‘Bellbottom’ brings back good cheer to audiences, theatre owners

A still from `Bellbottom`, Picture Courtesy: PR

Espionage biggie ‘Bellbottom' was released on August 19, 2021, in regions where theatres have opened. Despite the absence of major revenue earners in Maharashtra and theatres opening only at 50 percent capacity, the film is packing in eager audiences.

Kamal Gianchandani, CEO and Chief Business Planning & Strategy PVR Ltd, articulated the industry sentiment when he tweeted, "#Bellbottom gave @_PVRCinemas (& cinemas across the country) reasons to cheer as it continued to hold strong in its second week. Demand at cinemas exceeded supply, we have recorded a massive number of Housefull shows over the weekend @akshaykumar @jackkybhagnani @honeybhagnani."

Producer Jackky Bhagnani said in a statement, "For Pooja Entertainment, it was essential to show solidarity with exhibitors. Releasing ‘Bellbottom' in theatres was not just a business decision but an emotional one because we wanted to unlock theatres, revive this sector of the fraternity and uplift the spirit of the industry."

Trade analyst Komal Nahta said in his tweet, "Vashu Bhagnani's 'Bellbottom' has marked the unlocking of cinemas even in the remote climes of Ladakh! It is the first film ever to have been screened at a mobile digital movie theatre at an altitude of 11,562 feet! How can we measure this landmark moment? What is so incredible is that to bring the cinema-watching experience to this region, a mobile cinema was introduced in the Paldan area in Ladakh by Picture Time Digiplex and 'Bellbottom' was screened here recently not just for the audience but also for the Army."

'BellBottom' was the first major Hindi film to hit the big screen in India post the pandemic-induced shutdown of movie halls. The industry hopes things will get better around November with the festive season kicking in.

Producer Deepshikha Deshmukh added , "We shot and completed ‘Bellbottom' during the pandemic against all odds and a lot of films followed and now we released it at a time when many people thought it was unwise to do so. To receive calls from all our exhibitors telling us about so many shows being housefull across the country in the 2nd Weekend was the best news for us. What ‘Bellbottom' has achieved cannot be quantified in terms of numbers. That means a lot to us as a production house."

Also Read: Bell Bottom Movie Review: Bottom's up Bollywood!