Cinemas ready for box office clash with big films
Premium- Gangubai Kathiawadi will be clashing with two big-ticket southern offerings Valimai (Tamil) and Bheemla Nayak (Telugu) this week
NEW DELHI : Cinemas are in for a big test at the box office this week with the release of a major Hindi film, Gangubai Kathiawadi that is clashing with two big-ticket southern offerings—Valimai (Tamil) and Bheemla Nayak (Telugu), the three together possibly making for a crucial step forward in recovery for the business.
While single screens in the Hindi heartland are confident of the draw of Sanjay Leela Bhansali known for hits like Padmaavat and Bajirao Mastani, critics argue the Alia Bhatt-starrer appears to be more niche and experimental film for a mass-market audiences. It will also have to compete with Valimai that is expecting huge draw for its dubbed Hindi version thanks to large-scale action besides the fact that it is likely to dominate most of south India, with early shows in Tamil Nadu and Kerala already sold out.
Bheemla Nayak, on the other hand, stars Pawan Kalyan, one of the most popular faces in Telugu cinema whose last film Vakeel Saab had set the cash registers ringing right before the second covid wave.
Trade experts estimate opening day numbers of over Rs. 30 crore for both Valimai and Bheemla Nayak and about Rs. 6-7 crore for Gangubai Kathiawadi.
“We have a lot of hopes pinned on what is looking like a very strong week," Kamal Gianchandani, chief executive officer, PVR Pictures Ltd said. While Bhansali is known among audiences for artistic, larger-than-life cinema with his film likely to capitalize on northern and western markets, the two southern films will dominate Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh-Telangana respectively, along with equal play in Karnataka and Kerala.
The phenomenon of big films releasing on the same day plays to the strength of exhibitors, Gianchandani said, because it gives people more reason to come to back to cinemas and counter-programming of movies helps support titles instead of them eating into each other’s business.
Trade website Box Office India said Valimai has clocked in huge advance sales in Tamil Nadu, beating the Rs. 24 crore numbers of Rajinikanth’s Diwali release Annaatthe in major cities such as Chennai, Madurai, Salem and Pondicherry. The business of Gangubai Kathiawadi, on the other hand, will be driven by Maharashtra and Gujarat which have contributed well to the collections of the two big Hindi language hits so far, Akshay Kumar’s Sooryavanshi and the dubbed version of Allu Arjun’s Pushpa.
Both films are expected to notch up a screen count upwards of 2,000. Independent exhibitor Vishek Chauhan, however, pointed out that the Bhansali’s film may have limited appeal and find favour only among older, mature audiences, alienating the youth. Dramas, essentially, Chauhan added, are better suited to streaming platforms now. In his single screen cinema in Bihar, Chauhan said there is three times more demand for Valimai that boasts of fast action, slick stunts and a lavish scale of production.
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Gangubai, that is also being dubbed in Telugu, will have to compete with Pawan Kalyan’s Bheemla Nayak, whose last release had made around Rs. 37 crore on day one last April. Moreover, states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu are operating at 100% capacity unlike Delhi and Maharashtra where seating is still capped at 50%.
Ashish Saksena, chief operating officer, cinemas at ticketing site BookMyShow said initial feedback from consumers across the country has been favourable and promising, supported by strong content and pent-up consumer demand. “This eagerness has also translated in the way shows have been planned across screens with cinemas equally dividing their shows across Gangubai Kathiawadi, Bheemla Nayak and Valimai across key Indian cinema chains. Riding on the back of Pushpa’s resounding success, both these upcoming films from the south will vie for attention pan-India," Saksena said.
This weekend’s releases will continue to contribute to the upward growth trajectory for cinemas with footfalls set to steadily increase over the next few weeks, besides heralding, the start of a very busy and prolific movie season for 2022, he added.
“The three films are not in direct competition with each other. The good thing is there is something for everybody and this should be a good test for the box office in this third cycle of recovery," Rajendar Singh Jyala, chief programming officer at INOX Leisure Ltd said.
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