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Roohi Box Office Prediction: Will Janhvi Kapoor's Film Bring Audiences Back To Theatres Post Lockdown?
2020 was a lackluster year for Bollywood as cinema halls were shut down owing to the lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic which shook the nation. The last big-ticket release was late Irrfan Khan's Angrezi Medium which released in theatres on March 11, 2020. Post that, many filmmakers opted to premiere their films on OTT platforms (Dil Bechara, Sadak 2, Laxmmi Bomb).
In November 2020, the Maharashtra government allowed cinema halls to open with 50% occupancy which saw the release of films like Shakeela, Madam Chief Minister among others. However, they failed to draw in the crowd.
In February this year, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting finally permitted 100% occupancy in multiplexes and cinema halls which came as a huge relief to those who had been struggling with low attendance and few new offerings since reopening of theatres. Immediately, filmmakers started making announcements about the theatrical release date about their movies.
Among them, Dinesh Vijan's Maddock Films was the first one to announce the release date of Janhvi Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao and Varun Sharma starrer Roohi. Exactly, after a year of Angrezi Medium's release, this horror comedy is slated to hit the big screens on March 11, 2021. Considering it's the first major theatrical release post COVID-19 lockdown, will it bring back the audiences in theatres? Here's what trade analyst Girish Johar has to say.
"Roohi belongs to a genre that has been successful in the past. There have been many horror-comedies that have done well at the ticket counters, Stree being the most prominent one. The trailer has generated good curiosity. Also, it has a good cast with Janhvi attracting a young fanbase. The buzz is decent around the film," an Indian Express report quoted Johar as saying.
He further said that the film's business might show a boost with positive word-of-mouth and added, "Makers are pretty confident about the release of their film. Word of mouth can help and, also it's a holiday because of Mahashivaratri, so it will give some benefit. Hence, I am expecting a decent start at the box office. Also, it will contribute to the audience coming back to the theatres."
However, Johar also spoke about the few factors that might affect Roohi's box office collection and said, "Now, what remains to be seen is if the audience would want to come to the theatres because the core region of Maharashtra from where most of the box office revenues are generated is once again witnessing a surge in the number of coronavirus cases. Also, there is a 50 per cent cap on the capacity of theatres in most of the states."
Directed by Hardik Mehta, Roohi has Janhvi Kapoor essaying the role of a singing ghost who puts grooms to sleep so it can possess their brides. The film also stars Rajkummar Rao and Varun Sharma in pivotal roles.
