Multiplexes keep their faith in nostalgia

Re-releases give good revenues, to rise further in '26

- SREYA DEB

IN THE FACE of lower footfalls in cinemas and film collections taking a nosedive over the years, where hits are few and far between, re-releases have emerged as a silver lining. In 2025, re-releases have seen a particularly sharp rise, with more titles added over the previous year.

The trend is now so strong that leading multiplexes PVR INOX and Cinepolis say re-releases have become a new programming category for them, demanding dedicated departments. As for PVR INOX, re-releases account for 4% of revenues now, “a significant share by any benchmark”, as per Niharika Bijli, lead strategist, PVR INOX. In 2025, PVR INOX re-released over 200 films, an increase from about 150 in 2024, with Bijli foreseeing that 2026 will also see a steady consistent slate of re-releases. “Over the past year, re-releases have witnessed strong upward momentum at Cinepolis. The category has grown both in foot fall as well as per-screen revenue contribution,” shared Devang Sampat, MD, Cinepolis.

He said Cinepolis screened about 40 re-releases this year, and a far more extensive slate is being planned for 2026.

"CONTINUING THE SUCCESS of the strategy, our teams are still in conversation with major studios to re-release their iconic films. The immediate re-release that we have planned is for Sholay. Around 25-30 titles are confirmed, and another 25-30 are under discussion," said Sampat, adding, "Like last year, this year too we are seeing a share of around 3.5% revenue from re-releases."