For the first time in 15 years, the Indian festival, Holi festival this year will pass by with any theatre releases.  This has sent a shockwave across the exhibition sectors as for decades the producers have leveraged on this festival weekend holiday to secure their bumper openings. But this year the theatres or the cinema hall shall remain unusually silent.  

Even during the pandemic hit the country in 2021, the filmmakers had targeted their film opening Holi. The film Saina and many other films such as Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, Malamaal Weekly, Race, Badrinath Ki Dulhania, Kesari and Tu jhoothi Main Makkaar were successful at this historical festival corridor. 

The Cricket Fever that dampens the releases 

In 2000 2002, 2003 and 2011 saw no popular or big budget Hindi releases that largely due to the ICC Cricket World Cup. History appears to have repeated itself in 2026 as well with the ongoing T20 World Cup reportedly discouraging the producers from testing the waters at the box office. 

Adding to this undercurrents, Yash Raj Films had also postponed the release of Mardaani 3 to January 30th 2026 to dodge the cricket fever.  Meanwhile Pati Patni Aur Woh Do and Gabru have shifted their releases from March 2026 to May 2026.  The overlap of Ramzan has further dampened the prospect leaving the Holi corridor dry for the first time in years. 

The impact of the films not being released this weekend. 

The impact is visible at Mumbai’s Iconic G7 multiplex at Gaiety Galaxy, with one of the largest auditoriums has remained shut last weekend.   Due to the absence of a film that is strong enough to sustain a full day occupancy in the cinema halls the shows have been split between the screens.

Most recent releases like Assi and Do Deewane Seher Mein failed to attract the movie goers. Theatres across India are now even considering a temporary screen closure directive which comes across to reduce the operational costs until March 19th 2026 and will probably re start once the big-ticket films arrive.

As of now Border 2 and Mardaani 3 have been a box office blockbuster encouraging business while others in the film industry are heavily dependent on the release around the Eid.

The Kerala Story: Goes Beyond though has advance booking, the film still remains underwhelming. Exhibitors have expressed that with such films one can only expect a massive surprise or these just disappear without creating any impact. 

Eid Explosion with a high voltage box office film expected. 

With Dhurandhar :The Revenge, the part 2 of the Dhurandhar film and Toxic which are to be released around Eid is expected clash has raised an alarm. Trade experts have warned there could be a severe face off for single screen owners who will be forced to choose between the two big entertaining films. The multiplex owners also may have to struggle to allocate adequate shows to both the big banners.    

Insiders also state both the films are strong enough to succeed independently and won’t require a festival cushion for its stability, if not the fear also larks in the mind that if one film under performs it would collapse within days of its release showcasing to a fragile market and instability. 

Bigger concerns with poor film release planning. 

The trade analysts and voices pointed out that due to erratic film releases, the film industry suffers.   While certain films are released during festive periods with the multiple big releases that clash while other weeks in the same month run dry which is a pattern that was also seen in 2024.  With the footfalls, following overcrowded releases and theatre owners planning to build more cinemas, but at the same time the screens are shut due to lack of films it’s not a healthy sign for the theatre owners and the film industry.  

All eyes are on Eid for the next new big released while Bollywood will experience a colourless Holi that will reflect on the empty cinema halls.