At last count, street 2 had been won ₹515.05 crore in the domestic market Ticket Office According to data from the trade website Bollywood Hungama, the film became one of the biggest Hindi-language hits of all time. The film was made on a budget of ₹60-70 crore, according to trade experts.
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go to mebacked by Maddock Films, also creators of street 2made ₹107.48 crore rupees (budget) ₹30 crores) when it was released in June despite featuring no familiar faces. Starring Ajay Devgn Satan had timed ₹149.49 crores (budget) ₹60-65 crore) in March.
What has changed?
Previously, horror films made by the Ramsay brothers or similar Raaz and Obsessed found appeal among audiences, but industry experts believe the genre had not received a truly commercial spin and had remained restricted to adult or male viewers.
What has changed now is that the fusion of horror with comedy, among other significant changes, has attracted children and family viewers. Experts believe that everything is now set for bigger films and a whole new cinematic universe in the future.
“The evolution of the horror genre into horror comedies has made it more accessible to a wider audience, including those who might have been hesitant to watch traditional horror films,” said Devang Sampat, Managing Director, Cinepolis India.
Ashish Saksena, COO of BookMyShow Cinemas, said, “The new wave of horror films is more refined, with engaging scripts, relatable themes and a cinematic quality that resonates with a wide range of viewers.”
What has also changed, as Sampat noted, is that the quality of storytelling, special effects and production values have improved significantly, making these films more engaging.
“The ability of these films to blend cultural elements with universal horror tropes has resonated well with Indian audiences, creating a unique and engaging cinematic experience,” Sampat said.
Saksena added that these films have distinguished themselves by combining humor, social commentary and strong character development, making horror much more accessible and appealing to a wider audience, including children and families alike.
“This novel style has made the horror genre more accessible, appealing not only to traditional horror enthusiasts but also to younger viewers, urban audiences and even those who usually avoid horror films,” he said.
The South was there first
The evolution of hardcore horror films into family-friendly horror comedies was already a big trend down south, said Amit Sharma, managing director of Miraj Entertainment, a company that operates multiplexes.
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For example, Raghava Lawrence’s Tamil-language horror comedy series, which includes Municipality (2007), Municipality 2: Kanchana (2011), Day 3: Kanchana 2: Ganga (2015) and Municipality 4: Kanchana 3 (2019) were huge hits not only in theatres but also when dubbed into Hindi for satellite television.
The future of terror
Saksena believes we are just at the beginning of the horror success story.
“We are on the cusp of a horror revolution in Indian cinema, where new films will not only enthrall audiences across the country but also garner international attention as recent hits are likely to attract more investments, leading to high-quality productions that will bring even larger groups of audiences to theatres,” he said.
The upcoming lineup appears to support Saksena’s vision.
According to media industry sources, Maddock Films will continue to develop the horror comedy universe with upcoming installments of street, I’m leaving and wolfThe company is expected to launch a new addition to the franchise titled Vampires of Vijay Nagar starring Ayushmann Khurrana in the coming months.
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Meanwhile, the third installment of Bhool BhulaiyaaAnother popular horror comedy franchise, is also set to premiere later this year. The first in the series premiered in 2007 and was one of the “original” Hindi horror comedy hits, grossing ₹80 crores collected at the box office. The second installment, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 had done ₹185.92 crores (on a budget of ₹70 crore) in 2022.
Let the nightmare continue.
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