Christopher Nolan’s ’Tenet’ crosses ₹1 crore-mark on Day 1

New Delhi: Bringing much needed good news for the Indian movie business, Christopher Nolan’s Tenet has opened to decent numbers in India despite the covid-19 situation. The film that is the first big tent-pole release in Indian cinemas made around ₹1.1-1.2 crore in the country on its first day.

Trade website Box Office India said the film has notched up best response in metros such as Mumbai and Bengaluru and certain IMAX screenings even managed full capacity given that the government has only permitted 50% occupancy in theatres, as of now.

To be sure, 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 John David Washington-starrer comes to India more than three months after its international release. However, the expectations are high and is clear from the fact that the film had sold around 25,000 tickets over last weekend when advance booking had started. 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.

To be sure, Nolan has established a loyal fan base in India with films such as Dunkirk, Interstellar, The Dark Knight, Inception and so on. His last release, Dunkirk had made ₹20.26 crore in India when released in 2017.

“We are extremely positive about Tenet. It should prove to be the litmus test to bring consumer confidence back and set the ball rolling for recovery of film business,” said Pramod Arora, chief growth and strategy officer, PVR Ltd.

To be sure, trade experts like Arora are hoping titles like Tenet and Wonder Woman give Bollywood producers the incentive to release new local films that they have been holding back for fear of audiences not turning up in theatres. At the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit last week, Ajay Bijli chairman and managing director of PVR Ltd said while there is much going for Hollywood films like Tenet, the real test will only be with big-ticket Bollywood movies.