In recent months, it has become a new trend to re-release old Bollywood films in theatres. In the previous year, 2024, several classic and iconic films from Veer-Zaara, Hum Aapke Hain Koun to Tumbbad and Laila Majnu have been re-released and considering the first few months of 2025, it can be easily said that there will also be a continuation of the re-release trend in 2025. This trend not only has the potential to bring back the nostalgia related to the old evergreen movies but also can lead to an opportunity for significant box office earnings.
For example, in the latest Bollywood re-releases, film like Sanam Teri Kasam, is showing a good performance at the box office. This romantic drama film featuring Harshvardhan Rane and Mawra Hocane in the lead roles is back in theatres on 7th February 2025 after nine years and is grabbing the attention of film lovers even over the new fresh releases of 2025.
Sanam Teri Kasam was initially released in 2016 and did not perform well at the box office at that time. However, the film has gained significant popularity among audiences over time after its release on OTT and television. As a result, the film, which had underperformed in its initial releases, has now surprisingly become a hit on its second run at the box office.
Back by popular demand!
— Soham Rockstar Entertainment (@SohamRockstrEnt) February 3, 2025
🎥💖 Sanam Teri Kasam is set to steal hearts again! Re-releasing in theaters on 7th Feb—get ready to laugh, cry, and fall in love all over again!#SanamTeriKasam #HarshvardhanRane #DeepakMukut #ReRelease #LoveStory pic.twitter.com/f7c6c79yLG
As per the industry tracker Sacnilk, the present two-day earnings of the movie have already beat its original lifetime collection in the first run, which was Rs 8 crore. In its re-release, the film collected Rs 4.25 crore on Day 1, which is found to be three times its original box office collection on the opening day. In just three days, the box office collection of the movie has surpassed Rs 15 crore.
Understanding the trend of Bollywood re-releases
The concept of re-release in the entertainment industry refers to returning and releasing old movies to the big screen. Though this trend has become popular in bollywood now, the trend was also there in the early days. For example, the 1975 Bollywood classic Sholay, starring Amitabh Bachchan in the lead role, was re-released on the big screen in 2014. The major highlight of the re-release of Sholay in 2014 was that it had been converted to a 3D version to provide a new-age cinematic experience to the audiences.
There are several factors which positively contribute towards the amplification of the trend of Bollywood re-releases. The first and foremost factor which influences this trend is the growing audience demand for entertainment. A significant gap has been observed between the releases of most anticipated movies each year. According to industry experts, if the trend of Bollywood re-releases continues, then it can address this gap effectively, ensuring the audiences remain familiar with watching movies in theatres.
Most of the time, audiences decide to revisit the old films on the big screen even after their availability in OTT or other mediums, only because of nostalgia. The films which have been acclaimed over time have the potential to emotionally connect the audiences, which contributes to the success at the box office in the second run.
In previous times, only timeless masterpieces have been considered for re-releases, but now the movies which have not performed well initially at the box office but were critically acclaimed later have been seen to be re-released. In this case, the motive of the film producers is to grab the opportunity to earn a decent number, which was missed earlier, as well as create excitement for the sequels. There was also a motive to showcase the old movies with technological advancements like 3D conversion, 4K technology and others for the Bollywood re-releases.
The trend of the re-release is not found only in the Bollywood industry, but it has also been seen in the telegu, tamil, Bengali and other regional film industries. In the Telugu and Tamil film industry, several old movies are often re-released on the big screen on the occasion of the birthday of their superstars. Recently, “Shudhu Tomari Jonyo” was re-released on 7th February 2025 from the Bengali film industry to mark 10 years of the film.
Notable Bollywood re-releases in 2024 and 2025
Tumbbad
Among the most successful Bollywood re-releases, one of the most prominent examples is Tumbbad. The horror thriller Tumbbad was re-released on 13th September 2024 and has broken its previous box office records. The film originally hit the big screen in 2018. However, the box-office performance was not up to the mark as it has shown in its re-release. The opening day collections of classics Mughal-e-Azam and Sholay are even surpassed by this film, which was produced by Sohum Shah and directed by Rani Anil Barve. The success of the movie has given confidence to its producer to announce its sequel, Tumbbad 2.
Jab We Met
On the occasion of Valentine’s Day 2024, this romantic drama film, starring Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor in the lead roles, was re-released. The iconic characters Aditya and Geet still remained fresh among the audiences, which led them to revisit the film. The evergreen songs of this film, including “Tum Se Hi” and “Mauja Hi Mauja”, are nostalgic for the fans.
Karan Arjun
With the Bollywood re-releases of Karan Arjun in November 2024, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan returned back together to the big screen after Tiger 3. The director of this film, Rakesh Roshan, mentioned the re-release as an experiment to see whether the reincarnation theme of the movie still connects with audiences or not. The outstanding performances of the characters and the gripping storyline of the movie make it still remembered among the audiences.
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
The trend of Bollywood re-releases continued in 2025 with Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani starring Ranbir Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur, Deepika Padukone and Kalki Koechlin. Directed by Ayan Mukerji and produced by Dharma Production, this romantic comedy film has also seen box office success in its second run. As per the post on X by Dharma Production, the film was found to earn around Rs 17.69 crore in two weeks in the re-release.
*Insert Bunny widening his eyes here!🧑💻* #YehJawaaniHaiDeewani re-releasing tomorrow at your nearest select theatres!
— Dharma Productions (@DharmaMovies) January 2, 2025
Book your tickets now – https://t.co/8ZqpasVe1a pic.twitter.com/eeunWXnI7N
FAQ
1. Why are old Bollywood films being re-released in theatres?
The Bollywood re-releases trend has gained popularity due to growing audience demand for entertainment, to fill the gap between two major releases, to earn a decent number which was missed earlier and to showcase the old movies with technological advancements like 3D conversion and 4K technology.
2. What is the reason behind the success of films like Sanam Teri Kasam in their re-release?
Sanam Teri Kasam has gained significant popularity among audiences over time after its release on OTT and television. As a result, the film, which had underperformed in its initial releases, has now surprisingly become a hit on its second run at the box office.
3. What impact does nostalgia have on Bollywood re-releases?
Audiences decide to revisit old films on the big screen, even after their availability in OTT or other mediums, because of nostalgia. The films which have been acclaimed over time have the potential to emotionally connect with the audiences, which contributes to success at the box office during the second run.
4. Can Bollywood re-releases of old films contribute to box office earnings?
Yes. For example, the present two-day earnings of Sanam Teri Kasam have already beat its original lifetime collection in the first run, which was Rs 8 crore.
5. Is the re-release trend seen in other regional industries as well?
Yes, the trend of re-releases is not only found in Bollywood but also in the Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, and other regional film industries. For example, “Shudhu Tomari Jonyo” was re-released on 7th February 2025 from the Bengali film industry to mark 10 years of the film.