Return of movie mania: Silver screen set to hog the limelight once again

About 100 films to release in four months; industry expected to hit 2019 box office revenues by next year

A rebirth of the film industry is imminent with nearly 100 films ready for release in the next four months and the Maharashtra government allowing cinemas to reopen after October 22.

Maharashtra is key for the Hindi film business (32 of the 100 are Hindi) because it accounts for between 27 and 30 per cent of its all-India box office collections, largely determining the success or failure of a movie.

The state also accounts for a fifth of the country’s 3,000 multiplexes and 400 single screens. Once the cinemas in Maharashtra reopen, it means that nearly 97 per cent of