MUMBAI: Audience data suggests there’s little to choose between the two big releases this Diwali, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 & Singham Again. Distribution will play a key role in determining how big they open.
Ormax Cinematix is Ormax Media’s audience tracking tool for theatrical releases in India. Audience data from Ormax Cinematix suggests that ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ and ‘Singham Again’ are locked in a close battle, with near-equal performance on most metrics. If there’s a major difference in how the two films open, it would only be about factors ‘external’ to the audience, i.e., division of screens and shows between the two films
The Diwali clash this year it said is arguably the most high-profile clash between two Hindi movies for a long time. Franchise films Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and Singham Again are releasing on the big post-Diwali Friday, i.e., November 1, 2024. How are the two films faring among the audience, in the lead up to their release?
There is very little to choose between the two films. ‘Singham Again’ has a slender lead on this parameter, but this week, ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ has closed in the gap to a negligible one.
The second parameter in Ormax Cinematix is , a score on a 0-100 scale that measures % audience who are aware of the name of the film, i.e., said ‘Yes’ when asked if they have heard of the film. On this parameter, both the films are expectedly faring very well, given their franchise equity, averaging 98% (Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3) and 96% (Singham Again) respectively.
The third parameter in Ormax Cinematix is , a score on a 0-100 scale that measures % audience who are definitely interested in watching the film in a theatre, among those aware of it. Appeal is a strong indicator of the creative strength of the campaign, i.e., the collective pull of the film’s cast, genre, music and other such aspects, as communicated via the various assets in the campaign. The chart below shows daily movement in Appeal of the two films over the last one-and-a-half weeks.
Here too, there is very little to choose between the two films, with Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 being ahead by a slender margin on some days, and both films being equal on other days.
Buzz, Reach and Appeal are audience research parameters, and this ‘equal’ performance suggests that audiences are excited equally about the two films. On the weekly music charts, new songs from both films entered the Top 5 this week, with ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ title song taking the number three position, ahead of Jai Bajrangbali from Singham Again at no. 5. Songs from ‘Stree 2’ continue to hold the top 2 positions.
If one looks at other data sources outside the company’s own data, the close competition between the two films continues. In effect, the audience side of the story is that the two films have similar positive anticipation, a week before their release. If there’s a major difference in how the two films open, it would only be about factors ‘external’ to the audience, i.e., division of screens and shows between the two films.
On a day when many shows are expected to run on 100% capacity, these external variables can play a significant role in determining a film’s box office opening. But as far as the audience are concerned, there’s little to choose between ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ and ‘Singham Again’.
