An advert in the Sunday newspaper caught me by complete surprise. Along side the movie adverts was this ad of IPL cricket matches, which would be 'screened' at several cineplexes of Mumbai city-suburbs. Of course, this is not a new trend, but the number of venues caught me unaware.
Cricket has always been a strong opponent and I foresee movie business taking a backseat during evening and night shows, during the initial days at least. The period is also not conducive, since school and college examinations are underway and not just kids, their parents too prefer staying indoors, stepping out to watch movies once the examination period has concluded.
Could this be one of the reasons why film business has nosedived in recent times? Or is it the case of bad films keeping the audience away?
The quantum of damage caused by IPL in the initial and closing days and also when crucial matches are being played is too early to ascertain. The new films will not only compete with rival films, but cricket matches too in the coming weeks.
ATITHI TUM KAB JAOGE? has emerged the frontrunner amongst all new releases. The film showed an upward trend in its opening weekend and Monday onwards, the film has been steady at select single screens. But ROAD, MOVIE has been rejected outright. Abhay Deol's previous outing DEV D had a major advantage in the form of terrific music, which acted as a bait to lure cinegoers to movie halls. But ROAD, MOVIE is a dull and drab fare and its poor outcome at the ticket window, therefore, doesn't come as a surprise.
ROKKK showed some spark at some single screens, but the plexes were poor. Its low cost is its only saviour. THANKS MAA won tremendous critical acclaim, but that didn't translate into big bucks.
