hindi) was the othe only film to edge past 3 crore footfalls. Basically these two films are the biggest blockbusters of the year and there were a couple of other huge blockbusters and generally a very good year at the box office but the end of the year has seen certain things happen that its not the right time to celebrate HITS and put up classifications right now.

Post pandemic there is this thing that has come about which is called corporate booking in the media but it is basically cutting tickets and corporate booking is probably a nicer way to put it. In lay terms its making a film and then buying the tickets yourselves and its been pretty prevalent since business returned post covid in late 2021.

It has happened with small, medium and big films but at the end of the year it has gone to another level and in the most creative way. Maybe this should have been called out earlier and CLEARLY here but what was happening was not really changing the box office trend and allowed the commentary on the website to remain normal.

But this all changed in the last week of 2023 as for the first time a film was actually under reported on the website and done knowingly as if the reported numbers are put up then the commentary has to change and become very positive when the reality is something else. Earlier some films would have been under reported but never knowingly and even here it was played along for a day or two but eventually there was little choice but to report numbers closer to the organic numbers and its the first time this done as there was no choice. Eventually the numbers will be updated but for now if the film is updated its best to keep worldwide and all formats.

Its a difficult situation as if you write according to the numbers then you are giving the wrong picture as the ticket cutting is at an excessive high level but the fact is also there that eventually you have to update these reported numbers which will paint a good picture so thats why all this classifications and update these numbers are being left for a later date. There is also an issue of other films which have had cut tickets and should actually be classified a spot lower but that itself creates more issues so has to be left as it is.

The cutting tickets was generally done by films from the Hindi film industry as far as the Hindi circuits go and its the first time now its come for a film from the South and just like they showed how their cinema was superior with the Bahubali films this cutting tickets is also done in a superior way without actually having any affect on the audiecne wanting to watch the film or hurting how the box office works.

The Hindi industry when cutting tickets were blocking shows so when here a genuine consumer wants to watch the film at a particular show they would not be able to watch as tickets will not be available with the show being shown as full despite limited audience side. Here with the South guys they did not touch the actual box office at all and just created innumerable amount of extra shows where tickets were not even available to the public but exhibitors got the money for these shows and they were reported full also. This way not one actual consumer was lost either. No doubt very creative but what is the reason to drown such a large sum of money only god knows.

Now what is done is done but where does the industry go from here as obviously another method is there now to cut the tickets and its a cycle as many have done post pandemic and others will do if they see they are getting left behind. The marketing spends are down pre release so obviously the thought is there to spend on release as by making the box office look higher as you are building a better perception but its just a perception and not ground reality. There will be actors saying to their brands that they will take a haircut but X amount of tickets have to bought on release of their film. 

The cutting tickets actually does no harm to the box office unlike with offers and buy one get free as here you are risking changing the habits of audiences which is much more dangerous in the long run. The problem is that its embarrassing as why make films when you have to buy tickets and it defeats the exercise of making a film and on top its more money down the drain. 

Another problem you are setting yourself up is problem with digital and satellite pricing as that transparency of the box office will be out of window and the digital players will start to discount even further compared to the present not believing the collections on face value. The industry is on its knees anyway and in the long run cutting tickets will only make things worse.