India, Jan. 7 -- D espite big releases such as Shah Rukh Khan's King, Salman Khan's Battle of Galwan, Akshay Kumar's Bhooth Bangla and Welcome To The Jungle, Ajay Devgn's Drishyam 3, and Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar Part 2 lined up for 2026, the Hindi films release calender for the year appears a bit scattered and sparse. While the schedule until April looks busy, the months that follow have many gaps. For instance, June, July, November, and December have only one release each, while September has none. This raises key questions: Is it because not enough films are being made for theatres, or are small and mid-budget filmmakers hesitant to announce their release dates in advance? Trade analyst Taran Adarsh explains, "Filmmakers, especially those who are making mid-budget and small budget films, want to wait for the biggies to fix their dates first, as when a big film decides to release at a similar time, it leads to changing of dates." Producer Aanand L Rai, who has Tu Yaa Main starring Shanaya Kapoor and Adarsh Gourav releasing in February, says, "You should understand that making a good film is the only necessity, announcing a date in advance is not." Another major reason behind the lack of films lined up for release could be the Dhurandhar effect, says Taran. He shares, "Dhurandhar, which released on December 5, is still running in theatres after a month, which ended up impacting films that released after it. So an ample gap is being created consciously. 2026 will get crowded soon." Manoj Desai, executive director of G7 Multiplex and Maratha Mandir cinema, feels the year appears dry because audiences are increasingly choosing OTT over theatrical viewing. He shares, "OTT ne humara satyanash kar diya hai. People think ki jab OTT pe aayegi film, ghar pe dekh lenge."...