Showing posts with label Solo Brathuke So Better. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Solo Brathuke So Better. Show all posts
All of Bollywood is sitting in Mumbai, so it feels like we are being victimized-Anand Pandit
8:25 AM
PVR ECX, a multiplex at Citi Mall, Andheri West, has remained shut since the first week of April 2021. Theatres across Maharashtra have been kept out of the state government’s unlock plans, until further orders. Pic/Satej Shinde
With Bellbottom and Chehre makers taking leap of faith to release their films in theatres despite 50 per cent occupancy cap and Maharashtra lockdown, industry says it may be time to show pluck. As one maker puts it, after all, we make movies for theatres. They survive, we survive
Jane Borges (MID-DAY; August 29, 2021)
In December 2020, over two months after the Centre had given its nod for movie theatres to reopen, theatres in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were still relying heavily on Hollywood productions like Christopher Nolan’s Tenet to revive from the losses the industry had suffered due to the extended Coronavirus lockdown. A surprise Christmas Day release, Solo Brathuke So Better, a romantic comedy starring Sai Dharam Tej, nephew of film actor-politician Chiranjeevi, proved to be a glimmer of hope.
Hyderabad-based Balgovind Raj Tadla, partner at two single screen cinemas, Sudarshan and Devi, says the crowd’s reaction almost felt like a “revenge-response to COVID-19”. “The movie garnered a lot of media attention,” he recalls.
It also set the stage for three big January 2021 releases, Red, Krack and the Telugu-dubbed Tamil film Master that had superstar Vijay in the lead. All three did phenomenally well with Krack leading the race. But it was Uppena, another romantic drama, which stole the show, collecting over Rs. 150 crore when it released in theatres in Telugu-speaking regions in February, followed closely by Jathi Ratnalu.
Tadla, who is also joint secretary of the Telangana State Film Chamber of Commerce, says this is when film producers and exhibitors predicted an upward swing. But, the second wave that swept the country soon after, came as a huge blow. “At this point, only 10 per cent of the big ticket films had been released. The rest were still waiting it out. [Actor] Pawan Kalyan’s Vakeel Saab was going to be the next big release. It hit theatres on April 9, but despite someone like Pawan in the lead, people didn’t turn up at the theatres.”
Another dry spell due to the more devastating second wave, put theatres out of business again, before cinema halls started opening up by end of July. “I would say that we are still in the first 20 minutes of the film. We are yet to get into the story. It will take another 20 days for us to see where this goes. It should pick up, unless of course, COVID haunts us again.”
The confidence the film industry in the South has shown right from the beginning of the unlock phase has been unparalleled, considering its more popular sibling, Bollywood, has been holding its cards close to its chest, daring only a few odd releases since March 2020. This changed last week, when Akshay Kumar’s spy thriller Bellbottom released in theatres across India. The film hit the screens on August 19 and at the end of the first weekend, it had made around Rs. 15 crore gross in India. It became the first superstar-backed Bollywood film to be released in the pandemic. According to news reports, the movie will release on OTT in September.
Amitabh Bachchan and Emraan Hashmi’s Chehre, which released last Friday, is the next big ticket film to have hit the screens. What makes these new releases significant is that, in a first, they won’t be screened in Maharashtra due to Coronavirus pandemic restrictions, which is home to the heart of Bollywood, and contributes a lion’s share of the box office revenue.
Film exhibitor Vishek Chauhan, who is based out of Bihar’s Purnea, where he runs Roopbani, the oldest single-screen theatre in the district, says releasing Bellbottom, in such a climate, was “a very gutsy move” by the makers, producers and Akshay Kumar, as well. “Maharashtra is more than 25 per cent of Bollywood’s market. So, effectively they were left with just 75 per cent of the market to begin with. Out of this, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Assam theatres are still shut. That means the producers lost another five per cent. Add the 50 per cent occupancy cap, and curfew and other restrictions in some select cities and districts, and that left them with just 25 to 30 per cent [of their targeted audience],” says Chauhan, adding, “One might say that they didn’t make enough at the box office. But, for us that Rs 13-15 crore was pure gold. It has helped get the audiences back, and is now enabling cinemas to plan ahead.”
