Can star-studded Diwali show bring the sparkle back to cinema halls?
Akshay Kumar and
Ranveer Singh’s Sooryavanshi has become the first big-budget Bollywood film to be
released on the big screen since the coronavirus outbreak.
Directed by Rohit Shetty, this action-drama was originally scheduled to arrive
in cinema halls in March 2020. But it finally released on November 5th, a day
after Diwali, after a delay of 19 months.The long wait, however, paid off for
the makers of Sooryavanshi, as the movie released to a resounding response. It
grossed Rs 50 crore in the two days of the Diwali weekend and is projected to
garner Rs 125 crore in the first seven days. That will be enough for the
producers to break even. The movie has also become the biggest opening for Akshay Kumar.The film has
already recovered part of the cost by selling digital rights to Netflix and
broadcasting rights to Zee Entertainment, apart from its music rights.
According to industry estimates, these three rights have been sold for roughly
Rs 200 crore.Meanwhile, Tamil superstar Rajinikanth’s Diwali release Annaathe
is also breaking records.The film opened to negative reviews from critics but
that has not stopped audiences from flocking to theatres to watch the superstar
back in action. The film, which features a huge star cast, has collected Rs 50
crore in the first two days and is estimated to have already crossed Rs 100
crore in total earnings.The release of Hollywood film Eternals, the latest
instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is adding variety to India’s big
releases after Diwali.
The film experienced a strong weekend collection of about Rs 18
crore in India.But can this festival momentum sustain? Theatres are optimistic
about more big releases, hoping they would put an end to their troubles. But
some producers are still opting for direct OTT releases, leaving theatre owners
displeased. In one such example, all five upcoming releases of Malayalam
superstar Mohanlal are releasing on streaming platforms.
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