The final quarter of the previous financial year ended on a high for the exhibition industry, thanks to the success of films like Border 2 and Dhurandhar The Revenge. Meanwhile, Q1 of the current financial year is off to an encouraging start. As India’s biggest multiplex chain, PVR INOX Ltd is at the centre of this upbeat phase, and its Executive Director, Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, has every reason to be optimistic. The company is not just exhibiting films but, through PVR INOX Pictures, is also distributing significant local as well as Hollywood titles. The financial year began with the release of the critically acclaimed The Drama, starring Robert Pattinson and Zendaya. The company has an exciting line-up of films like Hokum (May 8 or May 15), Tuner (May 29), Furious (June 12), The Invite (June 26), I Want Your Sex (July 31), Mutiny (August 21), Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping (November 26), Wife And Dog (date not yet finalized), Musk (date not yet finalized), along with the Japanese anime ChaO (date not yet finalized). The Hindi films to be distributed by the company include Ek Din (May 1), Aakhri Sawal (May 8), Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai (May 22; release in certain territories), Raftaar (July 24) and Gabru (date not yet finalized). In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Sanjeev Kumar Bijli opened up about the current trends in the exhibition sector, promising upcoming films, what makes him travel to film festivals, and a lot more.
EXCLUSIVE: PVR INOX Executive Director Sanjeev Kumar Bijli reveals plans for Cannes 2026, Hollywood slate and why India is now too big to ignore; opens up on Dhurandhar The Revenge hitting Rs. 100 cr mark in a single day: “It was a pleasant surprise…”
How has the current quarter been so far, and what are your expectations for the films releasing in cinemas over the next two months?
Q1 started on a very positive note. We had the tailwind of Dhurandhar The Revenge continuing in April. Bhooth Bangla has done decent business; it has grossed Rs. 100 crores at the box office in India. We released The Drama, which has collected around Rs. 5 crores GBOC all India. It’s a small number but relatively large for a small, independent film. That’s what PVR INOX Pictures does – it brings in these independent movies. Michael has also put up great numbers. Meanwhile, Project Hail Mary has done exceptionally well worldwide and even in India, it has performed strongly.
So, as per our targets, it seems like we won’t have a phenomenal April, but it’ll be a decent one. However, in May, we have a very big line-up. Pati Patni Aur Woh Do, starring Ayushmann Khurrana, looks hilarious. Varun Dhawan’s Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai also seems promising. And the film that everybody keeps talking about in our office is Raja Shivaji. It releases on May 1 and so does The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Ek Din. We also have many films coming out in regional cinema as well. Patriot is a big one, which also arrives in cinemas on May 1.
June looks great with a great line-up of films. Toxic will be something to watch out. We have Chand Mera Dil, Cocktail 2, Main Vaapas Aunga, Disclosure Day etc in this quarter that should pull audiences to cinemas.
PVR INOX released Dhurandhar The Revenge in certain circuits and the film has emerged as an all-time grosser. It also collected more than Rs. 100 crores in a single day, a feat it managed on two consecutive days. Did this come as a surprise, or was it expected?
It’s difficult to tell. The buzz was always there, as the first part had done very well and generated a lot of conversation. That’s what makes a movie hot. So, it was a pleasant surprise that it performed the way it did. We all knew it was going to do well, but we didn’t know that it would surpass the first part. I am glad it did.
You recently attended the 76th Berlin International Film Festival and will also be attending the 79th Cannes Film Festival in May 2026. What motivates you to attend these festivals?
We have been doing this for 20 years now. We have been visiting not just Berlin and Cannes, but also AFM, that is, the American Film Market in Los Angeles, where we buy international independent films. Around 20 years ago, we noticed a gap – several independent studios like Miramax, New Line Cinema and others used to never release their films in India. That’s when we set up PVR INOX Pictures and decided to acquire the rights to such films and distribute them in India. So, this has been going on for two decades now.
At these markets, we also get to watch films that we eventually buy. I had watched The Drama in Berlin, among other films. I also saw Hokum. We bought it from Neon and will be releasing it in May. We also have the rights to release The Invite, directed by Olivia Wilde. It has a great cast, comprising Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton. It’ll be out on June 26.
In short, film festivals are where we meet a lot of independent film companies, nearly 40 of them. We also meet Japanese companies because we distribute a lot of anime films. We are also interested in releasing films in French, Spanish and other European languages because the world has become very language-agnostic now. We value good cinema, regardless of its language. We have bought some great films in Berlin and are looking forward to watching and acquiring a lot of exciting films in Cannes as well, like we do every year.
We are also reading and shortlisting scripts. We buy them the stage. The prep work on these scripts has already begun for my team (smiles) and me.
It is common for Hollywood actors to travel to various parts of the world to promote their films. However, they rarely come to India for promotions. Tom Cruise and Vin Diesel are among the few major Hollywood stars who visited Mumbai to promote Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and xXx: Return Of Xander Cage (2017), respectively. Is there a possibility that PVR INOX Pictures can try to get the actors of its upcoming Hollywood releases to make a pit stop in India for promotions?
I’ll ask them this time in Cannes (smiles). The Indian market is growing. Oppenheimer (2023) did business of more than Rs. 100 crores. Barbie (2023) was also a big success. Last summer, we had a fabulous run of Hollywood films such as Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Final Destination Bloodlines and Jurassic World Rebirth. F1: The Movie was a surprise super-hit. So, for a Hollywood film to cross the Rs. 100 crore mark in India is very much possible now. We are hitting numbers that justify their presence here. As of now, they give us a shoutout on social media (laughs).
Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Sanjeev Kumar Bijli shares his views on Sikandar: “The expectations are HUGE as one can’t underestimate the MASSIVE following that Salman Khan has”
More Pages: The Drama (English) Box Office Collection , The Drama (English) Movie Review
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