When establishing how the film’s subject affects its collection, Kangana Ranaut’s Thalaivi serves as an ideal case in point. The film’s primary market was South India. Rs 3.85 crores of the Rs 5 crores generated by the film, he says, came from this market.  Producer Vishnu Vardhan Induri says that while he didn’t expect promising collections from a theatrical release, the film warranted a big-screen airing. “People are unwilling to return to theatres. Our focus was still trained on the digital and satellite platforms. Kangana has a huge fan base, and many people would have watched it, had it aired in Mumbai. We were not expecting great collections. We knew it was not going to screen in multiplexes.”

The development has taken a toll on Bollywood. With news of a third wave intensifying, and city cases averaging 500 a day, cinema halls are not expected to open soon. Trade sources set the expected date in November, ahead of Diwali. Trade analyst Komal Nahata says, “Filmmakers don’t want their films to release unless they can in Maharashtra. There is no Hindi film screening in the forthcoming fortnight.” Hollywood flicks, in the interim, are making the most of the lack of competition. Daniel Craig’s much-awaited No Time to Die is set to hit screens on October 8, with The Boss Baby: Family Business, House of Gucci and Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City following in the weeks that will follow. It is believed that the first Hindi film will be Tadap, in December.

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Rs 30 CR
Amount Bell Bottom earned amid 50% theatre occupancy

Rs 150 CR
Amount analysts predict it would have earned in a pre-pandemic world