Coronavirus has not quite set its deadly sights on India yet, but the movie moguls of Bollywood are already developing cold feet about their forthcoming big-ticket releases. Indications are the release dates of some major films might be postponed with Coronavirus threatening showbiz all over the world and several nations on the verge of banning indoor events and large public gatherings. All Bollywood eyes are now on how Baaghi 3, the Tiger Shroff-Shraddha Kapoor actioner, fares. It opens today and not just the trade pundits interested in box office collections, but also the big production houses with multi-star films coming up are keen on seeing what sort of response the film gets with audiences staying away from multiplexes.
Hollywood started the scare by postponing the release date of the 25th James Bond film No Time To Die by seven months from April to November. The release date change is reportedly costing the Bond film producer MGM Studios $30 million. A trickle-down effect on Bollywood is very likely with films likely to be delayed and stars skipping multi-city tours to promote their films. Nobody is committing anything as yet, but the next three months have some of 2020’s most anticipated films slated for release starting from March itself. Top of the list is Rohit Shetty’s cop universe drama Sooryavanshi with Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif at the end of the month. Before that, there is Angrezi Medium by Dinesh Vijan next week with Kareena Kapoor Khan and Irrfan. These are the first films that have to take a call.
April has Kabir Khan’s 83 with Ranveer Singh, it has Shoojit Sircar’s Gulabo Sitabo with Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana, and there’s Dharma Productions’ Gunjan Saxena with Janhvi Kapoor. May has the Varun Dhawan-Sara Ali Khan starrer Coolie No. 1, Salman Khan’s action drama Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai and Akshay Kumar’s horror-comedy Laxmmi Bomb. Trade analyst Rajesh Thadani told a news agency that if Coronavirus spreads, it will affect collections and cinemas, and distributors and producers must be thinking of insuring their films.
