‘Pathaan’ is doing well in air conditioned halls
An overview of ‘Pathaan’s first day
The release of 'Pathaan' in Bangladesh ended an 8-year gap of a Hindi movie being screened in the country, and it has created a lot of buzz among the audience. The film was released in 41 theatres nationwide yesterday, including Star Cineplex, Blockbuster Cinemas, and Madhumita Cinema Hall.
The excitement among moviegoers was palpable, with long queues of fans waiting outside multiplexes, eager to catch a glimpse of their favourite superstar Shah Rukh Khan. The movie received an overwhelming response from fans, with most of the shows at Star Cineplex being houseful on the first day. This news is a breath of fresh air for movie lovers when the pandemic has caused a lull in the film industry.
The advance ticket sales for the movie had started online a few days prior to the release date, and according to the management of Star Cineplex, most of the tickets for the Friday and Saturday shows were sold out two days before the movie's release. The popularity of the movie can be gauged from the fact that on the first day of release, Star Cineplex ran 34 shows in 7 branches, and most of them were house full.
Most of the audience consisted of young people who are fans of Shah Rukh Khan. Some were seen wearing Shah Rukh Khan T-shirts. Another group of young people were seen cutting a cake outside the Bashundhara City shopping mall to celebrate the film's release.
Members of Shahrukh Khan's Dhaka-based fan clubs were present at the Star Cineplex Bashundhara branch to watch the movie's first show. The audience inside the hall was seen dancing to the song 'Jhume Jo Pathaan' during the movie screening.
While the multiplexes saw a massive turnout of fans, the response for single cinema halls has been less than expected. Only 40 percent of viewers watched the movie at Madhumita Hall. Madhumita Cinema hall also increased the ticket prices for 'Pathaan'. In Monihar Cinema Hall of Jessore, only two shows were held on the first day.
However, despite the mixed response, the film has been able to attract more viewers than other Bengali movies.
"The response outside Dhaka has been pretty good, but not exceptional. While multiplexes have their own servers, single cinema halls need to rent servers to screen the film, which was not always possible for them. Pathaan is doing well in the halls with AC," Anonno Mamun, the movie's distributor, told The Daily Star.
The enthusiastic response from the audience on the first day of release is a good sign for the movie's prospects in Bangladesh, as it indicates a significant market for Bollywood movies in the country. The success of 'Pathaan' in Bangladesh could also inspire other Bollywood production houses to explore the possibility of releasing their movies in the country, which could further boost the growth of the film industry in Bangladesh.