Kerala cinemas struggle for content as they reopen

The run-up to the big Diwali weekend will see cinemas in Kerala, the last remaining territory, reopen on Friday, after nearly seven months of shutdown. However, with no new local film and a handful of old Hollywood releases, the industry is likely to take until Christmas to bounce back, according to trade experts, making it one of the hardest hit by the pandemic. Meanwhile, reopened cinemas in Maharashtra and the rest of north India have shown decent but not extraordinary signs of revival with Punjabi comedy Honsla Rakh leading the box office over the past week, followed by Venom: Let There Be Carnage and No Time to Die.

“The future looks quite bleak with Malayalam cinema having developed a strong OTT (over-the-top) streaming market during the pandemic even though it’s always had a good theatrical presence,” independent trade analyst Sreedhar Pillai said. With the 50% cap on seating capacities, Pillai said only non-star films can afford to hit screens in the coming weeks. There are strong rumours of Mohanlal’s long-delayed high-budget period drama Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham either opting for a direct OTT release or a hybrid release with limited showcasing in theatres.

Along with local Malayalam film Star and Hollywood offerings Venom 2 and No Time to Die, Tamil film Doctor will open in the state this week. But trade experts such as Pillai believe it will take the industry until end of the year to return to normalcy. The only other local film scheduled so far is Dulquer Salmaan’s Kurup on 12 November.

“Movies have been releasing on OTT and as that has been the only option (for viewing) for so long, more people have been watching them on those platforms. But it is good that the industry is kept alive through this. Now as theatres reopen, people will be back to get the real experience of the big screen,” said P.V. Sunil, managing director, Carnival Cinemas who has opened some of his screens in the state this month while the remaining will resume operations by Diwali.

To be sure, the reopening of key Bollywood territory Maharashtra last week, has yielded promising though not extraordinary results for the film business. Trade website Box Office India said multiplex chain INOX Leisure Ltd that launched promotional offers of free tickets on all shows for an hour across Maharashtra last Friday, saw a huge turnout, recording 98% occupancy on these shows, considering the existing 50% cap on capacity. The best turnout in the state came from Mumbai city, which not only opened more cinemas than the rest of the state but saw also saw maximum footfall for films such as Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Dune.

Meanwhile, Punjabi comedy Honsla Rakh is heading towards gross collections of ₹50 crore worldwide, continuing the winning streak of Punjabi movies post the pandemic.

“Honsla Rakh has taken the post-pandemic business of Punjabi films to a new level as it collected ₹12.35 crore in its first week. The comeback (for Punjabi cinema) started with Puaada in August which with a limited release had collected ₹3.90 crore within the first eight days,” Box Office India said in a blog. Live Mint