Despite its midweek release, actor Akshay Kumar’s highly awaited film ‘Bell Bottom‘ has generated many talks, even though theatres throughout the country have reopened with less than 50% occupancy, except the state of Maharashtra. While it opened to a healthy Rs 3 crore, according to box office India, the second day saw a minor decline to around 2.50-2.75 crore.
With Muharram and Onam approaching, trade analysts anticipate the day two collection will be near the lower end of the above range unless the eastern markets trend higher. On the other hand, the spy thriller has grown in popularity in the Delhi NCR region but has remained relatively unpopular in Punjab. Similarly, Gujarat and Rajasthan are experiencing a decline; however, Hyderabad is expected to perform better in the post-covid period.
However, with Maharashtra’s cinemas closed for safety grounds in the wake of India’s COVID-19 outbreak, the film has been unable to generate revenue in the state.
In response to the film team’s choice to release the picture in other areas of the country, excluding one of its most lucrative markets—Maharashtra—Akshay told BT, “I believe this decision, and rightly so, belongs to the person whose money is on the line.” Thus, in the instance of BellBottom, Vashuji chose to proceed with the film’s theatrical distribution, which we all appreciated. But, of course, it would have been a more favorable scenario had theatres in Maharashtra opened because even at 50% occupancy, you’re now losing a significant part. And now that Maharashtra territory, which accounts for roughly 30% of the business, has been closed, it’s going to be a tough battle. However, Vashuji is a strong guy; he had resolved that this time, rain or shine, we would not budge from the scheduled release date.”
‘Bell Bottom,’ directed by Ranjit Tewari, is based on the true story of a 1984 hijacking. Along with Akshay Kumar, the film stars Vaani Kapoor and Lara Dutta. Huma Qureshi is also featured prominently.
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