Diwali films fail to light up box office: Thamma and Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat's collections fall 14-25% in first two days

Bollywood's Diwali releases, Thamma and Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, have shown underwhelming performance in the past two days after a promising opening on Tuesday.

These films lack elements paramount for big festival entertainers, producers, distributors and trade analysts told ET as their collections have dropped 14-25% compared to the first-day performance.

"This year's Diwali releases seem to have missed the fireworks. Despite the advantage of the festive window, both new titles opened with promise but failed to sustain momentum through midweek," said Suniel Wadhwa, cofounder and director at film production and distribution firm Karmic Films.

"This is not a good sign," he said. "Word-of-mouth communications for both films have been patchy, and early corrections in show scheduling reflect that audiences are becoming more selective and content-conscious."

According to box office research firm Sacnilk, collection of horror-comedy Thamma, which is part of Maddock Horror Comedy Universe (MHCU), dropped to ₹18.6 crore on the second day of its release from ₹24 crore on its release day, amounting to a drop of 22.5%. Similarly, the collection of Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, a romantic film, dropped to ₹7.75 crore on the second day from ₹9 crore on its release day, showing a fall of close to 14%.

Both films were released on Tuesday. Historically, Diwali releases are considered the most profitable and mood-setting period for the next year in the Hindi film industry. It is estimated that Diwali releases contribute 10-25% to the total Hindi yearly box-office collection. This is a noteworthy contribution considering the short holiday period in a Diwali week.

Last year, Diwali releases Singham Again and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 together earned a collection of ₹653 crore in India itself. Both films contributed close to 14% to the total Hindi box office in 2024.

Producers are of the view that genres of this year's Diwali releases did not go well with the festive spirit.

"A Diwali period warrants a joyful, big, grand-scale, family entertainers. The genres of these two films did not meet up these expectations, it seems," said Girish Johar, producer and film business expert.