2026 half-yearly box office report: Exhibitor Manoj Desai & Vishek Chauhan share their insights
Mumbai, July 1
As the first half of 2026 wrapped up on 30th June,reached out to veteran theatre owners of India to gauge the state of India's theatre business and make sense of the box office numbers.
In an exclusive conversation with IANS, Manoj Desai, the owner of Gaiety Galaxy, one of the oldest theatres of India, analysed the performance of films released in the first half of 2026.
Shedding light on the recent performances of Bollywood movies, Manoj Desai revealed that the theatres are still struggling. He said that, except for a few movies such as 'Dhurandhar' and 'Border 2', not many movies have done great business at the ticket counters, which is not a good sign for the industry, as in the era of OTT, people are not too keen to come to the theatre.
He told IANS that with such a massive threat in the form of OTT, they feel glad even if a movie runs successfully for a week.
"Akshay Kumar's 'Welcome To The Jungle' could not sustain, even with such a massive star cast,' he said.
When asked what attracts the audience towards a movie, the star cast or content, he replied content.
Manoj Desai further added that music also plays a crucial role in connecting the viewers to a movie.
He also expressed his shock that South movies tend to perform well in Mumbai, as compared to Bollywood films.
However, Vishek Chauhan, a fourth-generation theatre owner from Purnia Bihar had a different opinion.
During an exclusive interaction with IANS, he shared that the first 6 months of 2026 have been fairly decent. He added that most of the movies that turned out to be a box office triumph, such as 'Dhurandhar', 'Border 2', 'Bhooth Bangla', and the latest 'Welcome To The Jungle' ended up working across the country.
He added that the makers are again shifting back to the universal cinema. Vishak stated that earlier, the industry was focused on the big cities, but now they are coming back, getting in touch with their roots yet again.
"They are making very basic films on basic subjects, and the treatment of their movies is also extremely grounded."
Vishek said that the most surprising success for them was 'Haunted', a sequel to Vikram Bhatt's movie of the same name.
He also talked about Imtiaz Ali's 'Main Vapas Aaunga,' which was targeted towards an elite multiplex audience. The theatre owner said that the movie also managed good box office numbers after its business picked up gradually.
"I think it is a very healthy scenario for movie theatres, exhibitors, distributors, producers, that people are ready to watch all kinds of cinema, all you need to do is make commercially viable movies," concluded Vishek.
— IANS
Reader Comments
I'm not surprised that South films outshine Bollywood in Mumbai. They've got gripping narratives, great music, and no unnecessary item songs. 'Dhurandhar' and 'Border 2' worked because they had soul. Meanwhile, 'Welcome To The Jungle' had a massive star cast but zero substance. Desai ji's right—content and music are key. But I disagree with him being pessimistic; OTT is not a death sentence, it's a wake-up call!
As an expat living in Mumbai, I find this fascinating. Chauhan ji's perspective from Bihar shows that cinema is still a community experience in small towns. While multiplexes in big cities struggle, single screens are thriving with the right content. The shift to 'basic films on basic subjects' sounds like a return to what made Indian cinema great in the 70s and 80s. Bollywood, take notes!
Desai ji's frustration is real. As a theatre owner in Mumbai, he's seeing empty halls while families prefer Netflix. But Chauhan ji's positivity is what we need! The fact that 'Main Vapas Aaunga' picked up over time shows that word-of-mouth still works. Bollywood should stop making films for urban elites and start catering to the masses again. Remember 'Dangal' and 'Baahubali'? That's the magic!
I appreciate Desai ji's honesty about the struggle, but I think he's underselling the resilience of theatre business. Chauhan ji's example of 'Haunted' being a surprise success is telling—horror and comedy are genre that people still prefer on big screens. Also, music is underrated! 'Bhooth Bangla' had great songs that brought families together. Bollywood needs to work on both soundtracks and scripts, not just VFX. 🎬
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