Diwali bonanza: Three mega movies light up the silver screens again

Sooryavanshi, Annaatthe, Eternals expected to together match first-week sales of 2019 level

After being hit by the pandemic for more than a year, this Diwali is likely to light up the silver screen, driven by three big releases: Rajinikanth’s Annaatthe, Akshay Kumar’s Sooryavanshi and Marvel Studios’ Eternals. While Annaatthe releases on November 4, the other two will hit cinemas on Friday.

Together, these three movies are expected to clock first-week sales of at least Rs 350-400 crore—and maybe even surpass the 2019 level of Rs 350 crore, say industry experts. Adding to the list of Diwali releases is Punjabi movie Paani Ch Madhani, which will hit the screens on Friday.

“In the last 18 months, the Indian film industry has seen a loss of around Rs 25,000 crore, and Bollywood was hit by around Rs 8,000 crore,” says film trade analyst Komal Nahta. “I believe this Diwali, the industry is going to be back to normal — with a big bang, too, with these three big-ticket releases.”

Theatres, which have largely relied on repeats and old movies these months, are now going all out to draw movie buffs out of their homes. Multiplexes have lined up special offers and private screening combos to encourage people to resume the big-screen experience. PVR Cinemas has come up with a set of contests for Sooryavanshi, while Inox Leisure is offering private screenings for small groups, including families.

“The much-awaited mega starter, Sooryavanshi, is the first blockbuster Bollywood movie releasing this festive season out of a long list of Hindi movies,” says Gautam Dutta, chief executive officer, PVR Ltd. “With a sizeable number of states having relaxed restrictions on seating capacity, this tentpole film with a mass appeal will occupy maximum screen presence across theatres.”

Among the draws that PVR has till November 10 is a snap-and win-contest wherein movie-goers click a selfie with a Sooryavanshi standee in the cinema and win prizes; cinema takeover through which guests would find an interesting cutout of the movie on the adjoining seat that is blocked due to restrictions in certain cities; and a fun trivia contest with questions related to the film.

However, when it comes to the Rajinikanth movie, M Subramaniam, president, Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex Owners’ Association, says, “we don’t need any promotion strategies. The name Rajinikanth is enough to get people back.”

He adds, “In addition to this, the Vishal and Arya-starrer Enemy is also hitting theatres, and it will contribute to the revival.”

Industry experts indicate that a larger share of this year’s numbers during the first week, or around Rs 112-150 crore, is expected to come from the Rajinikanth movie. “In 2019, during the first week of Diwali, films like Bigil and Housefull 4 collected close to Rs 350 crore. We expect this year's collection to be back to the 2019 level of Rs 350 crore, or even surpass that to touch around Rs 400 crore,” says Rajender Singh Jyala, chief programming officer, Inox Leisure.

Nahta adds that a first-week collection of even Rs 250 crore for all movies will be enough to bring confidence back.

Some reports indicate that the season might also act as a catalyst and encourage producers to release movies that have been waiting to see the light of day for long now. Even in regional languages such as Marathi, more than a hundred movies are awaiting release.

Despite the upbeat mood, capacity concerns are likely to be a roadblock with only Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Delhi allowing 100 per cent seating.