For generations, the heartbeat of Indian cinema has thumped to the rhythm of Friday. The day was more than just a date on the calendar; it was a cultural event, a promise of a weekend escape, a ritual that has been around since the time the legendary ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ ruled the screen, and has been upheld for decades.

For the film trade, a Friday release means a three-day bonanza, a chance for a film to become a word-of-mouth phenomenon that would snowball through the weekend. Over the years, however, a new rhythm emerged, a subtle shift that is rewriting the rules of the Indian box office: mid-week releases, especially Thursdays.

The return of the Thursday drop

The Thursday sneak peek trend has been around for a while, if only irregularly. Power moves were made years ago by films that

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