This year, Main Vaapas Aaunga, Obsession and Hanuman Ansh all found their audience the same way: one person saw the film and told five more to go.Exhibitors say opening-week numbers are no longer the only measure of a hit – several films this year have gained ground solely on word of mouth (read: social media recommendations). The shift is forcing exhibitors to look beyond opening day numbers and follow where audiences are actually turning up.‘As demand grows, exhibitors increase the number of shows’Recommendations and social media conversations have helped several films to reach more moviegoers. Exhibitors say that some of the most exciting theatrical stories at present are emerging from films that build momentum organically.If you are on social media, you may have come across reaction videos and songs from the film.Hanuman Ansh is another addition to the success story of sleeper hits. A sleeper hit is an unexpected success story, where a film with modest expectations resonates deeply with audiences through compelling content and positive word-of-mouth.Gautam Dutta, CEO Revenue & Operations, PVR INOX Ltd. says,”Hanuman Ansh is a wonderful example, driven by strong audience appreciation and positive word of mouth. The film is currently witnessing occupancy above 50%, while its biggest fourth week and strongest Tuesday performance yet underline the depth of its growing audience connection.”As demand grows, exhibitors increase the number of shows and expand to more screens and locations. Hence films have extended runs at the box office.In recent years, Laapata Ladies, 12th Fail have proved how it is the word of mouth that sustained a film. One of the biggest examples of a sleeper hit in recent years before Hanuman Ansh was 12th Fail, which opened with approximately Rs 1 crore and went on to do business of over Rs 50 crore. ‘Indian audiences have a deep hunger for stories rooted in faith and devotion’Exhibitors also underline that faith and as a genre has emerged in recent years.Deepak Adwani, Executive Director, Miraj Entertainment Ltd, said: “Hanuman Ansh confirms something we have believed in for a while now, that Indian audiences have a deep hunger for stories rooted in faith and devotion, and they will find these films on their own, without any push from marketing. We saw the same pattern with Mahavatar Narsimha last year, a film with almost no promotion became one of the biggest hits simply because people connected with it and told others to watch it. The Gujarati film Laalo, Krishna Sada Sahaayate told a similar story even before that, a rickshaw driver’s tale of faith and redemption that opened on barely a handful of screens and went on to become the highest-grossing Gujarati film ever, purely on the strength of audiences spreading the word themselves.”He explains,”Hanuman Ansh is repeating that same journey in front of us. Its jump from a handful of shows to full houses in its third and fourth week has come purely from our own audiences asking for more screenings, especially in our Tier-2 and Tier-3 cinemas, where devotional content has always had a loyal and dedicated following.”“The film’s distribution and on-ground execution played an important role in taking our film to audiences across India.”
Hanuman Ansh
-Vishal Chaturvedi, writer and director of Hanuman AnshBOX- How Hanuman Ansh found its screens-Week 1 – 250 screens and collected Rs 90 lakh-Week 2- Reduced to 40 screens where it collected Rs 46 lakhDevang Sampat, Managing Director, Cinépolis India (which has also distributed the film), said: “Most films get judged in two weekends. The data on this one told us to wait. When we consolidated to 40 screens in the second week, per-screen collections nearly tripled, which told us the film was holding its audience. So we rebuilt the release around that demand, centre by centre. We held shows where occupancy was strong, added shows where bookings built up, and took the film back into markets it had left. It is now playing on more than 2,000 screens across every major chain and hundreds of independent cinemas. A theatrical run should be shaped by demand, and this film shows what that looks like in practice.”