Despite recent successes, directors are hesitant to distribute films in restricted theatres; Hollywood offers take advantage of the lack of competition.
Not long ago, industry insiders praised Akshay Kumar for leading from the front and allowing his picture, Bell Bottom, to be released in theatres. Despite a noteworthy collection of Rs 30-crore from theatres throughout India where a 50% occupancy clause was in place, the move hasn’t prompted other filmmakers to follow suit.
According to reports from midday, the freshly launched products have not been able to recoup their expenditures. Kumar’s Bell Bottom, which debuted on Amazon Prime Video this week, grossed around Rs 30-crore, but trade analyst Atul Mohan estimates that a pre-pandemic film of similar kind will gross around Rs 150-crore. “Maharashtra accounts for around 30% of national box office [collections], with 20% of it coming from Mumbai and Thane alone. Mumbai is where a film’s hype is created. Exhibitors aren’t interested in [showcasing] films since the center is closed. Bell Bottom, Chehrein, and Thalaivi are doing [well], but the industry as a whole isn’t keeping up.
Kangana Ranaut’s Thalaivi is an excellent example of how the theme of a film influences its box office take. South India was the film’s main market. He claims that this market accounted for Rs 3.85 crores of the film’s total revenue of Rs 5 crores. Vishnu Vardhan Induri, the film’s producer, adds that while he didn’t expect large box office numbers from a theatrical release, the film deserved to be seen on the big screen. “People don’t want to go back to the movies. Our attention remained focused on digital and satellite platforms. Kangana has a large fan following, and if it had shown in Mumbai, it would have gotten a lot of attention. We weren’t anticipating a lot of money.
Bollywood has suffered a hit as a result of the change. With reports of a third wave spreading and city cases exceeding 500 per day, cinemas are unlikely to open anytime soon. The expected date has been set for November, just before Diwali. “Filmmakers don’t want their films to release until they can enter Maharashtra,” says trade expert Komal Nahata. There will be no Hindi film screenings in the next two weeks.”
