For years, Bollywood has whispered about a 'January jinx'. Many believe this first month of the year is cursed for film releases. Numerous movies launched in January have flopped, creating a superstition within the industry.
A Look Back at 2025's January Releases
Last year seemed to prove the jinx true. Major films like Shahid Kapoor's 'Deva', Kangana Ranaut's 'Emergency', 'Azaad', and Ram Charan's 'Gamechanger' hit screens in January 2025. According to box office tracker Sacnilk, only 'Skyforce' managed moderate success, earning about Rs 112.75 crore in India. The rest struggled to find an audience.
What Do the Experts Say?
Is this jinx real or just a persistent myth? Leading trade analyst Taran Adarsh shared his perspective. "I pointed this out in the 1990s where it used to happen," he said. "This year also, of course, we had a case as 'Ikkis' released on January 1, it didn't work. But, I think there have been instances where films have worked in the past. This January jinx is there. More than that, the content has to be good. If the content is good, then no matter what date you release the film, it can face any storm and emerge victorious."
Exhibitor Akkshay Rathie echoed this sentiment, highlighting exceptions. "There have been enough and more exceptions to this January jinx rule," he noted. "I remember Hrithik Roshan's 'Agneepath' came on a 26th January weekend. There have been Akshay Kumar films on that weekend too, and all did incredibly well. Having said that, it's been a few years since all this happened. It's purely a coincidence that in recent times, January hasn't seen our best films."
Hopes Pinned on 'Border 2'
Rathie believes one hit can shatter the superstition. "It's purely a question of one movie coming along and breaking that jinx," he explained. "I'm hoping this year that film is 'Border 2'. It has all the elements—the cast, the scale, the genre, the franchise value, the mass outreach of Sunny Deol as a megastar. Plus, Anurag Singh is a phenomenal director for films like these. I'm pretty hopeful this is the last year we'll talk about the January jinx."
Notable Exceptions to the Rule
History shows the jinx is not absolute. Several films have thrived with January releases, especially around Republic Day. This holiday period, particularly when it falls near a weekend, is prime for big launches.
- 'Rang De Basanti'
- Shah Rukh Khan's 'Pathaan'
- Hrithik Roshan's 'Agneepath'
- Akshay Kumar's 'Airlift' and 'Baby'
- 'Padmaavat' and 'Fighter'
Vicky Kaushal's 'Uri: The Surgical Strike' also released in January and became a sleeper hit. While Republic Day releases often succeed, the first two weeks of January are still considered risky.
Why the Early January Slump?
Taran Adarsh offered a theory for the slow start each year. "I guess generally people celebrate Christmas and New Year together," he said. "After all the festivities, they wouldn't necessarily want to go to the theatres immediately. Moreover, films releasing then were not significant enough to draw crowds. But if a really good film comes, people will go. It all depends on the content."
The Current Scenario: January 2026
So far, January 2026 has been dull for box office numbers. 'Dhurandhar' has slowed in its sixth week. 'Ikkis', which released on January 1, did not perform exceptionally. Prabhas's big release 'The Raja Saab' crashed after a decent opening weekend. Releases on January 16, 'Happy Patel' and 'Rahu Ketu', also started poorly.
All industry hopes are now focused on 'Border 2'. Akkshay Rathie commented on the current releases. "The movies this week, like 'Happy Patel' or 'Rahu Ketu', are very multiplex-y urban releases," he said. "But 'Border 2' looks like a film that will release widely across the country and hopefully get good numbers. We're keeping our fingers crossed that if not the opening days, then at least the opening month of 2026 becomes memorable with this film."
The debate continues. While a pattern of underperformance exists, compelling stories with strong content have repeatedly broken the so-called curse. The industry now watches closely, waiting to see if 'Border 2' will be the next exception to redefine January's reputation.
