Reconfiguration of the Indian Film Industry During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The Indian film industry has consistently performed well across years and has emerged as the largest in the world in terms of the number of movies it produces annually. However, the year 2020 presented a crude shock to the prospects and promises of the industry. The catastrophic effect of the pandemic in the year 2020 led to the drop in the global box office by as much as 72% with a mere $12 billion collections across the world in the form of ticket sales. To understand the factors facilitating the Indian film industry to go beyond theatres during the pandemic and to explore the key challenges faced by the industry in light of its advancement, secondary data was collected from available publications, industry reports, and official websites of various bodies. The chapter aims at exploring the factors which contribute to the recent trends of the Indian film industry, attempts to identify the new and emerging challenges that plague its growth and how this transition can speed the recovery of Indian film industry as this would provide ample input to the various stakeholders of the industry.