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Comedy, devotional, and horror films together are increasingly being referred to as the “CDH formula” in Indian cinema, as these genres have consistently proven to be safer bets at the box office.

Even when they open to mixed or negative talk, such films often manage to recover their investments and, in many cases, turn profitable. Recent trends across both Telugu and Hindi industries strongly reflect this pattern.
Among these, comedy horror has shown particularly strong performance compared to straight horror. Films like Masooda, Virupaksha, Kishkindhapuri, and Rakshasa have performed well despite average or mixed word of mouth. Stree 2 stands out as a major example of how the blend of comedy and horror can attract a wide audience base and deliver massive box office success.

Even films like Thamma and Bhoot Bangla, despite facing negative initial reports, managed to sustain their run and avoid outright failure, further proving that audiences are more receptive to entertaining horror over purely intense or grim narratives.

Devotional cinema remains another strong pillar of the CDH formula. Films such as HanuMan, Karthikeya 2, and Mahavatar Narasimha have worked well by tapping into cultural, mythological, and spiritual sentiments. Even Adipurush, despite facing heavy criticism, managed to register decent collections, though it struggled against its high budget. The upcoming Ramayana is expected to further strengthen this trend.

Comedy, especially youth-centric content, is also performing steadily. Small-budget films like Little Hearts have shown that relatable, simple humor continues to resonate with audiences. Upcoming Telugu films like Gayapadda Simham and Jetlee are also following this entertainment-driven approach.

Overall, compared to other genres, comedy, devotional, and horror films continue to stand out as relatively safer choices, unless executed on a very high level with strong content and presentation.