JOIN USNo movies, only cricket right now
With the World Cup fever slowly reaching its peak, the cricket fans are having a great time.
However, there is another set of audience which is feeling neglected – the movie buffs! While the month of March is marked with the release of Oscar nominated movies, this year due to the World Cup, the theatres are running almost empty with almost no releases. This trend will continue for few more weeks as immediately after the World Cup, IPL matches will commence.
So how are Bangaloreans, who are used to watching movies, spending their weekends? Are the matches entertaining enough for them?
If the empty hallways of the movie theatres are any sign, a lot of people are busy watching matches. “I am not missing the movies much because the World Cup and IPL are more than enough to entertain me,” says Mahesh M B, a student from M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology.
And many others reiterate similar sentiments. “Movies keep releasing all year long but the World Cup is surely more important,” says Kartick, a cricket buff.
One would think it is only the guys who catch up on the matches. But the perception is wrong. It looks like even women have been bitten by the bug. “I do watch movies in the theatre but at present I’m busy with the matches so I don’t miss movies much. The matches are entertaining enough,” says Ekta, a fashion design student.
Not all movie buffs have given up on watching movies. Since the theatres have nothing new to offer, they are watching movies at home on DVDs.
“Most of the Oscar nominated movies are very serious and not always fun to watch with friends. I have been catching movies on DVDs only for the past month,” says Pankaj Srivastava, a software engineer.
A few others like Sudhin Thampi have also been watching movies on DVDs. “I catch almost all new releases in the theatre regularly and am really looking forward to this cricket season to end. If you are not a cricket fan then there are no options left for you right now,” says Sudhin, a student.
Movie buffs feel that a total ban on releases is not always good. “The producers don’t release movies because of the World Cup, but if the movie is good it would do well anyway. ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ has been doing well in spite of the cricket matches,” says Simmi Sharma, a marketing executive.
“It would have been better if some balance was maintained by releasing certain low budget movies which would target a specific type of audience during this season instead of keeping the movies in the box,” says Mahesh. “This is bad both for the audience and the film industry,” he adds.