Will 2019 Cricket World Cup Affect the Box Office Business of Salman Khan's Bharat, Shahid Kapoor's Kabir Singh and Hrithik Roshan's Super 30?

Apart from Bollywood movies, cricket is the one sport that every Indian follows religiously. No wonder, the country is currently in high spirits as the 2019 Cricket World Cup is just around the corner. Yes, the biggest cricket tournament will commence from May 30 and will go on till July 14. Since team India is one of the top contenders this year to win the coveted world cup trophy, it's given that everyone is going to be glued to their TV sets from May 30 onwards. Now that's good news for Virat Kohli led Indian cricket team because cheering fans are always the best motivators, right? Road to World Cup 2019: From 2003 to 2015, How Bollywood Films Fared at the Box Office During Cricket’s Biggest Tournament

So while everyone in India is looking forward to 2019 Cricket World Cup, Bollywood, on the other hand, is going to dish out some big films during the same period. Believe it or not, but Salman Khan's highly anticipated film Bharat is arriving in theatres the day team India will take on South Africa in the qualifying round that is on June 5. Then on June 21, Shahid Kapoor starrer Kabir Singh will hit the screens and later Hrithik Roshan's much impending project Super 30 will release on July 12, just two days before the big finals. Apart from these three films, Ayushmann Khurrana's Article 15 and Siddharth Malhotra's Jabariya Jodi co-starring Parineeti Chopra will also arrive in cinema halls during the World Cup.

So the big question is - will the 2019 Cricket World Cup affect the box office business of these Bollywood releases? Will the film industry incur a huge loss because of the cricket tournament? Well, in the past, movies have clashed with the world cup and while some managed to get cash registers ringing, many ended up sinking at the box office. However, in the last decade during the various world cup periods, Bollywood has given quite a few hits and that's a positive sign for the Hindi film industry. But as per trade pundits, movie business will get affected because of the World Cup. Salman's Bharat, especially, will face the brunt at the box office as its the first big release during the 2019 WC and in the first week itself, it will clash with three of India's world cup matches and the audience is expected to get divided. Bharat: Salman Khan and His ‘Madam Sir’ Katrina Kaif Win Hearts on the Sets of Super Dancer Chapter 3! See Pics

Having said that, trade analysts also believe that if a film is high on good content then it will withstand any kind of competition. This means if Bharat and other films have engaging storylines then they could easily mint money at the ticket windows. So while Bollywood films can perform well at the box office, a lot will depend on the content they offer. Also, it would be safe to say that the world cup may not result in huge losses for the film industry but it will at least have a minimal impact on the box office figures of the Bollywood releases.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 28, 2019 02:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).