Blue opens to advance bookings

���They don���t call him Khiladi Kumar for nothing,������ said trade consultant Amod Mehra, describing the curiosity behind Akshay Kumar���s latest film Blue (produced by Shree Aashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd) as being phenomenal.
According to him, since Akki is returning to hardcore action after a while, there is a huge draw for it at the box office.Apparently the Kylie Minogue song Chiggy Wiggy is also a chartbuster.
To keep the crowds at bay, multiplex owners have hit on the strategy of opening the advance for Dhilin Mehta���s Diwali (October 16) offering as early as October 4. The producer said, ���It���s a new phenomenon, but then the film itself is also something never before seen by Indian audiences! We are thankful to our multiplex partners for their support and enthusiasm towards Blue.���
���Normally bookings at multiplexes open the Wednesday before the release,������ said Devang Sampat, Vice-President, Marketing, Cinemax Group. ���This sort of thing has not happened with a film in the recent past.������ But Sampat added that earlier, when films like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham were released, multiplexes had adopted a similar strategy.
Besides Cinemax, other multiplex chains like PVR, Inox, Fun, Fame and Big Adlabs would also be opening their booking early for Blue. A spokesperson from Fun confirmed the same. ���We are in talks right now,������ he said.
And indicated that in a day or two his theatre group would work out exactly how many shows they are opening the booking for in advance.
Tushar Dhingra, COO, Big Cinemas, said, ���Opening the box office so much in advance for a film like Blue will help the audience plan their next couple of weeks.������ He explained that since there are three big Diwali releases, multiplex owners want to give their patrons the privilege of booking well in advance. He felt that after seeing the initiative taken by Blue, distributors of other films may also follow suit.
Check out Akshay Kumar���s Homepage