Soap starved: Couch potatoes flock to cinemas

Mumbai: The ongoing dispute between the cine workers and producers has resulted in TV's loss but Bollywood's gain. As people bored of re-runs of serials throng theatres.

Your daily dose of saas-bahu sagas maybe on a break, but in order to keep your entertainment quota in place there is your neighbourhood multiplex to do the needful.

And looks like that is exactly what the present trend is with more and more people queuing up to their nearest theatre even in the middle of the week.

"It is giving us good business, even during the week people are coming to the theatres," said Chief Operating Officer, Fame Cinemas, Rishi Negi.

So films like Golmaal Returns, Fashion and Quantam of Solace which have been the big releases in the past two weeks are doing good business at the box office.

And while Golmaal Returns director Rohit Shetty may feel that his film in itself has got the audience flocking to the theatres, there is no doubt that with the recent blackout on television the filmmakers can feel the difference.

"My film released before the dispute but the films that will release this week will do great business," said fimmaker Rohit Shetty.

Forth coming film Dostana will also benefit from this ongoing dispute.

"We had a paid preview of Dostana which was housefull. The film will get good business due to this dispute," said Negi.

Entertainment starved audience are also queuing up at the cinemas to get their dose of entertainment.

"I would any day prefer watching a new movie to a re-run of a soap that I've already seen," said a viewer.

"I anyways prefer movies to soaps so I'm not complaining," said another viewer.

While couch potatoes may still be worried about getting their soaps back on the telly. Bollywood is certainly not complaining.

Source: ibnlive.in.com