Low buzz, high hopes: Trade optimistic that 6-day Diwali weekend will boost Thamma and Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat
Diwali is usually associated with big films and big numbers at the box office. But this time, limited hype seems to have been generated by the Diwali releases of 2025, namely the horror comedy Thamma and the intense romantic saga Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat. Several exhibitors and theatre managers told this writer, “Iss baar Diwali thandi lag rahi hai thodi.” Nevertheless, both films are mass-appealing and trade experts hope that they’ll score eventually at the box office.
Trade veteran Taran Adarsh said, “Thamma comes from the horror comedy universe, which will prove to be a major advantage. Over a period of time, they have cultivated a very strong fan base. There might be surprises as well (in the form of cameos).”
He further said, “The music is the biggest asset of Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat; it has really caught on. I won’t say Harshvardhan Rane is a huge star but when music works, everyone benefits. Also, Harshvardhan Rane got the push with the re-release of Sanam Teri Kasam (2016). This film is a bit different and hence, let’s wait and watch. But the music will definitely play a role in drawing the audience.”
Girish Johar, producer and film business analyst, commented, “Compared to the previous Diwali, the hype is milder. But the good part is that it’s a big holiday. Hence, I feel that the films will start on a slow note. However, if they enjoy strong reports, then they have the potential to score at the box office.”
Film exhibitor and distributor Akshaye Rathi said on an optimistic note, “The buzz for both the films is reasonably good. The day after Diwali traditionally is one of the best days for box office. Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat seems to be a film that caters absolutely to the front benchers and single screen audience and has got momentum courtesy the three songs, which have become very popular already. Thamma is in the space of horror comedy universe, which has seen tremendous success with Stree, Stree 2 and Munjya. Being a film in that space and hopefully featuring cameos by other characters, as it has been the case in the past, it should be a really good Diwali for all of us. I am hoping that the content of both films will fire in a good way and people will turn up in cinemas in big numbers.”
Distributor and exhibitor Raj Bansal didn’t mince words as he said, “Sadly, the buzz is hardly there. I have been talking to a lot of exhibitors and they are very disappointed this Diwali as they were expecting big films to hit the screens on the festival. Both films might still turn out to be big ultimately. But they fear that they would not open well as the star cast plays a major role in getting the audience in initially.”
He explained, “People are adopting a wait-and-watch strategy. They’ll first check the reports and then book tickets.”
Diwali releases usually arrive in cinemas a day after the big festival to take advantage of a National Holiday-like scenario. But Raj Bansal said, “Tuesday, the day these films will release, is a partial holiday. Certain people are celebrating Diwali on Monday, October 20 while some will bring in the festival on Tuesday, October 21. The big holiday is on Wednesday, October 22.”
Others, however, said that it's like a six-day long weekend in many parts of the country as New Year falls on October 22 while Bhai Dooj will be celebrated on October 23. The weekend arrives on Friday, October 24. Taran Adarsh said, “It’s a long, extended weekend, which can prove advantageous. But as I said, it all boils down to the content.”
A positive development this time is that the makers of both Thamma and Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat have opted for reasonable ticket prices. Taran Adarsh explained, “The makers should go for popular pricing instead of blockbuster pricing. Let’s make the film more affordable to the common man. Once that happens, people definitely come into the theatres.”
A minor hiccup has been screens-sharing issues but the trade is confident that it's not extreme this time. Akshaye Rathi explained, “It’s always the question of the law of demand and supply. That is factored by the advance booking sales and also by the momentum that the genres have had in the past. Now, it’s understandable that the horror comedy universe of Maddock has been extremely successful so far and therefore, will have an edge over Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat. Having said that, the music of Deewaniyat is an underlying factor, which nobody can really gauge the impact of right now.”
He added, “On day 1, there may be a scenario where Thamma may have an extremely lopsidedly high showcasing. But after the release day, what takes over is the merit of the film. For all you know, things may actually start becoming fluid depending on how both the films are received.”
He remarked, “Despite the clash and programming tug of war continuing, Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat has already significantly got a better deal than what it would have got on a normal day. It speaks volumes about the distribution efforts that are being put into by its makers, that too, by a new company. Interestingly, it is also the film being distributed by them as well.”
Raj Bansal said on the same lines, “It’s all between the exhibitor and distributor. The exhibitors are very smart businessmen and won’t like to harm their business. They know which film would have a bigger opening and would opt for it. In case if the distributor pressurizes them and forces them to put on more shows, chances are that the showcasing of the weaker film would reduce from the second day. However, this time, I don’t think there would be any issue of showcasing. Ayushmann doesn’t have a pull in single screens. Hence, to fight for shows in single screens is uncalled for.”
Girish Johar agreed, “It’s very dynamic. If a film does well, it automatically gets more shows. The exhibitors are the first ones to get the pulse of the audience because they are at the ground level. If they realize that the shows of high-demand films are fewer, they’ll increase their shows. This has been proved multiple times as they don’t want to lose out on cashing on the higher-performing movie. I feel there’s ample space for both the films to survive.”
Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: CBFC reduces kissing scene in Thamma by 5 seconds; replaces ‘Azaadi doonga’ with ‘Aiyaashi karata hoon’
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