The box office is the primary factor used to determine whether a film is a hit or a flop. In the post-pandemic era, the film industry is struggling to revive its business to its full potential. What was working exceptionally well in pre-COVID times is now meeting with disastrous results. There are several mid-scale films with an A-list starcast, which would have done wonders back then, but are finding no takers in cinema halls. In such a scenario, when the film industry is trying hard to rise again and revive its lost business, some filmmakers are putting every stake at risk by clashing at the box office.
A box office clash is not a new phenomenon. Sometimes, it becomes inevitable when filmmakers are left with no choice but to clash. However, there have been many instances when you have lots of vacant release dates, yet stakeholders still choose to clash at the box office, just to arrive on a festive date.
If we talk about 2025 only, Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR’s War 2 clashed with Rajinikanth’s Coolie on Independence Day weekend, Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari had to face Kantara: Chapter 1 on Gandhi Jayanti-Dussehra weekend, and more recently, Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat locked horns with Thamma on Diwali weekend. In these three recent clashes, only two movies, Kantara Chapter: 1 and Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, were able to bag a Clean Hit verdict at the Hindi box office. Rest all failed, with Thamma still running in cinemas, fighting for the success tag.
A box office clash eventually divides the screens, which affects the business of all the projects releasing on the same weekend. Had these movies avoided clashing and opted for a solo release date, their box office pictures would have been a bit different.
There have been several Fridays that remained vacant, and no significant films have been released in cinemas this year. This highlights the industry’s need for effective calendar planning. October 2025 saw two box office clashes, with three other open options available to the makers. A similar case was observed in August 2025 and September 2025 as well. When War 2 and Coolie faced each other, there were two vacant Friday options available. In September 2025, Baaghi 4, The Conjuring: Last Rites, and The Bengal Files all released on the same date, when they could have planned it better.
And now, Maddock Films’ Ikkis and Dharma Productions’s Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri are set to clash with each other on Christmas 2025, when there are multiple vacant dates available, from November to December release window. Interestingly, Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri was scheduled for a December 31 release, and it preponed itself to December 25 to indulge in a clash with Ikkis, leaving behind a solo date. It raises a question – Was this clash really needed?
Time and again, films like Baahubali: The Beginning, Baahubali: The Conclusion, Avengers: Endgame, Jawan, Animal, Saiyaara and others proved that a movie doesn’t need a festive release date to become a box office sensation. What it needs is to deliver the content first, have conviction in their story, rather than focusing on a festive release window to milk their weak or half-baked projects.
One should try to secure a festival window, as it maximizes buzz and can boost business, but not at the cost of clashing with another equally significant film. The industry needs to come together and support each other in such times when the business has already hit a new low. Instead of overlooking vacant regular Fridays and clashing at the box office, they should plan their releases more mindfully so that every film gets a chance to shine and lure the audience with its content without sharing screens and splitting earnings.
Avoiding clashes and planning a release calendar mindfully might not yield an instant outcome, but it has a chance to work in the long run, which will eventually help the industry revive lost business.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of Pinkvilla. No statement in this article is intended to defame, harm, or malign any individual or entity.
