While price increases are more easily implemented in Hindi states, where it is common for multiplexes to charge upwards of ₹400 for high-performing titles, the southern market is also facing an overdose of action films that native audiences have seen too many of. The Hindi belt, on the other hand, is hungry for these mass-market commercial entertainers.

Out of the total ₹1,255.76 crore made by Pushpa 2 within India, the dubbed Hindi version has brought in around ₹829 crore, followed by the original Telugu version with ₹339.20 crore, the Tamil version with ₹61.76 crore, the Malayalam version with ₹17 crore and the Kannada version with ₹8.80 crore, according to trade experts. 

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Dubbed versions rule

Earlier, in the case of Kannada action drama KGF: Chapter 2, Hindi-speaking markets such as Mumbai and Delhi-Uttar Pradesh had clocked in ₹134.61 crore and ₹91.68 crore, respectively, in comparison to home markets such as Nizam-Andhra Pradesh and Mysuru with ₹16.01 crore and ₹13.99 crore. 

The film, when released in 2022, had emerged as the highest-grosser in the Hindi language until then, with box office collections of ₹434.7 crore from the dubbed Hindi version.

“The film has definitely done better in Hindi. There was pushback in the Telugu-speaking states given that the distributors did not allow for price drops, pricing out a significant portion of the audience. That said, its performance in the Hindi space makes for a significant moment,” Rahul Puri, managing director, Mukta Arts and Mukta A2 Cinemas, said, referring to Pushpa 2. Puri said that the issue of dwindling footfalls is one that exhibitors battle across India, and there is a need to increase attendance consistently.

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While mass-market commercial films made by southern studios make for a novel experience for Hindi-speaking audiences starved of such content, viewers in their home markets are used to such fare. Over the past few months, big-ticket southern films, such as Ram Charan’s Game Changer and Suriya’s Kanguva, have underperformed at the box office.

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“Audiences there are already used to watching such content, so this kind of fare is common and routine for them. On the other hand, masses in the Hindi-speaking belt are hungry for such films, which is why southern spectacles have created a brand and space here,” Pranav Garg, managing director at Maya Palace, a two-screen cinema in Muzaffarnagar, said. 

Garg referred to the southern style of storytelling adopted for a film like Animal starring Ranbir Kapoor that had crossed the ₹500 crore mark when released in 2023.

Several industry experts also feel that southern films manage to connect with audiences, more often than not, though degrees of success can vary across titles. “They have more screens and their stars continue to guarantee openings irrespective of genre. So it’s all a matter of making the right film,” independent exhibitor Vishek Chauhan said.