As coronavirus fears escalate, more movie releases are seeing changes in schedule, especially with many states shutting down theatres as a precautionary measure.
After Kerala, Jammu & Kashmir, Delhi and Odisha, Karnataka has now announced closure of theatres for one week.
A lot was riding on big Bollywood films releasing in March, but now due to theatres shutting down, halt in releases and average content, the January-March period this year will be short of around Rs 400 crore to match up to Bollywood's last year business during the same period.
"In 2019, films like Uri: The Surgical Strike, Kangana Ranaut's Manikarnika, Gully Boy, Total Dhamaal, Kesari saw strong traction and pocketed big amounts," said film and trade business analyst Girish Johar.
According to Johar, the total Bollywood business last year in the first three months was around Rs 1,155 crore.
This year so far, the Hindi film industry has pocketed around Rs 630 crore with maximum contribution coming in from Ajay Devgn's Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior.
And now with Baaghi 3 impacted due to theatres shutting down and decreasing footfalls in cinema halls clubbed with the delay in Sooryavanshi's release, which was expected to bring in at least Rs 200 crore, the first quarter business is expected to remain dull.
Also, Angrezi Medium which remained on schedule and released on March 13, will see a 30 percent to 40 percent impact on its business, estimates Johar, who had expected the film to open in the range of Rs 3-4 crore.
Sooryavanshi's release delay will upset the movie calendar for 2020 as the cop drama may release on April 10, which will have a spillover effect on Ranveer Singh's ' 83, which may get postponed to avoid a clash.
Smaller films like Sitara, a Ronnie Screwvala production which was supposed to release in Kerala last month, has been put on hold after the state declared coronavirus a state calamity.
Similarly, actress Tillotama's SIR, which was going to hit theatres on March 20, has been postponed.
It is not just Indian films that are delaying film releases. F9 from the Fast & Furious franchise has been postponed by a year. The Hollywood action film has been pushed to April 2, 2021. The initial release date was May 22, 2020.
Another major Hollywood film, A Quiet Place 2, has delayed its release worldwide.
Even Disney Studios has postponed the global release of its three films including Mulan, New Mutants and Antlers.
Along with change in release schedules, shooting schedules have been halted due to coronavirus.
Anshuman Jha, who was going to make his directorial debut with the new venture titled Lord Curzon ki Haveli, has halted the shooting plan. The project was to be shot in the UK.
Bollywood stars are also cancelling tours due to the outbreak. Hrithik Roshan, who was going to interact with his fans in Chicago, New Jersey, San Jose, Dallas, Washington and Atlanta has reportedly cancelled the tour.
Even Salman Khan's annual concert tour to the US has been put on hold.
Time to show-off your poker skills and win Rs.25 lakhs with no investment. Register Now!
All Rights Reserved © 2024
