Coronavirus a pandemic for box office? 'Angrezi Medium', 'Baaghi 3' collections likely to take a massive hit

The Irrfan Khan starrer Angrezi Medium, which hit screens today (March 13), is set to suffer due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Speaking to DH, trade analyst Joginder Tuteja says that the day one collection of the film will be at least Rs one crore lower than expected.

"Angrezi Medium would have collected around Rs four crore under normal circumstances. However, given the coronavirus situation, the figure will be around Rs three crore," he adds.

The Delhi government on Thursday (March 12) decided to shut all movie theatres in the state till March 31 in view of the COVID-19 threat. Industry insiders feel this might spell trouble for Angrezi Medium. Speaking to DH, film distributor Rahul Verma says the movie will struggle to post "respectable business" as it is meant for a multiplex audience.

"Being a multiplex oriented film Angrezi medium is set to lose a major chunk of business over the final run. It won't even post respectable business compared to its prequel (Hindi Medium). This Irfan Khan starrer will trace without a sink owing to the theatre shutdown in Delhi."

Just like Angrezi Medium, last week's release Baaghi 3 too will be affected by the coronavirus situation. The Tiger Shroff-Shraddha Kapoor starrer is likely to collect around Rs 125 crore in its lifetime failing to meet expectations.

"The lifetime collection of Baaghi 3 is likely to be between Rs 120 crore and Rs 125 crore, which is nearly Rs 50 crore lower than expected," says Verma.

The Karnataka government on Friday (March 13) announced that all theatres and malls in Bengaluru will be shut for a week, which might add to the woes of the film industry.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the makers of Akshay Kumar's Sooryavanshi to indefinitely postpone the film's release. Similarly, the Vin Diesel starrer F9 has been pushed to next year.

Read: 'Angrezi Medium' review: This Irrfan Khan starrer makes decent impact