According to The India Box Office Report by Ormax Media, the box office performance in March bounced back somewhat after an underwhelming February. With a gross collection of Rs 668 crore, March almost doubled February’s tally, reigniting some momentum for 2023. However, the figures for the January-March quarter of the year were 1.2 per cent lower than the numbers for the same period last year, totaling to Rs 2,432 crore.
Ormax’s report adopts Gross Box Office as the unified measurement, attributing a film’s collection to the month of its release. For films released in multiple languages, box office numbers reflect the contribution of such films to all the corresponding languages. Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor’s easy chemistry in Luv Ranjan-directed Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar propelled the film to a collection of Rs 152 crore in March, giving it a wide and comfortable lead at the top of the month’s charts. In second place was Ajay Devgn-starrer Bholaa, which clocked in Rs 98 crore. Telugu period action drama, Dasara, wrapped up the podium places by accumulating Rs 91 crore.
John Wick: Chapter 4 was the most successful Hollywood release of the month, roping in Rs 65 crore, followed by Kannada crime drama, Kabzaa, which closed out March at Rs 39 crore. However, Rani Mukerji’s return to the big screen in Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway tanked at the box office, bringing home only Rs 25 crore.
Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pathaan, which released in January, alone constitutes 27 per cent of the box office in 2023, having grossed a stellar amount of Rs 646 crore. Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar enters the top four highest-grossing films of the year, behind Pathaan, Varisu (Rs 212 crore) and Waltair Veerayya (Rs 190 crore).
In terms of language share, Hindi remains more or less where it was in February, rising slightly to 41 per cent, followed by Telugu at 23 per cent and Tamil at 19 per cent. The projected box office earnings for 2023 are Rs 9,728 crore, which is Rs 909 crore less than what 2022 gathered at the box office.
In conclusion, while the box office performance in March improved from the previous month, the numbers for the January-March quarter of 2023 were slightly lower than last year’s figures. However, the success of Pathaan and Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar indicate some promising trends in the film industry. It remains to be seen how the rest of the year will fare for the Indian box office.