Ask Hindi filmmakers and actors, and they might admit: The ultimate act of self-love? Purchasing your movie tickets. The first half of the year has been notably quiet for Bollywood, with no major hits and big-budget films failing. Despite this, producers remain undeterred, not focusing on making cost-effective quality films but rather on artificially inflating box office numbers through what the industry criticizes as reckless and damaging practices — manipulating perceptions and engaging in corporate bookings, a term often used loosely online.
After a lackluster post-COVID period in the previous year, the Hindi film industry rebounded strongly in 2023, achieving unprecedented milestones. The year was marked by a series of blockbusters such as Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan and Jawan, Sunny Deol’s Gadar 2, and Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga. However, discussions around box office figures began to evolve, with industry insiders quietly discussing how certain 2023 films resorted to corporate bookings and self-purchases to inflate their earnings. This gave rise to the industry term “organic collections,” which gained prominence in online trade discussions last year.
Several industry insiders have begun to unravel the issue of self-booking, a practice where producers purchase tickets for their own films out of their own funds to inflate box office numbers, thereby misleading audiences about the film’s popularity and hype. This practice gained momentum in the aftermath of the pandemic, reached its peak last year, but is now being scrutinized critically by trade observers. They suggest that producers, in their current desperation, are inadvertently leaving clear traces of their actions behind.
Corporate Booking
While “organic collections” dominated discussions in Bollywood’s box office scene last year, industry insiders distinguish between traditional “corporate booking” practices and the newer phenomenon of “self-buying”. Despite both methods aiming to inflate a film’s box office earnings, they differ in execution. According to a trade insider, the post-pandemic process of corporate booking typically involves agreements between the lead actor, producers, and associated brands.
‘The stars request the corporate brands they are affiliated with to arrange bulk bookings for their latest film. This expense is offset against their remuneration. For instance, if a brand purchases tickets worth Rs 10 lakhs, this sum is deducted from the star’s fee. The company acquires these tickets and subsequently distributes them, either for free among their employees or as contest prizes to consumers.
‘Subsequently, the actors and producers receive the finalized expenditure report. If a star has affiliations with five brands, they request each of them to arrange such bookings. This differs from self-booking, where individuals use personal funds to inflate their film’s box office numbers, without involving any brands.’
Self Buying
According to the trade source, when filmmakers opt for genuine “corporate booking,” there’s a level of assurance that if 1000 tickets are distributed, at least 500 will be used, ensuring that seats marked as “booked” online are actually occupied, even if the tickets were not paid for by the attendees. This guarantee is absent in self-buying scenarios, where seats are often reserved without a systematic method to ensure all tickets are utilized by the audience.
‘When producers and actors realize that corporate booking won’t yield significant boosts and self-buying risks seats remaining empty, they turn to educational institutions. They purchase tickets themselves and distribute them to schools and colleges to create an appearance of authenticity. Although financed by the makers, the presence of attendees, including students, gives the impression of organic interest. However, this practice remains orchestrated,’ the source explained.
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