Regional language titles help film business recover
Premium- Even though there have been no Hindi films available in theatres for many weeks, these films competed with titles such as Shershaah and Bhuj-The Pride of India on streaming platforms
New Delhi: The much-needed green shoots for India’s covid-hit film industry are surprisingly coming from smaller regional language movies which do not boast of big stars.
Punjabi film Puaada is heading for collections of ₹4 crore in the first eight days with more cinemas expected to open up in east Punjab this week. Meanwhile, Telugu film SR Kalyanamandapam had earlier emerged as a surprise hit in its native region, making over ₹4 crore on its opening weekend alone.
“Given the times we are in, these are definitely positive trends and patterns making for very encouraging signs for the film business in India," film producer, trade and exhibition expert Girish Johar said.
Even though there have been no Hindi films available in theatres for many weeks, these films competed with titles such as Shershaah and Bhuj-The Pride of India on streaming platforms, and that audiences have chosen to invest time in watching them in cinemas proves their draw, Johar pointed out.
Trade website Box Office India said Puaada’s hold in east Punjab has been excellent so far, despite being released in far fewer theatres than the film would have managed in pre-pandemic times. Further, the film is a record opener for lead actor Ammy Virk in overseas markets such as the UK and New Zealand. In the former, it had emerged as the fifth-highest opening Punjabi film ever last weekend with £84,000. Restrictions in Canada led to a loss of $75,000 but the film still managed a huge $275,000.
“The response to the film has been overwhelming and it’s amazing to see audiences back in cinemas. We just hope more theatres open up and night show restrictions are lifted, but these are great signs for the box office," Puaada producer Pawan Gill said.
Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar’s Bellbottom has had to bear the brunt of theatres remaining shut in Maharashtra. However, early estimates suggest that the spy thriller has collected an estimated ₹2.5-2.75 crore on day one, with the city of Delhi alone bringing in 20% of all-India earnings, according to Box Office India.
The film had sold 8,250 tickets with net earnings of around ₹17 lakh for day one and 11,500 tickets with earnings of ₹24 lakh for the weekend, as far as advance booking went. In comparison, the last big Hindi film release before the pandemic, Baaghi 3 that had released in March 2020, had sold 20,368 tickets with ₹39 lakh for day one and 37,527 tickets with business of ₹75 lakh for the weekend, at multiple properties including Maharashtra. Kumar’s last release, Good Newwz, had made opening day earnings of ₹17.26 crore in December 2019.
“The potential (of a film) to collect per day is just 15-20% of what it used to be pre-pandemic. The widest release for Bellbottom would be in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh with 225 screens but that is still 35% of normal times, with 50% occupancy and limited night shows in Delhi city," a blog on trade website Box Office India said.
In a state like Telangana where cities like Hyderabad are operating with 100% occupancy, the release has been restricted to around 100 screens. Meanwhile, some of the best performing theatres in Gujarat are still shut but Ahmedabad and Surat seem to be showing healthy collections. “It’s a start for the film and hopefully the weekend will see better collections," the blog said.
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