Movies are serious business, notwithstanding elements that are different from other businesses. Dialogues, lyrics, music, choreography and cinematography make movies distinct. But there is no denying the fact that at the end of the day, money matters.

Two tweets by film trade analyst Taran Adarsh give enough indication of the stakes involved for two upcoming films, "Bajirao Mastani" and "Dilwale". 

If indeed "Dilwale", with an impressive star cast comprising Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Kriti Sanon and Varun Dhawan does enter the Rs 300-crore club, it would have to do indeed well at the box office well on its opening day, the first weekend and some more days.

If it does so, will it impact Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Bajirao Mastani", since both of them are set to be released on 18 December? If yes, it is sure to dent the hopes of Eros International Media, the global distributor for "Bajirao Mastani" starring Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra. This could be bad news for the company's investors, given that the film is expected to rake in a gross collection of Rs 200 crore to Rs 300 crore.

The overall movie business in India for 2015 was estimated at Rs 13,600 crore in a study titled "FICCI-KPMG Indian Media and Entertainment Industry Report 2015". Regional films outstripped Bollywood films. Last year, 180 Bollywood films were released, as compared to 202 Tamil films, 113 Telugu films and 64 Bhojpuri films, according to the report. 

"Dilwale", directed by Rohit Shetty and co-produced by SRK's wife Gauri Khan, is SRK's production house Red Chillies Entertainment (RCE) first distribution venture.

"Ultimately, we have been making films, which is one side of the business. The second side is taking it to the consumers. That's a significant large piece we wanted to participate in, and that's why we decided to distribute 'Dilwale'," Gaurav Verma, chief revenue officer, RCE, had told IANS earlier.

"Dilwale" stars have been actively promoting the movie in shows such as "Bigg Boss 9" and "Comedy Nights with Kapil".

RCE had produced Bollywood films including "Happy New Year" and "Chennai Express".

If Eros International turns out to be the loser in the box office clash, the company's share could dwindle post the release of "Dilwale" and "Bajirao Mastani".

Eros International earned a net profit of Rs 90.3 crore in the second quarter, ended 30 September, 2015, up 80% from Rs 50.1 crore in the year-ago period. Its revenues doubled to Rs 504.91 crore, up from Rs 239.90 crore in the second quarter of 2014-15.

Yet, the stock has barely seen any impact ever since it declared its results on 10 November, when the stock closed at Rs 256.05. It plunged to Rs 203.75 on 17 November. The stock closed at Rs 256.15 on 4 December.

Some movies have done well in the recent past, the most notable being Salman Khan starrer "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo", or PRDP, which collected Rs 400 crore worldwide, according to Taran Adarsh.

The same goes for "Hate Story 3" released on 4 December, which collected Rs 17.77 crore in two days, according to trade analyst Taran Adarsh.

But another movie, "Tamasha" does not seem to be doing well at the box office, indicating the risks involved in the multi-crore business.