MAD RUSH FOR LUCRATIVE WEEKENDS?
The pandemic puts paid to 2020’s first half, makers may now be eyeing its year-end festive season
Traditionally, festivals have always helped Bollywood rake in big moolah at the box office. This year though, things have clearly been not rosy largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Bollywood has lost around ₹1,500 crore to the lockdown as theatres are shut, the only major hit of 2020 yet being Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior. Plus, the Eid weekend has also gone for a complete toss.
So, now, the big question is: will there be a mad rush for year-end festive weekends such as Dussehra, Diwali and Christmas [assuming that theatres come back to life by then]? “Honestly, I foresee a chaotic scenario because every producer would want to release their films in the most profitable window,” says trade analyst Taran Adarsh, adding that he hopes to see “a planned strategy” about releases. “But it looks very difficult, especially since everyone would want their products out at the earliest,” he says.
On the other hand, many experts feel it’s all about the supply of films. “See, if film releases have come to a halt, so have the production and shoots. It’s not as if there are a large number of films, which are in a ready state to hit the theatres at any given point. As of now, around 15 films must be ready or in post-production stages,” says exhibitordistributor Akshaye Rathi. In terms of numbers, apart from a few
small/mediumbudget films, about half-adozen biggies such as Sooryavanshi, ’83, Radhe, Coolie No. 1, Jayeshbhai Jordaar and Mumbai Saga are either complete or have gone in the post-production stage.
“If all goes well, theatres may open in July or August, and since there are only a handful of big releases, which are ready or near completion, there shouldn’t be any mad rush.
Apart from a few, every major movie has a lot of work still left on them,” says Mumbai Saga maker Sanjay Gupta.
At the same time, Adarsh hopes that everyone works together on ‘release strategies’. “I wish some associations along with the makers devise a strategy to ensure that films are spaced out in a proper manner,” he says. And Rathi believes that there may not be “any better time” for smaller-mid budget films than the postlockdown period. “Whenever theatres reopen, a small or a medium budget film will also get a fantastic showcasing, space and huge [box-office] figures since there aren’t many ready-torelease films,” he adds.