Home
+
Hall owners and exhibitors’ groups urge sustaining business momentum year-round, not just during Eid
Published : 15 Apr 2025, 02:38 AM
Cinema hall owners are celebrating a successful Eid-ul-Fitr, buoyed by strong ticket sales following the release of six well-timed films. This year broke away from the chaotic trend of overcrowded Eid releases, and the results are showing.
The impact was felt beyond the box office—outside cinema halls, long queues formed and many eager filmgoers left disappointed, unable to secure the coveted tickets to their preferred shows.
However, producers remain mostly disappointed with their earnings from screening films throughout the rest of the year.
As there is no proper 'box office' system in the country, they are also unable to get an accurate calculation of real income.
In order to sustain commercial success, they are demanding the development of the film industry, a reliable distribution system, and long-term infrastructure improvements.
On the other hand, despite doing "good business" during Eid, cinema hall owners have pointed out that such "seasonal" success cannot compensate for the losses incurred throughout the year.
Both cinema hall owners and the leadership of the exhibitors’ association have stressed the importance of maintaining the momentum of the Eid business throughout the entire year.
Six films were released in theatres during Eid.
These include "Borbaad" directed by Mehedi Hasan Hridoy, "Antoratma" by Wajed Ali Sumon, "Jongli" by M Rahim, "Daagi" directed by Shihab Shaheen, "Jinn 3" by Kamruzzaman Roman, and "Chokkor" by Sharaf Ahmed Jibon.
Borbaad and Antoratma, both starring Dhallywood superstar Shakib Khan, were among the most anticipated films of the season.
Other major releases featured popular actors including Mosharraf Karim, Afran Nisho, Siam Ahmed, Tama Mirza, Shobnom Bubly, and Nusraat Faria.
Despite the initial excitement, Antoratma was pulled from Star Cineplex on the second day of Eid, reportedly due to a “lack of audience interest”.
Another film, Jinn 3, was removed from theatres just 12 days after its release following poor box office performance.
The film was not screened in any other theatres across the country.
Three films have stood out in terms of commercial performance, according to theatre owners: Shakib’s Borbaad, Nisho’s Daagi, and Siam’s Jongli.
Each has managed to stay in theatres for two weeks following Eid.
Mosharraf Karim’s Chokkor, meanwhile, continues to run exclusively at Star Cineplex.
OWNERS DELIGHTED AS AUDIENCE NUMBERS SURGE
Renowned Modhumita Cinema Hall has finally opened its doors after four months, thanks to Shakib Khan starrer Borbaad.
Modhumita’s owner, Iftekhar Uddin Naushad, told Glitz: “It’s going well. I think this will be the highest-grossing film. It will surpass all the sales of Toofan and Priyotoma. There’s a huge audience.”
On Eid day, six films were released at Star Cineplex.
Since Antoratma and Jinn 3 didn’t perform well, only four films are currently being screened there, which increased audience footfall.
The number of screenings for Daagi has increased since its first week in theatres, reflecting a growing interest from audiences.
According to Mesbah Uddin, senior manager of the media and marketing department at Star Cineplex, the schedules for films with stronger audience demand were expanded by dropping Antoratma and Jinn 3.
In the second week following Eid, four movies are currently showing at Star Cineplex.
Of these, Shakib’s Borbaad has 39 screenings, Daagi has 30, Jongli has 13, and Chokkor has 4.
Mesbah told Glitz that the demand for Borbaad remains strong, with sold-out shows and long queues.
“The audience is returning without getting tickets,” he said.
“Advance tickets are being sold. Business is going well.”
At Lion Cinema Hall, Borbad, Jongli, and Daagi have been screening since Friday.
The owner of this theatre, Mirza Abdul Khalek, told Glitz: “Borbaad is doing very well. Three special shows were held on Friday night. The other two films are also going houseful.”
When asked about the number of tickets sold in the 10 days since Eid, Khalek said: “By Thursday, 25,677 tickets were sold, of which around 17,000 were for Borbaad.”
“Around 8,000 tickets were sold for the other films.”
He believes Borbaad will surpass the ticket sales of Shakib’s last Eid film, Toofan.
At Dhaka’s Shyamoli Cinema Hall, Borbaad initially had a good audience turnout in all shows.
However, in the second week, attendance dropped slightly for the morning and noon shows.
Still, compared to previous years, business is better this Eid, said the hall’s manager, Mohammad Hasan.
