Need more than love and physics to boost box office

Rs 46cr: Rocky Aur Rani’s opening weekend collection; Rs 91cr: Ten-day collection of Oppenheimer and Barbie has earned Rs 32 crore so far

The weekend gone by was nothing less than a carnival at the cinemas, as audiences had four distinct movies to choose from - romantic drama Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, Christopher Nolan's biopic Oppenheimer, Greta Gerwig's satire Barbie, and Tom Cruise's actioner Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning. While the Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt-led dramedy earned Rs 45.90 crore over its opening weekend, Oppenheimer and Barbie have amassed Rs 91 crore and Rs 32 crore respectively, in its 10-day run. So, are we finally witnessing a turnaround after the dry spell of the past many months?

Not exactly. Trade analysts say the movie business is far from recovering the losses incurred in the post-pandemic era. "Thanks to Oppenheimer, Mission: Impossible 7 and Rocky Aur Rani, many theatres had housefull boards this weekend. So, we are enthusiastic, but not elated. The industry has a long way to go before we can recover the losses incurred during the pandemic. We need four to five blockbusters to get there," says exhibitor Akshaye Rathi, who runs a chain of cinemas across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Bihar-based exhibitor Vishek Chauhan is less optimistic. He points out that while theatres in metros have witnessed strong footfall, things haven't changed in tier-2 and 3 centres. "These are primarily multiplex films. The single screens are dead. Audiences didn't throng my theatre yesterday for Rocky Aur Rani, which they did in the case of Satyaprem Ki Katha and Zara Hatke Zara Bachke. We can't [only] consider the robust collections in metros, and say that theatres are doing well," he explains.

Distributor Raj Bansal highlights another important factor - that the current business is largely being driven by three Hollywood films, with Karan Johar's dramedy being the only exception. "When we look at the commercial business of Hindi films in 2023, we don't have many [successes] so far except Pathaan, Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, Zara Hatke Zara Bachke and Satyaprem Ki Katha."

On that count, Chauhan emphasises that Rocky Aur Rani, being a Johar venture, should have performed much better. "Even in the multiplexes, the film hasn't gained the momentum that one expected from it. A Karan Johar film should have had an opening weekend of R75-80 crore," he says. Fortunately, the movie is enjoying good word-of-mouth and should hold well in the coming days.

Bansal adds that the upcoming movies may give us those elusive blockbusters. "The limited advance booking of Gadar 2 is positive. Then, there is Jawan, and towards the year-end, our hope is pinned on Tiger 3, Animal and Dunki."