Narayanan V

“This reversing the flow of time….Doesn’t us being here now mean it never happened?” John David Washington is seen asking, possibly to his fellow CIA agent, Robert Pattinson, in Christopher Nolan’s latest sci-fi thriller Tenet . Perhaps, Nolan’s mind-bending movie itself appears to do just that: reversing the flow of time from bad to good for the pandemic-upended Indian film industry.

From single screens to multiplexes, movie exhibitors across the country are seeing Tenet as a beacon of hope that will pave the way for the release of more movies and bring audiences back to the big screens after an eight-month hiatus.

‘Exceeds expectations’

“We are pleasantly surprised by the numbers. It has exceeded our expectations, considering the fact that the film was delayed, but the response of Indian audiences has been very good,” said Kamal Gianchandani, CEO, PVR Pictures.

Gianchandani, who is also the president of the Multiplex Association of India (MAI), said that the ‘safe movie-watching experience’ will be a reassurance to more and more audiences and would pave the way for increased footfalls in cinemas.

The movie, which hit Indian screens on Friday three months after its international release, garnered over ₹4 crore as the opening weekend collection, according to film trade portal Box Office India. The movie made around ₹1.1 to ₹1.2 crore on the first day, despite the fact that theatres are operating only at 50 per cent of their seating capacity.

“Thanks to Tenet , this weekend has been like a perfect launch pad, which was required by the cinema exhibition industry. We are delighted by the response to the movie across the country, with plenty of house-full shows, even in the Tier 2 and 3 markets,” said Rajender Singh Jyala, Chief Programming Officer at INOX Leisure.

“The movie being screened in the IMAX format turned out to be a treat for the fans of the giant screen experience,” said Jyala, adding, “given the current circumstances, the collections have been truly impressive and reflect the audience appetite for brand new and high-quality content”. PVR Pictures’ Gianchandani agreed that the movie has been doing extremely well in IMAX format than the regular screens.

Ahead of its theatrical release, Christopher Nolan, in a video message to Indian audiences, said that he is “absolutely thrilled” that the audience will get to watch the film in theatres.

“I am absolutely thrilled that you are going to get the opportunity to experience Tenet on a big screen. We shot the film on IMAX in some of the most spectacular places in the world, including Mumbai,” the filmmaker said.

Encouraged by the initial response to Tenet , movie exhibitors are now gearing up for the release of other major Hollywood titles such as Wonder Woman 1984 (December 24), The Personal History of David Copperfield (December 11), Bollywood film Indoo Ki Jawani (December 11), and several new regional releases.

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