Theatres across Maharashtra reopened yesterday after a seven-month shutdown. While some had doubts whether cinemas would have a fighting chance in the current scenario, the advance booking of Sooryavanshi appears to have quelled all apprehensions. Gaiety-Galaxy, one of the most popular theatres in Mumbai, has witnessed a strong response to the advance booking of Akshay Kumar’s cop caper that is slated to hit the screens a fortnight later, on Diwali.

“It’s the biggest film to release post the lockdown. We were expecting a decent response. Now, looking at people’s enthusiasm for the film, we are hoping to register [strong] footfall,” says Manoj Desai, executive director of G7 multiplex and Maratha Mandir cinema.

He lays out the plan, “We will have eight shows in Gaiety-Galaxy, and three in Maratha Mandir. The safety norm prescribes 50 per cent occupancy. As of now, almost 30 per cent booking is done across seven shows.”

Considering the past 18 months were hard on cinemas, Desai hopes the film will be a “game-changer.”