Black Fridays

Spice Cinemas,with eight screens in Noida,is running huge losses. Last year,during the same period,their revenue was approximately Rs 2.6 crore. Now it is 65 per cent less. “We have never seen such a low turnout,” says Amit Awasthi,manager,Spice Cinemas,dejectedly. The multiplex is being forced to screen old Hindi films like Dilwale Dulhaniya…,Chak De! India and Life… in a Metro to pay its overheads. “Our biggest theatre with a capacity of 384 seats is averaging 12 per cent occupancy. But we are hopeful of things shaping up in the coming months,” he adds. Other multiplex owners have refused to comment on the issue. Although the filmmakers’ fight is with multiplex owners who control around 60 per cent of box-office revenue,single-screen owners have been equally hit.

Delhi’s second largest single-screen cinema Supreme in Shahdara is bleeding,unable to meet its overheads. It has 1,189 seats,but manages to sell just 50-100 tickets per show. Now it has resorted to showing Bhojpuri films such as Vidhata and Dimak Ki Dahi to stay afloat. “We have to show these films because the moment we put up posters of Jodhaa Akbar or Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi,cable operators in the area show them on TV,” says OP Sharma,manager,who plans to convert Supreme into a two-screen complex. In the hope of a decent booking,Delite Diamond in Old Delhi will have four shows of the Aamir Khan starrer Fanaa from this week. “In such a crisis,there are only two options,shut down or find new ways of attracting the public. We are screening Fanaa as it is a film that the young crowd may like,” says RK Mehrotra,manager,Delite Diamond. The most commonly screened movies in city theatres are Jodhaa Akbar,Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi,School Days and Meri Padosan.

Others see good business sense in screening relatively new English films. “There is no point in showing old Hindi films as many regularly appear on television channels or can be viewed on DVDs,” says Yogesh Raizada,manager,Wave Cinemas,that are screening Departed and Blood Diamond with relative success,although these two are also shown on television channels. With its sales being hit by 70 per cent,Wave has shut down one screen each (it has five screens) at the Noida and Rajouri Garden venues. Even Big Cinemas,which does not want to officially comment,was having a Hindi movie festival at Palam Vihar recently. Currently,except for its Palam Vihar and Kaushambi halls,it is screening recent movies like Watchmen and Gulaal. And some have good news to report. “Last Sunday we had occupancy of 1,100 people,” says an employee of Big Cinemas at The Great India Place Mall,Noida,“We are getting customers due to better footfalls in the mall.” He is one of the many waiting for a happy end,in true Bollywood style.