What is the opening figure of ‘BellBottom’ like?
Given the present situation where one of the biggest circuits has not been included, what does the box office prediction for ‘BellBottom’ look like? Trade Analyst Komal Nahta opines, “In almost all of India, where the cinemas are open, they’re functioning at 50% capacity with other restrictions of not working beyond 10 o’clock among other things. So with all those restrictions, the first day figure for ‘BellBottom’ could be 7 crore. I think it’s a very good figure and they will be able to achieve that. Akshay Kumar, Vashu Bhagnani and Nikhil Advani need to be lauded for at least making a beginning. It doesn’t matter if Maharashtra is closed, they don’t want to postpone the movie further.”
What kind of loss is the film looking at?
Trade expert Taran Adarsh believes that the COVID restrictions and no-show in Maharashtra is going to take away a massive chunk of revenue from the film. “We don’t know the screen count yet but the makers may lose out on 30-35% from that money that is coming in right now. Mumbai and Maharashtra contribute massively, having said that, it is a brave step on the part of the producers. The sector is already bleeding and someone or the other had to take a call.”
Can ‘BebllBottom’ hit 100 crore at the box office?
Had ‘BellBottom’ been released in a normal situation the film could easily be a 100 crore hit. Komal Nahta shares, “This is a very intelligent film, at least the promo suggests that. So these types of films definitely work better in big cities and it will be a big loss for ‘Bellbottom’ to skip Maharashtra circuit. If released in a normal situation, ‘BellBottom’ would have definitely been a 100 crore plus movie and it would have taken an opening of atleast 14-15 crore on day 1, which is phenomenal! This figure ensures more or less that the movie will cross 100 crore. If the reports are good then 100 crore looks like quite an achievable target.”
Is it wise to release ‘BellBottom’ in the present time?
The makers of ‘BellBottom’ had announced that the film will release on April 2, post which it was pushed to July 27 and eventually the movie is hitting the screens on August 19. Is it a wise decision to opt for a theatrical release in present time or should the makers have postponed it again? Komal Nahta answers, “When there is so much adversity, you have to forego something, you cannot take only wise decisions. How long will you cling onto a film? More so in the case of Akshay Kumar. He has got so many films, for all you know, when theatres open, there is an Akshay film releasing every other weekend, which is also not a good thing. They must have also weighed in the extra interest they are paying right now while holding onto the film, waiting for normalcy to return. So having considered all angles, this could have been a wise decision.” Lauding the decision Taran Adarsh concludes, “How long can you hold onto a film, especially in these times when the interest rates are soaring. Cinema revival will only happen with a big film and Akshay Kumar is an A-List star. Bollywood is still in ICU but it is only a matter of time.”
