Single screens Wanted again

Salmanstarrer makes 70 per cent more business in single screens than multiplexes in its first weekBoney Kapoors latest release Wanted seems to herald the return of single screen theatres in Mumbai While figures were too premature to be given for single screens alone Taran Adarsh trade analyst said Wanted did business of approximately Rs 35 to Rs 38 crore across India in just a weekThe latest trade figures indicate that Wanted has 70 per cent more business than multiplexes a view echoed by exhibitors and trade experts across MumbaiSaid another trade source Single screen theatres have been historically known to cater to testosterone boosting movies action dramas Hit Hai Boss The crowd emerges from Chitra cinema last night after watching the Salman Khanstarrer WantedWanted is exactly that kind of film Then you have the price of the tickets approximately less than half that of multiplexes and the advantage of watchin it on a 70mm screen Quite naturally audiences will choose single screens over multiplexesYet single screens have been caught unawares Ankur cinema in Govandi had to paint a Housefull board because they didnt have one In fact they did not need one for many years Theatres like Liberty and New Empire in Mumbai also had to dig out the Housefull board from their godowns where it was gathering dust for yearsu00a0In Panvel there was a riot during the films release and police had to be called inSwitching LoyaltiesEver since 2002 when multiplexes first hit the city moviegoers switched loyalties despite the higher ticket price for the ambience they offered As a result of dwindling footfalls and heavy maintenance fees many single screens have shut shop or have been demolished Minerva Novelty Bahar and Lido among othersu00a0Or they have given way to multiplexes Sterling Metro Apsara Cinemax Sion Said Adarsh Till now we had undermined the business contributed by the single screen theatres but this film has made us realise that such theatres are still the bossesExhibitor Manoj Desai of Gaiety Cinemas a multiplex believes that with Wanted single screens have finally shown their clout Wanted has got the film industry and also the single screen cinemas out of the ICU The film has got 100 per cent collections till now and it is only going to get betterLiberty cinema in south Mumbai had been witnessing a box office famine until Wanted Said Satish Vengsarkar from the cinema In the past two years barring Ghajini no other film came close to a good opening week income But now Wanted has joined that clubThe manager at Chitra cinema in Dadar adds Except for one show on Friday and one show on Saturday every other show is a houseful This is a welcome change for usUnwanted Riotsgtgt In Hubli almost 5000 people gathered outside the main theatre clamouring for ticketsu00a0gtgt u00a0On Tuesday night there was police firing outside the theatre in Buland Shaher UP where the film was being screened due to the riotlike situationu00a0gtgt At Paras cinema in Jaipur the police requested the theatre management to sell 200 tickets less in order to control the audiencegtgtThe film has been released in all the 3 theatres in Kanpur and all have police protectionThe potential was always there but somehow most producers underestimated and ignored the single screensIn multiplexes you get a niche audience who watch a film for the overall experience In single screens you get the diehard movie fan those who clap whistle and danceu00a0I believe that any film that has universal appeal will do equally well in multiplexes and the single screens Boney Kapoor Producer