Bollywood eagerly waits for the masses to return to theatres; is covid still hindering that?

MUMBAI: A year after the countrywide theatre shutdown, theatres are rejoicing a chance to welcome the audience back. But with Covid-19 cases on the rise, will the audience head to the theatres to catch the latest releases? Filmmakers are concerned about the box office outcome of their films, while exhibitors are banking on big-ticket releases. Filmmakers, actors, trade analysts, distributors, and exhibitors discuss their dilemma.

Sanjay Gupta (filmmaker)
Sanjay Gupta waited with a bated breath to release his film ‘Mumbai Saga’ all through last year. While the filmmaker is confident of his film, which boasts of a stellar cast comprising of actors like John Abraham, Emraan Hashmi, and Kajal Aggarwal, he is worried about how the audience will react in the wake of the rise in the number of cases. “There was a cause of concern from the day we decided to release. We also knew that theatres are not running to full capacity; it is only 50 per cent. That is the risk we are taking. And now, with this new surge in cases, it does put a lot of anxiety on the makers of the film. The cases are going up, but fortunately, it is not so much in the metros as it is happening in the interiors. Audience in the city will come because they are going everywhere else. People are going to the beaches, matches, restaurants, and other public places."

Vinod Bhanushali (producer)
Vinod Bhanushali, head of marketing and media publishing for music at T-Series, feels that good content will definitely pull the audience to the theatres. He opines, “The good thing is that whatever numbers we are getting from theatres on the releases of films in this week is really overwhelming. Good content will get people to theatres. People are going to food courts in malls so if it is a good film people will go to the cinemas. And it is not that people are not going to cinemas. A film called ‘Tom and Jerry’ did well at the box office, Vjiay's ‘Master’ did well in the South, with a business of close to Rs 200 crore. The number of people who go to the theatres is lesser than earlier but we don’t require lakhs of people to come to the cinemas. Besides, by now, people know how to avoid getting Covid and are prepared to tackle it. People are going to offices, restaurants, and are very well informed and the theatre guys are also taking the necessary measures.”

Ramesh Sippy (distributor)
He reasons, “It is a big risk as nobody knows whether the number of cases is going upwards or downwards, whether they will be able to control it, and if they will they be able to succeed or not. It is definitely going to have a direct effect on the business of cinema but nobody will change their strategies immediately, barring those who have their releases in March and April.”

Credits: Times of India