Bell Bottom To Lose Nearly 20-25% Of Box Office Earnings Due To Continued Closure Of Theatres In Maharashtra, Says Trade Expert (LatestLY Exclusive)
Bell Bottom releases on August 19. We spoke to Trade Expert and Film Producer Girish Johar on how much is the business of this movie going to get impacted with Maharashtra not allowing theatres to open just yet.
While India is trying to get back on its feet post the devastation caused by the second wave on COVID-19, theatres still haven't got a complete go-ahead. Some states have declared a few SOPs but Maharashtra has decided to keep them closed, perhaps keeping in mind the third wave predictions. This may not be great news for Bell Bottom which releases on August 19. We spoke to Trade Expert and Film Producer Girish Johar on how much is the business of this movie going to get impacted due to that. Bell Bottom: Lara Dutta Opens Up About Her Look, Mahesh Bhupathi’s Hilarious Reaction to it and Her Real-Life Indira Gandhi Connect (LatestLY Exclusive)
"Maharashtra contributes significantly to the box office earnings. So if theatres don't open here by the time Bell Bottom releases, the film's business could get hit by 20-25%. But we first need to understand that the audience engagement factor is yet to be gauged. I am sure they will be excited because of Bell Bottom and F9. The vaccination program will be a key indicator of how confident the audience is. Also, every state has its own SOPs. So gauging the box office returns will be difficult as of now," Johar points out.
However, Johar does agree Bell Bottom has a higher chance of making money overseas as the theatres there have opened up and many Hollywood movies have raked in the big moolah. Also, the look and feel of the film are quite upmarket.
Isn't it a big risk taken by the producers of Bell Bottom to release it in such constrained surroundings? "I am sure Vashu Bhagnani, who is a veteran in this field, has taken pros and cons into mind. I am quite confident he must have been seeing revenue streams through OTT and others. So he must have taken a calculated risk here," Johar says confidently. Bell Bottom: Akshay Kumar’s Thriller Confirmed to Release on August 19 Despite Theatre Shutdown in Maharashtra
Bell Bottom stars Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta, Vaani Kapoor, Adil Hussain and others. It is directed by Ranjit M Tewari.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 06, 2021 05:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).