Though Bellbottom producer Jackky Bhagnani was unavailable for comment, Chehre producer Anand Pandit reiterates why production houses need to show more chutzpah. The film, directed by Rumy Jafry, was originally slated for release in July 2020. With cases peaking in March this year, it was pushed to August. “The narrative, storyline, and cast [of the film] lent themselves to the big screen. Watching it on the iPad or smart phone wouldn’t have justified the experience that we were trying to create for our viewers. I didn’t want to throw away such a film for Rs. 5-10 crore more [on OTT],” explains Pandit.
He says that filmmakers and producers shouldn’t forget that it’s the theatre industry that made Bollywood what it is today. “They have been by our side for the last 70-odd years. At one point, theatre was the only avenue to release films. Today, because of the pandemic, there are over 10 lakh people, connected to the business, struggling to keep afloat. Many have even lost their livelihoods. I think, those who can, should come out and extend their support by releasing their films in theatres.”
Not all risks are worth taking. Director Sanjay Gupta says he learnt it the hard way. Gupta’s Mumbai Saga featuring an ensemble cast of John Abraham, Emraan Hashmi, Kajal Aggarwal, and Prateik Babbar, made it to the big screen on March 19 this year. “We announced the release just a month prior, in February. At the time, the cases were down, and the second wave was nowhere around the corner. We were confident about our film, and also the fact that people would return to the theatres. Looking back, I think we were probably over-confident about the public’s mood,” he says.
When the film released, the second wave had just about begun. “We hadn’t expected COVID-19 cases to rise exponentially. A lot of theatres had opened just to screen our film. It was too late for us to back out by then.”
Having said that, Gupta feels that some measures need to be taken to ensure that the theatre chain survives. “Ultimately, we make movies for theatres. And if they survive, we survive. Most cinema halls have been shut for over a year-and-a-half. At some point, we need to resume. That’s the sentiment with which we had gone ahead. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out, and we suffered.”
According to box office numbers available on bollywoodhungama.com, the movie, which had a production budget of Rs 50 crore, made a gross of Rs 19.68 crore in India and Rs 2.61 crore overseas; its worldwide gross collection was estimated at Rs 22.29 crore. The movie later released on Amazon Prime.
Chauhan says now that most theatres are open, they’d need movies to keep the business going. Post Chehre, there will be a long gap. Kangana Ranaut’s Tamil political drama Thalaivii, based on the life of J Jayalalithaa, will arrive in theatres only on September 10. Bollywood is yet to make further announcements of any new releases. A few odd Hollywood films can help theatres tide through the lean phase, but what after that, asks Chahaun.
Sony Pictures Films India has announced its Hollywood line-up, with Don’t Breathe 2 releasing on September 17, and Spider-Man: No Way Home on December 17. There are a slew of Bollywood films that are ready, but a decision on their release hasn’t been taken for now.
Vivek Krishnani, managing director, Sony Pictures Films India, says that in the last few years the entire “content fabric” has changed. “There are only certain kinds of films, which drive people to the theatres. And this kind of content has to tick off certain boxes. First, it has to have mass appeal. Next, it has to be good enough for people to leave their houses, get into their cars, go to the cinema, find parking, and buy tickets. During the pandemic, we’ve noticed that people have started evaluating their own approach of going to the cinema, and that’s probably because of the kind of exposure they have had to diverse content on OTT. If they are going to be taking the effort to come to a movie theatre, they need to be rewarded for that effort with content that is different and exciting enough, and which they cannot get on the smaller screen. This [consumer behaviour] has forced us to rethink our own creative strategies,” he says, while discussing what parameters they consider, when choosing which film goes for OTT, and which film should wait it out for the big screen.
He alludes to the record turnout that the Tamil film Master saw, when it released on January 13. “People went into the cinema in a big way. Our release Godzilla vs. Kong also had a humongous box office earning, despite releasing in March. What we have seen is that when theatres are open, and the right content comes along, there is but a natural tendency for people to go into cinemas and consume this content. It’s held true in the past, and I don’t see why it won’t in the future.”
Krishnani, however, isn’t sure about the hybrid model, which is being widely discussed ever since Salman Khan’s Radhe released simultaneously across multiple platforms, including theatres outside of India, and via pay-per-view. The film’s collection in India till July 13 was at Rs 1.85 lakh, as it was released on the big screen only in three cinemas, that too in the state of Tripura, bollywoodhungama.com reported.
“A hybrid model is where the movie runs in theatres and is also being offered as a premium video on demand (VOD). The VOD usually comes at a very expensive price point. This model hasn’t been embraced in India yet. And I think, the jury is already out on what it does to the theatrical revenue. Another issue is that in India, we aren’t used to paying for a one-time watch; we’d rather opt for subscriptions.”
