Game of tickets : When box office collections become the be-all and end-all of filmmaking

In the past, even films made on a very low budget, with little known actors playing the lead roles, became blockbusters just by word of mouth and very little publicity due to say melodious songs or powerful storylines. Today, box office collections have become an end in itself and are no longer the indubitable means to determine a film’s success in the fast-evolving landscape of the film industry.
Hungama, publicity stunts, and deliberate leaks to stoke controversies have taken the center-stage from the word go with the result that inter alia paid premieres and corporate bookings have become indispensable aspects of filmmaking. This shift, observed in a section of the Indian film industry, has far-reaching implications for the credibility of a film’s intrinsic value.
For this week’s cover story, The Pioneer looks at the complexities of corporate bookings and paid premieres in the box-office-obsessed Indian film industry, with some of the recent releases revealing the nuanced dynamics shaping doctored narratives. Tanisha Saxena explores the delicate balance between strategic maneuvers and authenticity of public reception.