Jio Studios Aims to Strengthen Its Lead with Big Hits and New Franchises

Jio Studios Sets Sights on Expanding Market Dominance and Building New Franchises

Jio Studios, the content arm of Reliance Industries (RIL), is a profitable business with over ₹2,000 crore invested in content at any given time, according to a top official. The company is focused on boosting its market leadership and aims to surpass its FY24 box-office earnings of ₹700 crore in FY25.

One of Jio Studios’ major hits, “Stree 2,” co-produced with Maddock Films, has already made over ₹500 crore worldwide, including ₹426 crore from India. The horror-comedy, produced at a cost of over ₹100 crore, earned a net box office collection of ₹361 crore.

Despite the challenges faced by the film industry in delivering big hits, Jio Studios achieved significant success in FY24 with films like “Zara Hatke Zara Bachke,” “Article 370,” “Laapataa Ladies,” “Shaitaan,” and Marathi hits like “Baipan Bhari Deva” and “Jhimma 2.”

“We consistently invest ₹2,000 crore in content,” said Jyoti Deshpande, President of Media Business at RIL. “Jio Studios is a profitable venture; we reinvest our earnings back into the business.”

Deshpande mentioned that Jio Studios will now focus on creating major blockbuster films, consolidating its market position, and building franchises like “Stree,” “Singham,” and “Son of Sardaar.” The studio plans to prioritize theatrical releases over direct-to-digital, as the streaming market faces cost pressures and aims for clearer profitability.

In FY25, Jio Studios’ upcoming lineup includes major releases like “Singham Again” (Diwali), “Baby John” (Christmas), “Sky Force” (Republic Day), and “Nakhrewaali” (Valentine’s Day), along with Marathi films such as Subodh Bhave’s “Sangeet Manapman” and Nagraj Manjule’s “Khashaba.” They will also have direct-to-digital releases like “Sector 36” on Netflix and “Dhoom Dham,” as well as several smaller Hindi films.

“Our focus in FY25 will shift more towards theatrical releases and less on digital content,” added Deshpande. In FY24, Jio Studios released 11 theatrical films, 35 direct-to-digital movies, and 8 original web series across various languages and genres.

Deshpande also noted that Jio Studios sells its content to all TV and streaming platforms, not just to Viacom18 or JioCinema, which are part of RIL. In FY24, their content was available on multiple platforms, including theaters, OTT, and broadcast channels like Jio Cinema, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, Colors, and Star Network.

Jio Studios is also focusing on regional content, expanding into Tamil with “Thangalaan” and into Bengali with films like “Dawshom Awbotaar” and “Kabuliwala.”