Kolkata exhibitors upbeat about the I-Day weekend

The Independence weekend began with a bang, as several Hindi and Bengali films hit theatres in the city a day early, on Raksha Bandhan. The timing seemed just right, as footfall was high in most theatres on the Rakhi holiday on Thursday. No wonder theatre owners and industry stakeholders are quite hopeful about the extended weekend ahead.
WE ARE EXPECTING A GOOD FOOTFALL
According to them, the extended weekend has given people something to look forward to. “People are in a festive mood this week. And with so many films releasing and getting good reviews, we are expecting a good footfall this weekend. As it is, people are coming back to theatres and with so many good films releasing, I’m sure we’ll do good business after a long time,” said Paresh Maiti, a ticket-seller from a single-screen theatre in the city. Satadeep Saha from a city single screen and multiplex said, “As exhibitors, we are expecting good box-office collections from the five films that have released. People here love to watch films in theatres and with a three-day holiday ahead, we are expecting good business.”
According to Sourav Bose from a single screen at Hazra, single-screen theatres have seen decent footfall in the past few months. “In keeping with this trend, we are expecting healthy footfall for the films that released this week,” he said. Amitava Guha Thakurta, the regional director, east, of a multiplex chain, said, “It’s a delight to see a series of much-awaited Hindi and Bengali movies releasing this week. We are excited to welcome all guests at our theatres over the long weekend.”
Bidisha Basu from a single-screen theatre at Sealdah added, “All are in a holiday mood this week, so there can be no better way to celebrate it than watching a movie.”
HOPE RAIN DOESN’T PLAY SPOILSPORT
While hope is the primary string that’s connecting all exhibitors, most are also praying that rains don’t mess with movie-goers’ plans over the weekend. “During monsoon, footfall in theatres tends to drop considerably due to rains. Let’s hope that the rain doesn’t play spoilsport this weekend and dampen the spirit of moviegoers. Weather reports suggest that the depression over the northern Bay of Bengal is set to worsen. That only means more rain over the next few days. So, we are keeping our fingers crossed and hoping that it doesn’t impact footfall,” said Satadeep.