PremiumNew Delhi: Breaking a prolonged spell of doom for film business in India, Christopher Nolan’s Tenet seems to have started the process of bringing people back to theatres. The film has clocked opening weekend collections of ₹4.25 crore in the country, according to trade website Box Office India, and is expected to finish at around ₹10 crore.
The John David Washington and Robert Pattinson-starrer had made ₹1.2 crore on Friday, after which it collected ₹1.4 crore and ₹1.6 crore on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
“Fantastic numbers for Tenet all over the country. People are more than ready to get back to the cinemas. All we need to do is offer content that is compelling enough," independent distributor and exhibitor Akshaye Rathi had tweeted on the arrival of the film to the country earlier.
Bihar-based exhibitor Vishek Chauhan said the film has restored a semblance of normalcy in theatres.
“Although collections for the Hindi version are on the lower side, the trends are same as pre-covid times. Many regulars turned up, it has helped build momentum," Chauhan tweeted early Monday morning.
Film trade and exhibition expert Girish Johar said the opening weekend figures are fairly decent for a niche film releasing in times of pandemic on nearly 30% fewer screens than it would have ordinarily got and theatre occupancies capped at 50%. Trade website Box Office India had earlier said certain IMAX screenings even managed full capacity in some of these theatres with metros such as Mumbai and Bengaluru notching up the best response.
Nolan has established a loyal, albeit upmarket fan base in India, with films such as Dunkirk, Interstellar, The Dark Knight, Inception and so on. His last release, Dunkirk had made R. 20.26 crore in India when released in 2017.
Despite garnering some mixed reviews, Tenet is the first green shoot for the ailing exhibition sector in India that remained shut for over seven months and still does not have major Bollywood films scheduled for release. Managing a screen count of around 750, the Nolan film comes to the country more than three months after its international release underlining the filmmaker’s insistence that it is a large-screen experience. Termed as the litmus test for film business in India, Tenet sets the stage for the other big Hollywood release later this month, Wonder Woman 1984, both of which are helping theatres stay afloat in these tough times.
According to an audience sentiment tracker carried out by media consulting firm Ormax for the last week of November, 5% of viewers have already visited theatres post lockdown, while 38% say they will visit once a film of their choice releases.
“Big films like Tenet will increase occupancy and garner footfalls and would further provide a great out-of-home experience for our patrons who were forced to stay in the confines of their homes for months," Gautam Dutta, CEO, PVR Cinemas had said on the film’s opening.
