The Covid-19 induced lockdowns ultimately brought everyone close to cinema like never before. And while we were tuning to OTT platforms for our daily dose of entertainment, the renaissance had just begun. Due to the theatres being shut down, many makers took the OTT way to release their film projects. And that’s how the scenario of the film industry changed in the face of pandemic. Upon easing of restrictions, theatres reopened, but the business amid these uncertain times was nothing but ‘dull’.
Though there was a hope that big releases will breathe life into the box office, the theatre business had completely turned upside down. Films including Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi, Mumbai Saga, and few others made their way onto the big screens. While these film releases garnered critical acclaim, the audiences chose not to return to theatres due to the ongoing pandemic. This ultimately resulted in a poor beginning at the box office 2021.
Furthermore, the theatre owners had big hope of reviving the business through Salman Khan starrer ‘Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai’. However, the film opened up to a slow start on the big screens while being parallelly released on ZEE5. And many fans opted to watch Radhe on ZEEPLEX. The film marked new records in the OTT arena but could not revive the falling box office numbers.
Due to this, the first half of Bollywood seems to be completely off in terms of box office status. And fans preferred the OTT way rather than heading out for movies. Considering this, many big Bollywood projects have been scheduled digitally in the coming months. This includes Kriti Sanon starrer Mimi, Ajay Devgn’s Bhuj: The Pride Of India, and few others.
However, box-office experts believe that the theatres will gain momentum post big releases ahead. Precisely, these biggies include Bell Bottom, KGF 2, Sooryavanshi, ’83, etc. Well, it remains to be seen if these upcoming releases can change the scenario of the theatre business.
Meanwhile, stay tuned to ZEE5 for more updates.