Bollywood has suffered its worst ever losses, at about 2,9-billion rupees (R620-million) this year.
"The 50-week period has been the worst in the history of the film industry," a survey by Film Information magazine said. "So many disasters have been released, that the losses in all three sectors of film business - production, distribution and exhibitors - have been astronomical."
Since November 2001, there were 132 Hindi films released in India, but only 18 made money.
These losses come despite star casts, extravagant sets and colourful song and dance routines. However, two of the most expensive productions, Khabi Khushi Kabhi Gham (R100-million) and Devdas (R130-million), did score well at the box office.
India is the world's most prolific producer of films, churning out about three a day on average. - Sapa-DPA