Why Most Bollywood Films Are Released On Fridays

The Hindi film industry has produced some of the most popular films. Over the years, Bollywood has delved into different genres and given great content to the audience. But there is a certain ritual in the Hindi film industry, where most of the films are released on Fridays. This ritual of releasing films on Fridays has been going on for many years. Many people still wonder what the main reason behind it is. Let’s look at why Bollywood producers prefer to release a film on a Friday.

It is commonly believed that films are released on Friday because it’s the weekend. Weekends are believed to bring more footfalls into the theatres, but this is not the only reason why films are released on a Friday. Initially, the concept of releasing films on a Friday was inspired by Hollywood.

Hollywood released a popular film called Gone with the Wind on Friday, December 15, 1939. The film earned well; this inspired producers in India as well. The trend of releasing films on Fridays did not start until the late 1950s. The first film to start the trend of Friday releases was Mughal-e-Azam. It was released on August 5, 1960, and became a huge hit among the masses. The film featured Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, and Madhubala in lead roles; and this was in the late 1960s, when Bollywood accepted this trend.

Another big reason that compelled producers to release a film on a Friday was that the fifth day of the week is considered Goddess Lakshmi’s day. So, it was commonly believed among the producers that releasing a film on Friday would bring prosperity and wealth. Most producers shoot the first shot of a film on Fridays because it is considered auspicious by most religions in the country.

It was found that the amount producers have to pay multiplex owners for screening is also the lowest on Fridays as compared to other days of the week. It was also reported that in the earlier days, people used to get their weekly salaries, and that too on Fridays. As a result, Friday eventually became the day when people used to go out and spend time with their families and watch films.

According to media reports, there was no colour television before the early 1950s, so films were strategically screened for half a day on Fridays due to informal rules in Mumbai’s small-scale industries.