The box office rivalry between Singham Again and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 has stirred up plenty of controversy, with mudslinging both before and after their release. For instance, T-Series, the producers of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, refused to allow Singham Again to use the iconic Singham theme music, citing copyright ownership. This forced the makers of Singham Again to change their theme music. The two films have also clashed over screen shares. Now, following their releases on November 1, both sides are competing over which film has the higher box office collections. Did Hansal Mehta Take an Indirect Dig at ‘Singham Again’ and ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ Box Office? Filmmaker Drops Cryptic Post on X About ‘Faux Office’ and ‘Paid Relations’.

At the time of writing, Singham Again, directed by Rohit Shetty and starring an ensemble cast led by Ajay Devgn, is in the lead, having collected INR 144.20 crore in five days in India, while Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, directed by Anees Bazmee and starring Kartik Aaryan, has earned INR 128 crore over the same period. However, there is some controversy surrounding these figures.

Some trade experts suggest that collections are being inflated through corporate bookings, though many have refrained from naming the parties allegedly involved. Meanwhile, fanbases of the respective stars of the Diwali releases are accusing each other of using these tactics to boost booking numbers, which in turn artificially inflates revenue.

See a Few Examples of Such Accusations Being Thrown Around

'New Lows Everyday'

'Real Weekend Figures'

'Manipulation'

'Self Buying'

'Full Corporate Booking'

'New Norm in Bollywood'

'Sharp Drop in Collections'

While it remains unclear how much corporate booking has influenced the collections of Singham Again and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, these aren’t the only Bollywood films accused of using this manipulative tactic. Recent blockbusters like Brahmastra, Pathaan, Gadar 2, Animal, Jawan, Salaar, Dunki, Tiger 3, Fighter, and Stree 2 have also faced accusations of inflating their box office figures through corporate bookings. Dunki vs Salaar: From Accusations of 'Corporate Bookings' to 'Inflated' Collections, The Box Office War Between Shah Rukh Khan and Prabhas' Films on Social Media is Getting Worse!

Before delving further into how corporate bookings can distort a movie's box office performance, it’s helpful to understand how box office performance is usually determined.

How is the Box Office Performance of a Movie Determined?

A movie's box office performance is generally measured by the revenue it earns from ticket sales in cinemas, excluding receipts from satellite, music, or OTT sales (unless it's a direct-to-platform release). The gross collection of a film is the total revenue from ticket sales before any deductions. The net collection refers to the share that goes to the distributor after cinemas take their cut from the ticket sales. In India, net collections are commonly used to evaluate a movie's domestic theatrical success, while gross collections are used to assess worldwide performance, including both domestic and overseas earnings.

What are Corporate Bookings?

Today, movies rely heavily on generating pre-release or opening weekend buzz to draw crowds and boost revenue. For studios, it's often about claiming titles like "biggest opener" or "highest opening weekend," especially when their film is up against another blockbuster. To create the perception of high demand, studios may attempt to boost ticket sales by showing that their movie is attracting large audiences.

Producers may sometimes purchase large blocks of tickets themselves to make the film appear more popular, a practice known as 'self-buying.' Additionally, some studios form partnerships with corporate companies in exchange for product placements or advertising tie-ins. In return, these corporations may block large numbers of seats for employee outings or incentives, inflating the film’s opening figures. These bulk purchases contribute to the total box office revenue, potentially making the film seem more successful than it actually is.

In other cases, studios may have agreements with theatre chains, which may report large bookings without translating to high occupancy (actual audiences filling the seats). Corporate bookings are not restricted to Bollywood or Indian cinema; even movie industries of other countries indulge in this.

In such scenarios, analysing a film’s true box office performance by theatre occupancy rates can offer a more accurate picture, though this can be challenging for trade analysts to track, particularly in this PR-driven era.

This method of manipulation is becoming harder to identify, with some trade analysts suggesting that tampering now occurs at the billing level itself.

The impact of corporate bookings on box office performance is typically short-lived. If a movie experiences a steep drop in revenue after the opening weekend, it may be a sign that artificial tactics were used to inflate initial numbers. While such strategies might allow filmmakers to save face temporarily, they often lead to financial losses in the long run, which eventually come to light.

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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 05, 2024 05:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).