Theatres have reopened and Bollywood has lined up a truckload of films for big screen release. But the number of Covid-19 cases have also gone up in the country, especially in Mumbai, which is considered as the most important territory for Bollywood films. Last week, Rajkummar Rao and Janhvi Kapoor's horror-comedy, Roohi, was released in theatres and it earned Rs 2.7 crore on its opening day. Also Read - Emraan Hashmi on Tiger 3: I have always dreamt of working with Salman Khan
This following week, Mumbai Saga starring John Abraham and Emraan Hashmi will be released on the big screen. But it seems like the film, which also stars Suniel Shetty and Prateik Babbar in pivotal roles, is going to take a severe hit due to COVID-19 restrictions. Also Read - It’s AWKWARD! 5 pictures of Preity Zinta, Kartik Aaryan and others that will fill your Sunday with uncontrollable laughter
According to trade analyst Sumit Kadel, Mumbai Saga is going to struggle at the box office since Mumbai has witnessed a surge in COVID-19 cases. Also, theatres are still functioning on 50 per cent occupancy and the audiences are also hesitating to come due to the fear of contracting the virus. The movie is reportedly going to release across 2500-3000 screens in India and won't have night shows in Mumbai and Gujarat due to night curfew. This will contribute upto 30-40 per cent loss in Mumbai Saga's box office collection. Also Read - Emraan Hashmi looks his fittest best as he hits the gym to prep for Tiger 3
Earlier, trade analyst Atul Mohan had said that given the circumstances, big films might make an impact, but the overall box office collections aren't going to be very high. "There are so many cases in Maharashtra and the situation is bad. Maharashtra contributes to 30-40 per cent of box office collection. Also, filmmakers make money from OTT and satellite now and releasing in theates is just a formality. They are also trying to help the theatre owners and help things come back to normal," Mohan had said.
Directed by Sanjay Gupta, Mumbai Saga stars John Abraham, Emraan Hashmi, Suniel Shetty, Mahesh Manjrekar, Kajal Aggarwal, Rohit Roy, Gulshan Grover, and Prateik Babbar. The film is slated to release on March 19. It takes us back to the world cops, gangsters, deceit, betrayal, and violence, against the backdrop of the eighties and the nineties.
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