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Finally, there is something to cheer about for Bollywood. After a five month drought with no Bollywood theatrical releases, it is time for them magic of big screen to be back. Of late, there have been biggies like Bhuj: The Pride of India, Sherahaah, Toofaan and Mimi which have arrived on the OTT and many of these could well have turned out to be box office successes had their releases in theatres. While for Bell Bottom too there was a temptation to release first at OTT, the fact that it is seeing a theatrical release is a reason to rejoice as well.
The Akshay Kumar starrer Bell Bottom has been promoted quite well by Pooja Films even though there was just a three week window. However, just that revived memories of how things used to be till just a year and a half back when such kind of promotions and marketing were a norm for Bollywood films on a week by week basis. The good news is that there is awareness, and with many theatre chains opening to screen the film, it’s the first step in the right direction.
Of course there are many other factors to be taken into consideration to arrive at a realistic prediction for the first day at the box office. Maharashtra is still not open, there is 50% occupancy rule, the release is on Thursday (instead of a regular Friday), there is a cap on night shows at certain places, not all theatres are still operational and COVID is still not entirely eliminated. Moreover, it is still not known how audiences at large across the country would generally react to a film opening. Yes, a regional Punjabi film like Puaada is finding numbers but Bell Bottom requires pan-India traction.
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The good part though is that the film has at least braved it to arrived in theatres. Also, for hardcore Bollywood loyalists, there is finally a theatrical release. In that case, what better at than to have a superstar like Akshay Kumar being at the helm of affairs.
With all aforementioned factors taken into consideration, even if Bell Bottom opens in 5-7 crores range, that would be a start at least to make things moving. Post that, there are still three days ahead for the weekend and sustenance/growth there would be the key.
