At a time when streaming giants are focusing on producing more original content, this strategy seems to be yielding good results, though not as strong as last year. However, unlike 2023, Netflix dominated the Hindi direct-to-OTT films category, with its original movies taking the top two spots on the list of most-watched Hindi works, as per analyst firm Ormax Media’s “Streaming Originals in India – Mid-Year Review” report.
In the Hindi films category, director Imtiaz Ali’s biographical drama Amar Singh Chamkila, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra, led the list with 12.9 million views. Director Homi Adajania’s mystery thriller Murder Mubarak, featuring Pankaj Tripathi, Sara Ali Khan, Vijay Varma and Karisma Kapoor, came in second with 12.2 million views, according to the report covering original shows and films released between January and June 2024. However, during the same period last year, the top two spots were held by the Shahid Kapoor-starrer Bloody Daddy and the family drama Gulmohar, with 16.6 and 16.3 million views, respectively, indicating a decline in viewership for Hindi original films this year.
The other Hindi films in this year’s list are Ae Watan Mere Watan (Prime, 11.5m), Maharaj (Netflix, 10.6m), Patna Shuklla (Hotstar, 9.8m), Bhakshak (Netflix, 8.9m), Sharmajee Ki Beti (Prime, 7.6m), Silence 2: The Night Owl Bar Shootout (Zee5, 7.3m), Kaam Chalu Hai (Zee5, 4.9m), House Of Lies (Prime, 4.9m) and Blackout (JioCinema, 4.9m).
Unlike the 2023 mid-year review, Ormax also included an analysis of the top original shows and films in Telugu and Tamil languages released during the first six months of 2024.
In Telugu, Prime Video’s animated sci-fi comedy TV miniseries Bujji and Bhairava, which served as a prelude to the film Kalki 2898 AD, topped the list of most-watched shows/films with 4.9 million viewers. The ETV Win drama series 90’s – A Middle Class Biopic came second with 3.8 million viewers. The other Telugu shows/films in the list are: Miss Perfect (Hotstar, 3.1m), Special Investigation Team – SIT (Zee5, 2.8m), Bhamakalapam 2 (Aha, 2.7m), Indian Idol Telugu S2 (Aha, 2.4m), Yakshini (Hotstar, 2.3m), Sarkaar S4 (Aha, 1.9m), My Dear Donga (Aha, 1.7m), MasterChef India Telugu S2 (SonyLIV, 1.5m) and Paruvu (Zee5, 1.5m).
In Tamil, Prime Video’s horror crime drama series Inspector Rishi topped the list of the most-watched shows/films so far this year, with a viewership of 4.9 million. Hotstar’s medical drama Heart Beat came second, with only 3.3 million views. The other Tamil shows/films in the list are: Uppu Puli Kaaram (Hostar, 2.9m), Pon Ondru Kanden (JioCinema, 2.4m), MasterChef India Tamil S2 (SonyLIV, 1.5m), Thalaimai Seyalagam (Zee5, 1.2m), Cheran’s Journey (SonyLIV, 1.1m) and Sevappi (Aha, 0.9m).
In terms of marketing buzz, Murder Mubarak led the list of Hindi films, followed by Ae Watan Mere Watan. In content strength, which assesses the most-liked digital-exclusive properties, Amar Singh Chamkila topped the Hindi movies list, with Maharaj coming second. In Telugu and Tamil, 90’s – A Middle Class Biopic and Inspector Rishi topped the respective lists.
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