With Games on, it’s mixed business for multiplexes in capital

NEW DELHI - The capital is buzzing with activities thanks to the ongoing Commonwealth Games and with the sports event and multiple cultural programmes taking centrestage, multiplexes are recording mixed business.

Business is good during the Games in the capital. We are pining hopes on ‘Crook - It’s Good To Be Bad’. It should do some business as it is a Mahesh Bhatt movie and is topical. Overall the business should get a push of 10-20 percent because of holidays of kids during this period, Yogesh Raizada, corporate head (Cinemas) of Wave Cinemas, told IANS.

Starring Emraan Hashmi and newcomer Neha Sharma, “Crook” is about racial attacks on Indians in Australia.

All the educational institutions are closed in the city in lieu of the games and multiplex bosses claim the students are keeping the footfalls steady.

We don’t see a reduced occupancy by default during this period as colleges and schools are closed and they need entertainment. At least 10-12 percent boost should be there because this is both festive and vacation period, said Jayendra Banerji, vice president (Operations) of Satyam Cineplexes.

Anjaana Anjaani, Robot and Khichdi The Movie hit the screens just two days before the Games opened and did a mixed business at the box office here. While the Ranbir Kapoor-Priyanka Chopra starrer rocked the weekend, it fizzled out Monday onwards. The same was the fate of the other two.

Now the multiplexes are hoping set their cash registers ringing with the release of Crook, Neetu and Rishi Kapoor starrer Do Dooni Char and Ramsay Brothers’ Bachao Andar Bhoot Hai - all releasing Friday.

Deepak Taluja, senior vice president (Business and Operations) Fun Cinemas, is confident that Games won’t affect ticket sales.

CWG won’t effect movie business. People who will go for movies will go and vice versa. The content which is releasing is immense. Week by week a lot of movies are releasing. And during vacations, you do good business as it is a potential period for cinema business.

CWG will end Oct 14 and after that the distributors will look forward to festival releases like Knock Out and Jhootha Hi Sahi followed by big Diwali releases - Golmaal 3 and Action Replayy.

It depends upon the content. Due to CWG no producer has come forward with big releases. It will be all during Diwali now. There is no action right now, said Amit Shah, chief manager (Programming) of DLF DT cinemas.

A source from PVR cinemas said they are content with the business.

The business is stable. It is neither good nor bad. It all depends upon content. There is no movie coming like ‘Dabangg’ to line up queues. However, CWG has not led to any effect on the business. We in fact increased the number of shows for English movies at our properties anticipating the tourists will come but in vain. They are here for the Games and not for the movies.