Analysis: Is This The Most Unexpected Sankranthi Season?

The 2026 Sankranti season has brought to be extremely surprising when it comes to the ability to pull the audience to theatres in big numbers. This is evident if you look at the case of the recently released Sankranti special films.

The Sankranthi season this year has turned into one of the most overcrowded and unprecedented phases the box office has witnessed in recent times. With a flood of releases arriving almost simultaneously, the festive window has become a true test of audience appetite and market capacity.

Surprisingly, nearly four out of five films have managed to secure a good to decent response, something rarely seen during such a packed season.

This positive momentum has resulted in a massive rush to theatres. Audiences are turning up in large numbers, particularly in rural and semi urban regions where festival outings remain a tradition.

In several pockets, moviegoers are travelling long distances with families, only to find theatres fully packed and tickets sold out for hours together. The demand has clearly outpaced availability, creating scenes that feel almost unreal in today’s OTT driven era.

The pressure is not just on audiences but also on distributors and exhibitors. With so many films competing at the same time, allocating screens and shows has become a logistical nightmare. Even major centres are struggling to accommodate all the releases fairly, while smaller towns are forced to rotate films rapidly to meet demand.

What makes this season truly special is the collective energy across the industry. Instead of one dominant release overshadowing others, multiple films are thriving together. This festive clash has proved that strong content, combined with holiday sentiment, can still pull crowds in massive numbers. For many in the trade, this Sankranthi will be remembered as a rare moment when cinema truly ruled the festival season.