During the Eid-ul-Azha holiday period across Bangladesh, eight new films were released in cinemas, but exhibitors say the overall box office performance has fallen short of expectations despite strong interest in a handful of titles.
The films released this Eid include ‘Rockstar’, ‘Roid’, ‘Bonolata Sen’, ‘Malik’, ‘Pinik’, ‘Officer’, ‘Tochnoch’ and ‘Masud Rana’. With around 150 operational cinema halls nationwide and several more temporarily reopened for the holiday season, the films are being screened in roughly 170 venues across the country.
According to exhibitors, audience attention has largely concentrated on ‘Rockstar’, ‘Roid’, ‘Malik’ and ‘Bonolata Sen’, while the wider Eid slate has struggled to generate significant momentum.
Starring Shakib Khan, Masuma Rahman Nabila and Tangia Zaman Methila, ‘Rockstar’ secured the largest release of the season, opening in 103 cinemas, including multiplexes and traditional theatres. At Star Cineplex in Dhaka, the film’s daily show count reportedly rose from 18 to 36 within a day due to audience demand.
According to Bangladesh Movie Review (BMR) data, ‘Rockstar’ recorded the second-highest multiplex opening of the year. The film earned Tk29.41 lakh from 57 multiplex screenings on its first day. Earlier 2026 releases ‘Bonolota Express’ and ‘Prince: Once Upon a Time in Dhaka’ earned Tk18.54 lakh and Tk16.19 lakh respectively on their opening days, while ‘Domm’ remains the year’s strongest opening with Tk30.39 lakh.
Despite respectable attendance figures, audience reaction to ‘Rockstar’ has been mixed. Some viewers welcomed the opportunity to see Shakib Khan in a more romantic role, while others questioned the direction of his recent film choices. One viewer reportedly said the actor was harming his career by taking on films of this type.
Director Azman Rusho visited cinemas following the release to observe audience reactions firsthand. He said, “This film has no action sequences or item songs. We wanted to give audiences something different from the trend that has dominated for so long.”
As part of the Eid promotional campaign, actors and filmmakers from several productions visited cinemas around the country to interact directly with audiences and gather feedback.
The release period also faced logistical challenges. Prior to Eid, Star Cineplex was unable to publish schedules or begin advance ticket sales for ‘Rockstar’ and ‘Masud Rana’ because content files for the films had not yet arrived.
Industry figures feared the delay could affect audience turnout during the crucial holiday period, although those concerns were eventually resolved.
Competition for screens has also emerged as a major issue. With a limited number of operational cinemas in Bangladesh, several productions were unable to secure the number of screenings they had hoped for. While ‘Rockstar’ benefited from Shakib Khan’s star power, many smaller and mid-budget films have had to compete for a relatively small number of available halls.
Producer and cinema owner Khorshed Alam Khosru, who owns K-Screen in Cumilla, described the season’s performance as “the best of a bad situation”. He said audience reactions had been unusually divided.
“We have heard what audiences have been saying over the past few days. We rarely see reactions this mixed. I would not say business at my hall is bad, but I expected it to be a little better,” he said.
Awlad Hossain Ujjal, president of the Bangladesh Film Exhibitors Association, was more critical. “I am disappointed. Neither multiplex operators nor general hall owners are satisfied with this year’s business. Who releases eight or ten films at the same time?” he said.
Khosru, however, pointed to factors beyond the crowded release schedule. He suggested that audience preferences are often difficult to predict and noted that an upcoming football World Cup could further affect attendance.
“People will stay up all night watching matches and sleep during the day. Business could become even weaker during that period. Overall, this Eid box office has not really taken off,” he said.
