Feb 27, 2026 9:30am IST
Why February Has Turned Out To Be A Dull Period For Bollywood
On paper, the lineup of Bollywood films for this year looked rock-solid. However, the first two months have been far from impressive at the box office. While January redeemed itself with ‘Border 2,” which was a hit, followed by “Mardaani 3,” which emerged as an average grosser, February failed to deliver even a single average grosser at the box office.
Bollywood arrived this month in cinema halls with “Vadh 2”, “Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain! Fun on the Run,” "O’Romeo,” “Tu Yaa Main,” “Assi” and “Do Deewane Seher Mein,” and none of them worked at the ticket windows. With “The Kerala Story 2” getting postponed, there's no Bollywood release today.
Variety India discusses this lackluster performance by the Hindi film industry at the box office with trade experts.
No Expectations From February Releases
Raj Bansal, a multiplex owner and film distributor from Jaipur, shares that there were no box-office expectations from the films released. “The films which released, we were not expecting anything out of them. So, all films which released during February or late January, we were not expecting anything out of them. A little bit of hope was there from ‘O’Romeo,’ but that also didn't do well because it didn't go well with the audience,” says Bansal.
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Change of Viewing Pattern in Cinegoers Post-Pandemic
Veteran trade analyst Taran Adarsh explains how the audience’s viewing pattern has changed after COVID. Sharing why so many releases failed, he asserts, “‘Assi’ caters to a different audience. And post-pandemic, films like ‘Assi,’ or for that matter, ‘Do Deewane Seher Mein,’ they have a very limited reach, unless they show a big turnaround during the weekend or on weekdays. Here, it didn't happen. Secondly, I feel, critical acclaim aside, they must have got a lot of love and praise. Eventually, what matters are the box-office collections, right? Thirdly, as far as ‘O’Romeo’ is concerned, the film may have found appreciation among a section of the audience, but the box-office numbers are missing. And if you opt for a buy-one-get-one on Monday itself, the BOGO offer, that means you send out a wrong signal to the audience. Because it's a big film. Even a ‘Mardaani 3’ did not opt for a buy-one-get-one on Monday, which is a mid-range film. While ‘O’Romeo’ is a big film. So, somewhere down the line, the film has not found the kind of appreciation, or it has not converted into those footfalls and numbers.”
No Excitement Among the Audience
All February releases failed to excite moviegoers, shares Vishek Chauhan, CEO at Roopbani Cinema. “Primarily, the films did not connect with the audiences. They were not able to excite the audience.
And secondly, February is a slightly dull month. So, your product needs to be really strong to score in a dull month. I think the basic problem was that none of these films was able to generate any kind of interest. I think even ‘Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain! Fun on the Run’ was a lost cause and ‘O Romeo’ was a lost cause before its release.
Calling the combo of director Vishal Bhardwaj and actor Shahid Kapoor a “flop duo” at the ticket windows, he adds, “Although people might say they are good collaborators, they are a disastrous pairing as far as the box office is concerned. They have made some very good films and may have received critical acclaim for ‘Kaminey’ and ‘Haider,’ but box-office-wise, Vishal Bhardwaj is absolutely zero. So, there were no expectations.”
After a low-phase in February, the Hindi film industry is expected to make a roaring comeback in March with Ranveer Singh, Arjun Rampal and R. Madhavan starrer “Dhurandhar 2,” which is one of the most-awaited biggies of the year.
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