'Bellbottom' day 1 box office collection: Akshay Kumar-starrer opens on a decent note

The film has been directed by Ranjit Tiwari

Actor Akshay Kumar's latest movie Bellbottom, which hit the screens on Thursday (August 19), has opened to a decent response at the box office despite Covid-19 restrictions. The film's opening day figure is around Rs 2.5 crore, according to reports

A good figure under the circumstances

The star's last theatrical release Good Newwz, which hit the screens in 2019, had raked in Rs 17.56 crore at the box office on the opening day though it faced competition from Salman Khan's Dabangg 3. Bellbottom wasn't able to meet those standards as theatres in Maharashtra are yet to open. Moreover, there is a cap on seating capacity in most other states. The perception is that Bellbottom's opening day collection would have been in double digits had it released in better times.

Delhi turns saviour

According to most trade trackers, most of the initial shows had occupancy of around 15 per cent but things picked up during the course of the day. Nearly 20 per cent of its collection came from Delhi, which proved to be its biggest market.

A small achievement

The Covid-19 pandemic redefined the tenets of the film industry, establishing OTT as an alternative to cinemas. Films such as Gulabo Sitabo, Akshay's Laxmii, the Varun Dhawan-starrer Coolie No 1 premiered digitally, skipping the theatrical route. The industry tried regaining its mojo with the March releases Mumbai Saga and Roohi, which collected Rs 2.82 crore and Rs 3 crore on the opening day. The films, however, were not able to live up to expectations in the long run even. Bellbottom has more or less matched the standards set by these films despite the increased restrictions, which is no mean feat.

The road ahead

Bellbottom has received mixed to positive reviews with most critics praising the sincere performances and the slick execution. The word of mouth is better than expected, which may help the film pick up over the weekend. It does not really face much competition over the next few days as it is the first major Hindi movie to release in theatres after the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.