Blockbuster Diwali for movie halls post-Covid nightmare

After being starved of big screen cinema for a year and a half owing to Covid-19, Indians flocked back to movie halls this Diwali weekend, with states reopening them recently, The Economic Times reported on Monday.

Pulling people back in are four big films that were released on Thursday-Friday. The box office collections during the three day span for Sooryavanshi, Annaatthe (Tamil), Eternals, and Paani Ch Madhaani (Punjabi) was more than Rs 150 crore, making it one of the biggest weekends ever for the sector.

BookMyShow accounted for 52% of overall ticket sales

According to BookMyShow, Annatthe starring Rajinikanth, Sooryavanshi starring Akshay Kumar, and Marvel’s Eternals have all been breaking records and setting the cash registers ringing from their Friday debut, providing a much needed reprieve to the country’s film industry.

The ticket booking platform accounted for almost 52% of all ticket sales in India. It had sold more than 1.5 million Sooryavanshi tickets, accounting for over 40% of the film’s total revenue, as of Sunday evening, it added.

For the opening weekend, the Akshay Kumar starrer is expected to drum up Rs 80 to 85 crore at the box office, BookMyShow said. Eternals, on the other hand is likely to clock more than Rs 20 crore over the weekend at the box office, it also said.

Annaatthe that released on November 4, collected Rs 51 crore in the first two days at the box office in India.

According to experts, this Diwali weekend might have been one of the best ever in Indian cinema history.

They said that, while Sooryavanshi, may not be able to cross the Rs 100 crore mark in the domestic market, during the first three days, its still doing great business.

Punjabi film Paani Ch Madhaani made about Rs 4 crore in the first weekend, which is a significant amount for a regional film, according to an expert quoted in the publication.