There’s also the issue of piracy, which Krishnani, admits has spiralled with the OTT boom, thus, bringing about newer challenges for content creators. Delaying Hollywood releases in India doesn’t make sense for a similar reason, as most films have already released globally, and pirated content then becomes available online.
“The truth is that there has been a sharp increase in content consumption [during the pandemic], and that’s because accessibility has increased. Though [OTT] subscriptions have grown, it is but obvious that there’s an audience that’s not paying for this. We do not have metrics to prove this, but this is something we have been able to infer,” says Krishnani.
Sony Pictures Films India is waiting to release Major, a Telugu and Hindi co-production, which is based on the life of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who was martyred in the 26/11 attack at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. “It’s a cinematic experience, because of the story, visuals, and the emotions it draws. I think it is important for stories like this one to be seen in a theatre.”
What’s then, holding back producers and filmmakers from releasing these films?
Shibasish Sarkar, Group CEO, Reliance Entertainment, says that the opening of theatres in Maharashtra will be key to deciding the future of big releases. “The situation is still quite uncertain. While theatres in a majority of the states have opened up, it’s not the case with Maharashtra, which is 25-30 per cent of our market [depending on the film]. At least for pan-India, Hindi films, it is quite a challenge to go ahead and release a film, without Maharashtra. So, while I think we will see a few-odd [Hindi] releases in the coming months, a majority of them are going to wait it out for Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra to open.”
The release of Kabir Khan’s biographical sports film '83, starring Ranveer Singh in the lead, which has been co-distributed by Reliance Entertainment, has been postponed thrice already. “It was first set to release on April 10, 2020, then we had planned a December Christmas release last year, before pushing it to June 4 of this year. Right now, we are clear that we won’t make any announcement, until and unless there is a semblance of normalcy,” he says, adding, “When I say normalcy, the basic expectation would be that Maharashtra opens up. Only if that happens, can we even have a discussion. Otherwise, there will be no point in doing this exercise all over again. For us, it doesn’t make sense, creatively or business-wise, to ignore 30 per cent of our market.” Director Rohit Shetty’s Sooryavanshi, starring Akshay Kumar, is also hanging in the balance for the same reason.
Pandit feels that by keeping theatres in Maharashtra shut, the state government is depriving “cinema owners the opportunity to revive their businesses”. “All of Bollywood is sitting in Mumbai, so it feels like we are being victimized. The [state] should, [on the contrary] be supporting the industry,” says Pandit.
Tadla, whose theatres in Hyderabad have been open for nearly a month now, however, has seen a worrying trend of late. Bell Bottom got a luke warm response in his city. “Suddenly, it feels like the audience has lost the habit of movie-watching. I think the second wave was damaging, and that has made people more cautious and wary. We [cinema-owners] are obviously concerned. There was a time, when, even if a movie wasn’t good, it would run for about four weeks at least.”
The digital boom, he feels, has made the audience less tolerant. Today, the fate of a film is sealed is one weekend.
Fenil's Bollywood Talk # 654
9:48 AM
DISASTROUS 2020 ENDS ON A HOPEFUL NOTE
There have been several years in the past which have been disappointing and where we have seen few hits and more number of flops. But 2020 stands out. Previously, the bad years would at least see some business. In this year, from March 18 to October 14, theatrical business was zero as all theatres were shut due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Even when cinemas opened gradually from October 15, the business didn’t pick up. Most producers of big and mid-sized films refused to release their films. The perception was that since the pandemic hasn’t subsided, the viewers might not turn up to cinemas in big numbers out of fear of catching the virus. Hence, very selected films have been released like Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari, Indoo Ki Jawani, Shakeela, Vinashkaal etc. These films failed to even cross the Rs. 6 crore mark individually. The problem was not with the films’ content per se. These movies had very low buzz and excitement was hardly there. Trade experts said repeatedly that we should not judge the scenario based on the box office outcomes of these films as these movies would have not worked even in normal times. However, their statement fell on deaf ears.
Thankfully, a few films managed to do well. The Hollywood flick Tenet, released on December 4, in India. It was released 3 months after it’s release elsewhere in the world. The reports were mixed and moreover, a good print was leaked on the internet. Anyway, this was a niche film as it’s very complex. Yet, there was some excitement to see it on the big screen as it’s directed by Christopher Nolan, who enjoys a fan following. It managed to collect around Rs. 11 crore which is a great figure for this film, considering these challenges.
