COVID-19 outbreak takes toll on 'Baaghi 3' box office collection and other new releases

The novel coronavirus outbreak has taken a toll on the box office performance of films that hit screens last Friday (March 6). Speaking to DH, trade analyst Prateek R Dubey says that even though the Bollywood biggie Baaghi 3 crossed the Rs 50 crore-mark in three days, the total collection is lower than expected.

"The box office collection of Baaghi 3 is at least 10 per cent to 15 per cent lower than expected due to the coronavirus scare," he says.

"Onward is a non-starter and its business is virtually non-existent."

Speaking to DH, trade analyst Joginder Tuteja says that there is an overall drop of around 20 per cent in theatre occupancy all over India as people are not too keen on visiting multiplexes.

"The National Capital Region is the worst affected. The situation is quite bad in the metropolitan markets as well with the occupancy being around 15 per cent lower (than expected)," he adds.

The COVID-19 outbreak has also affected the performance of Kannada star Shivarajkumar's latest release Drona, which is set to be a disaster.

A trade tracker says that the film's collection is at least five per cent lower than expected in the Bengaluru region. He, however, makes it clear that the flick would have tanked even under ordinary circumstances as it was not promoted properly.

Trade experts feel that things will go from bad to worse unless the coronavirus threat is controlled. Advance bookings for Irrfan Khan's Angrezi Medium are "dull" even though the content is good. The Daniel Craig starrer No Time to Die has been postponed from April to November due to the COVID-19 situation. Similarly, Akshay Kumar's Sooryavanshi could join the list in the near future. Dubey says the Rohit Shetty-helmed actioner might move from its release date on March 27.