Uunchai, starring Amitabh Bachchan, has finally brought the industry some relief. The family comedy, which Sooraj Barjatya directed, is succeeding at the movie office. However, many exhibitors continue to struggle because previous movies preceding Uunchai were a failure. Releases for Diwali, such as Ram Setu and Thank God, and Independence Day, such as Laal Singh Chaddha and Raksha Bandhan, were anticipated to bring in big bucks but received very poor box office results. Even other well-known films, including Vikram Vedha and Heropanti 2, failed. And this has had a significant impact on the show sector.
As a result, the management of Maratha Mandir and Gaiety-Galaxy, often known as G7, a famous single-screen theatre in Mumbai, has made some difficult decisions. Executive director Manoj Desai raised the prices at G7 theatres and Maratha Mandir just three weeks ago from Rs. 130 and Rs. 160 to Rs. 140 and Rs. 170. He’s now made the decision to lower ticket prices in a few days.
According to Manoj Desai, the charges for Gaiety and Maratha Mandir would drop from Rs. 140 and Rs. 170 to Rs. 130 and Rs. 150 starting on Monday, November 21. The discounted rates will be available beginning on Friday, November 18 at the remaining G7 theatres, which include Galaxy, Gemini, Gossip, Gem, and Glamour.
He responded, “Since we have sold some tickets for the weekend of Drishyam 2 at Gaiety and Maratha Mandir, we decided to retain the Rs. 140 and Rs. 170 price point until Sunday, November 20. ” When asked why the ticket prices at Gaiety and Maratha Mandir have not been decreased from November 18, he said, “Rates will be reduced starting on Monday.”
Manoj Desai acknowledged that he raised the pricing before Diwali because “We were under pressure from rising rates.” He stated, “I hate saying this, but the fact is that our Bollywood films are not working. Ultimately, it’s the South dubbed films which are doing the best business, be it RRR or Pushpa or KGF or the recently released, Kantara. It’s saddening. Ek zamana tha jab Prakash Mehra, Yash Chopra ek se ek badh kar film bana rahe the. Manmohan Desai, who’s my uncle, also made some well-made commercial entertainers. They knew the pulse of the audience. Aaj kal koi aisi filmein bana hi nahin raha hai. Not a single film is working. We are suffering because of it. Hence, we have decided to slash the prices,” when asked why he was reducing the price of the tickets.
On the first two days, Manoj Desai held shows of Uunchai at Galaxy twice; on Sunday, he upped it to three performances in response to growing demand. But he said that during the weekdays, the collections had decreased. But there’s still hope, Manoj Desai adds. “Since we are lowering the costs, we’ll notice a difference and hopefully an increase in foot traffic from Friday.”