Then, last week, the much-awaited flick Wonder Woman 1984 released extensively in original English and dubbed versions. We had predicted last week that it’ll collect Rs. 30-40 lakhs in paid previews and Rs. 90 lakhs-1 crore on Thursday. However, the film exceeded expectations as it collected Rs. 75 lakhs in previews on Wednesday and Rs. 1.50 crore on Thurday, which was Christmas eve. We had mentioned that we are unsure if it'll be able to collect as much as the first part did in its opening weekend, which was Rs. 8 crore. But this film managed to reach that mark. Today, the collections would increase a bit as it’s December 31. At this rate, Wonder Woman 1984 is all set to break Tenet’s lifetime record in just 8 days. Tomorrow is again a holiday due to January 1. Hence, the second weekend collections can also be encouraging. It now remains to be seen if Wonder Woman 1984 will be able to cross Wonder Woman’s lifetime collections of Rs. 23 crore.
What’s important to note that in North America and a few other markets, Wonder Woman 1984 had a simultaneous release in cinemas as well as on HBO Max, an online platform. Hence, a good quality HD print of the film was out since last Friday. Yet, the business of the film is quite good, probably as it’s a grand film and is best enjoyed in cinemas. It once again reaffirms that audiences are ready to come to cinemas if they feel excited for it.
However, a film that did even better than Wonder Woman 1984 is the Telugu film Solo Brathuke So Better. This romantic comedy is directed by debutant guy named Subbu and stars Sai Dharam Tej and Nabha Natesh. It was released alongside Wonder Woman 1984, on December 25, and had a very good first day, collecting a huge Rs. 3.75 crore. From the first day, the social media was filled with videos and pictures of theatres running housefull (with 50% occupancy of course). Also, it was heartening to see all the major artists of Telugu film industry coming out in support of this film and urging viewers to watch it in cinemas. In 4 days, it has managed to collect Rs. 10.25 crore and is expected to recover it’s costs in the first week itself.
Besides these, a few other films in Kannada, Tamil and Bengal industry also drew audiences. Meanwhile, the new strain of Coronavirus has not really caused havoc, as feared. The daily number of cases is at a 6-month low and is expected to further fall in the new year. The vaccine rollout will also start in a few weeks and by June, the priority 30-crore population is expected to get inoculated. Even before that happens, the cases will become negligible as herd immunity gets achieved and the winter season ends in the next 45-50 days. And thankfully, the exciting flick, Master, starring Tamil superstar Vijay, has already been scheduled to release during Pongal, on January 13. Interestingly, it’ll have a wide release in dubbed languages too. If it emerges as a huge hit, it’s bound to result in a steady flow of releases in Bollywood from February!
There have been several years in the past which have been disappointing and where we have seen few hits and more number of flops. But 2020 stands out. Previously, the bad years would at least see some business. In this year, from March 18 to October 14, theatrical business was zero as all theatres were shut due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Even when cinemas opened gradually from October 15, the business didn’t pick up. Most producers of big and mid-sized films refused to release their films. The perception was that since the pandemic hasn’t subsided, the viewers might not turn up to cinemas in big numbers out of fear of catching the virus. Hence, very selected films have been released like Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari, Indoo Ki Jawani, Shakeela, Vinashkaal etc. These films failed to even cross the Rs. 6 crore mark individually. The problem was not with the films’ content per se. These movies had very low buzz and excitement was hardly there. Trade experts said repeatedly that we should not judge the scenario based on the box office outcomes of these films as these movies would have not worked even in normal times. However, their statement fell on deaf ears.
Thankfully, a few films managed to do well. The Hollywood flick Tenet, released on December 4, in India. It was released 3 months after it’s release elsewhere in the world. The reports were mixed and moreover, a good print was leaked on the internet. Anyway, this was a niche film as it’s very complex. Yet, there was some excitement to see it on the big screen as it’s directed by Christopher Nolan, who enjoys a fan following. It managed to collect around Rs. 11 crore which is a great figure for this film, considering these challenges.
