After back to back flops now theatre owners shut down screens till release of Brahmastra
The year 2022 began with a new hope for the film industry. After facing covid-19 pandemic the movie business got hampered a lot. When August began, exhibitors were preparing for a busy month. With the release of both big films like Laal Singh Chaddha, starring Aamir Khan, and Raksha Bandhan, starring Akshay Kumar, the makers were expected to get good numbers at the box office. Unfortunately, neither film captivated audiences. The exhibition industry remained optimistic, as Vijay Deverakonda’s Liger promised to be a fun, massy entertainer. However, the word of mouth was disastrous. It worked on weekends but crashed on Monday.
These three films were expected to dominate a significant portion of multiplex screens. The theatres were forced to reduce the number of shows due to their poor performance. Other films, such as Anurag Kashyap’s thriller Dobaaraa, the Hollywood film Nope, and others, have also failed to attract audiences. As a result, several theatres have decided to close some screens. Many shows have already been cancelled.
A source from the exhibition sector was quoted as saying, “When most films are not performing, it becomes difficult to keep so many screens operational. Sadly, many theatres can’t shut down screens as they have got the ad revenues for the week. So this week, they have reduced the number of shows per screen. From Friday, September 2, some multiplexes will close down some screens for the week.”
All eyes are now on Brahmastra, which is set to be released next week. Akshaye Rathi a film exhibitor and distributor, said, “Brahmastra hopefully will get people back in the cinemas in big numbers. There’s also Vikram Vedha on September 30.” Devang Sampat opined, “Starting with Brahmastra, the line-up looks quite strong.”
