The multiplex revolution in Hindi cinema started in the mid 2000's and has grown tremendously since then but what was then a multiplex film is not anymore though in the industry the same sort of film is called a multiplex film.

Films like TAARE ZAMEEN PAR and JAANE TU...YA JAANE NA did well in the multiplexes and were correctly called multiplex hits but at the time there were around 200 odd multiplexes and 80% of them were situated in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, Kolkatta or in the satellite towns of these cities and that is where these films did well. Today there are over 700 multiplexes in India but the places mentioned above have only 275 of the 700 plus which is less than 40%

Still films like KATTI BATTI and SHAANDAAR are called multiplex films when in fact they are unlikely to work in over 60% of the multiplexes in India. If these films work they will work in the same places as films like TAARE ZAMEEN PAR and JAANE TU...YA JAANE NA worked which was then around 160 of the 200 odd multipexes and today its 275 of the 700 odd multiplexes. Most of the other 425 multiplexes have a different taste to what is generally thought to be a multiplex film.

These multiplexes outside the metros behave more like the good single screens in cities like Jaipur, Jodhpur, Lucknow or Surat. Basically unlike before there is no multiplex film today, you are either a metro film or a pan India film like it was before the advent of multiplexes. The multiplex film before had potential to reach 55 crore nett (TAARE ZAMEEN PAR was tax free so went a little higher) before and today that film is the metro film and can do 75% more or maybe a little more like a BARFI if distributors are clever with ticket pricing. The pan India film is unlimited and can go anywhere and as multiplexes go further into tier 2 and tier 3 cities the footfalls will only go up for films that do find huge acceptance all over.

There are some costly films being made at present and will have huge expectations on release with big numbers expected but its pretty easy to call even now that they will fall below expectations as they only have 275 cinema halls where they have a chance to be accepted, this may go up to 300 next year but that will hardly make a difference.