Then, last week, the much-awaited flick Wonder Woman 1984 released extensively in original English and dubbed versions. We had predicted last week that it’ll collect Rs. 30-40 lakhs in paid previews and Rs. 90 lakhs-1 crore on Thursday. However, the film exceeded expectations as it collected Rs. 75 lakhs in previews on Wednesday and Rs. 1.50 crore on Thurday, which was Christmas eve. We had mentioned that we are unsure if it'll be able to collect as much as the first part did in its opening weekend, which was Rs. 8 crore. But this film managed to reach that mark. Today, the collections would increase a bit as it’s December 31. At this rate, Wonder Woman 1984 is all set to break Tenet’s lifetime record in just 8 days. Tomorrow is again a holiday due to January 1. Hence, the second weekend collections can also be encouraging. It now remains to be seen if Wonder Woman 1984 will be able to cross Wonder Woman’s lifetime collections of Rs. 23 crore.
What’s important to note that in North America and a few other markets, Wonder Woman 1984 had a simultaneous release in cinemas as well as on HBO Max, an online platform. Hence, a good quality HD print of the film was out since last Friday. Yet, the business of the film is quite good, probably as it’s a grand film and is best enjoyed in cinemas. It once again reaffirms that audiences are ready to come to cinemas if they feel excited for it.
However, a film that did even better than Wonder Woman 1984 is the Telugu film Solo Brathuke So Better. This romantic comedy is directed by debutant guy named Subbu and stars Sai Dharam Tej and Nabha Natesh. It was released alongside Wonder Woman 1984, on December 25, and had a very good first day, collecting a huge Rs. 3.75 crore. From the first day, the social media was filled with videos and pictures of theatres running housefull (with 50% occupancy of course). Also, it was heartening to see all the major artists of Telugu film industry coming out in support of this film and urging viewers to watch it in cinemas. In 4 days, it has managed to collect Rs. 10.25 crore and is expected to recover it’s costs in the first week itself.
Besides these, a few other films in Kannada, Tamil and Bengal industry also drew audiences. Meanwhile, the new strain of Coronavirus has not really caused havoc, as feared. The daily number of cases is at a 6-month low and is expected to further fall in the new year. The vaccine rollout will also start in a few weeks and by June, the priority 30-crore population is expected to get inoculated. Even before that happens, the cases will become negligible as herd immunity gets achieved and the winter season ends in the next 45-50 days. And thankfully, the exciting flick, Master, starring Tamil superstar Vijay, has already been scheduled to release during Pongal, on January 13. Interestingly, it’ll have a wide release in dubbed languages too. If it emerges as a huge hit, it’s bound to result in a steady flow of releases in Bollywood from February!
Coolie No 1 sets record on OTT
8:26 AM
Box Office India Trade Network
COOLIE NO 1 has set new records for Amazon Prime in India with
its opening on the platform. It is the first big premiere for Prime as
they have had big films before like BHARAT and WAR but these have come
post a theatrical release while COOLIE NO 1 is the first big premiere.
The highest for the Amazon platform was a web series called MIRZAPUR 2 which released in 2020 but COOLIE NO 1 has surpassed this by a distance. This is expected as COOLIE NO 1 is fetching a 100 crore plus price for just its 130 odd minutes of content while the web series could be 300 or even 400 minutes of content for a fraction of the price.
The highest for the Amazon platform was a web series called MIRZAPUR 2 which released in 2020 but COOLIE NO 1 has surpassed this by a distance. This is expected as COOLIE NO 1 is fetching a 100 crore plus price for just its 130 odd minutes of content while the web series could be 300 or even 400 minutes of content for a fraction of the price.
This itself shows the huge difference in value of the two for the platform. So on one side you are smashing records but on the other side the competition is not much as far as the platform is concerned. If we look at it in box office terms then on one side is a film with 100 crore nett potential and the other is an also ran type.
The best comparison for COOLIE NO 1 would be against LAXMII but here its two different platforms with Disney+ Hotstar having a bigger base due to the IPL cricket. It is possible that COOLIE NO 1 may come out with a similar type of number to LAXMII as a holiday release can compensate somewhat for the lower base of the platform. It also depends on whether Amazon Prime had the same growth as Disney+ Hotstar in terms of subscription in the lockdown. LAXMII was released post the IPL and that would have pushed Disney+ Hotstar subscription to the highest level for the year.
The year has been a disaster but its ended on a slightly better note with COOLIE NO 1 scoring big on OTT and WONDER WOMAN 1984 putting up decent numbers in theatres. The numbers of Telugu film SOLO BRATHUKE SO BETTER are awaited and they are also expected to be positive.
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