Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; August 15, 2020)

Every Independence Day, movie buffs head to theatres to watch the latest releases. That’s why films released on I-Day have seen 80-90% occupancy. In the last 15-20 years, holiday weekends at the box office have usually been occupied by at least one major release, most often a patriotic film. However, this year, as cinemas remain shut due to the Coronavirus pandemic, exhibitors and distributors hope that by Diwali or the next national holiday, their businesses can resume.


INDEPENDENCE DAY RELEASES ENCASH EXTENDED WEEKEND
Advance bookings for I-Day releases, extended weekend and at least 75-80% occupancy are among the reasons why I-Day is one of the most profitable weekends for filmmakers. In the last two decades, from Chak De! India to Aarakshan, Ek Tha Tiger, Singham Returns to last year’s Batla House and Mission Mangal, several major films have released on or around Independence Day. Shaaminder Mallik, a distributor, says, “It’s not just one day, but the whole week between August 11-18 that films are scheduled, to benefit from the holiday. In fact, most of these releases perform well at the box office and have good collections.”

Usually, the slots for I-Day releases are booked a year in advance, with filmmakers and actors announcing the project and the release date. John Abraham, whose film Batla House released on Independence Day last year, said in a November 2019 interview that he feels the day belongs to him. Announcing his next, Attack, which was to be released on August 14, 2020, John had said, “I’ve come to believe that the day belongs to me, not just because it’s a national holiday, but also for the feeling it brings forth. Attack is an apt I-Day release, patriotic without being jingoistic.”


‘I-DAY HAS ALWAYS BEEN BIG FOR CINEMAS’
At a panel discussion on the reopening of cinemas in April, filmmaker Nikkhil Advani had said that he was optimistic that cinemas will reopen by August 15. Last month, before the announcement of Unlock 3.0, when we spoke to exhibitors, they, too, said they were expecting to reopen before I-Day. But that did not happen.

Akshaye Rathi, the Director of Saroj Cinemas, says, “August 15 is one of the most exciting release slots after Diwali. All of us in the film trade are missing the fire that we would usually witness on the I-Day weekend. It’s unfortunate that we are shut this year, but hopefully, that will change soon.”

Yogesh Raizada, Corporate Head, Wave Cinemas, says, “While August 15 is reserved for a single major release, last year, we had two movies — Batla House and Mission Mangal. I’ve been in this business for almost 30 years, and I remember that I-Day has always been a big day for cinemas. Every year, we would have over 80-90% bookings for I-Day. And with anticipated releases, such as a Salman Khan or an Akshay Kumar film, we would have 60-70% advance bookings. This year is a historic low for the industry, as theatres have never been shut on I-Day in the last 25-30 years.”

EXHIBITORS UNSURE IF BUSINESS WILL PICK UP BEFORE THE NEXT NATIONAL HOLIDAY
Exhibitors say that even if cinemas reopen, they are “unsure if they will be housefull even during the next national holiday.” They are not very hopeful about Diwali, while some are even unsure if business will pick up by January 26, 2021. Tinku Singh, Group President, SRS Cinemas, says, “Ticket bookings for I-Day releases are usually high because of the holiday. And, with Raksha Bandhan and Janmashtami falling around August 15 every year, an I-Day release would usually mean a weekend release. Cinemas have special pricing for such profitable weekends, but this year, the box office has been shut. Back in April-May, we didn’t expect that we won’t be operational even in August. Now, I don’t know if we’ll even reopen by January 26 next year.”

With inputs from Rachana Dubey