He mentioned that while the 12pm and 2:40pm shows see fewer viewers, the other two shows are going houseful, and advance ticket sales are ongoing.
MOVIE THEATRES KEEP SCREENS LIT PAST MIDNIGHT
Due to high audience demand, special midnight screenings of Borbaad were held at Lion Cinemas in Keraniganj and Modhuban Cineplex in Bogura.
Roknuzzaman Yunus, managing director of Modhuban, said Borbaad has been performing well from the start, selling about 16,000 tickets until last Thursday.
Special late-night shows were arranged on audience request, with screenings at 11:45pm on Eid’s second night and again on Friday night.
Due to high demand, Modhuban also introduced a new 10am show, which quickly sold out.
They expect houseful shows to continue until Pohela Boishakh.
FLIP SIDE OF THE COIN
Cinema halls outside Dhaka are reporting good business during Eid, with audiences returning to theatres.
In Jashore, the Monihar Cinema Hall is screening Borbaad, and Daagi is playing at Monihar Cineplex.
The theatre's director, Ziaul Islam, mentioned that although Borbaad hasn’t sold out all 1,200 seats, attendance is strong, and they're seeing profits.
“Daagi is also doing well in the multiplex, with full houses in its 66-seat screen.
He noted that a good film draws viewers, emphasising the need for more quality films.
In Khulna, Jongli is running at the Sangeeta Cinema Hall.
Booking Agent Asaduzzaman Tutul said the movie has earned around Tk 300,000 to Tk 400,000 in 12 days, with healthy attendance across city theatres.
However, Barishal tells a different story.
Only one cinema hall, Abhiruchi, remains from the original five.
Manager Rezaul Kabir said business is good and crowd turnout has been impressive, but he lamented the lack of year-round content.
He urged filmmakers to produce regular quality films, noting that audience interest exists but not enough movies are released outside of Eid seasons.
Rezaul fears that without consistent releases, even Abhiruchi may shut down.
He stressed that while Eid releases succeed, the focus should be on sustaining this success year-round.
He also criticised the lack of attention to regional cinemas, saying all development seems Dhaka and Film Development Corporation-centred.
“No one even bothers to find out how the cinema hall is doing throughout the year, whether it is still there or is closing down,” said Rezaul.
“All the development of the film industry is centred on the FDC. One day, the producers will also have to make films and prepare halls for their release. Therefore, instead of expressing excitement that one Eid film is doing well, emphasis should be placed on making this good performance regular.”
Meanwhile, in Narayanganj, the New Metro Cinema Hall is also showing Borbaad, but after a strong start, it’s now facing a drop in attendance, especially on weekends.
Ravi Babu, an employee of the hall, said: “Four movies are being shown here. But it’s not a full house. The first three or four days were good. There are no viewers even on Fridays.”
AN ADVANCE TICKET IS ALL IT TAKES TO CATCH A SHOW
Even ten days after the Eid film releases, cinemas are still drawing large crowds.
However, only those who bought tickets in advance are getting to watch the movies, with many having to return without tickets.
Mahbub Jewel, who has lived in Dhaka for 25 years, watched a movie in a cinema hall for the first time.
After seeing Borbaad at the new Star Cineplex branch in Uttara, Jewel said: “I liked the movie a lot. The story was good. The production was also good. The depth of the story, and the songs were entertaining.”
Fahim, who came with six friends from Moghbazar to watch Jongli, had also purchased tickets ahead of time.
“We are seven friends who came together from Moghbazar. I liked the movie. Siam Ahmed did a great job. It is a very emotional movie."
Aminul, who came from Shanir Akhra with his wife, was disappointed when he couldn't get tickets at the counter.
“When I arrived at the counter, I heard that there were no tickets. Only those who have already booked can watch the movie."
Rabbi, a young man who identified himself with a single name, said he watched Daagi and Chokkor, and found both enjoyable.
He said, "All the movies released this Eid are worth watching. At least three or four movies should be watched. I have already seen 'Daagi' and 'Chokkor'. I enjoyed watching both movies. The acting, story, and dialogues are all beautiful."
TICKET PRICES
Movie ticket prices vary widely across Dhaka and other cities.
In Dhaka, Modhumita charges Tk 200–Tk 250, Lion Cinema charges Tk 300-Tk 350, and Star Cineplex tickets range from Tk 400 to Tk 1800.
Outside the capital, Monihar in Jashore charges Tk 210–Tk260, while Bogura’s Modhuban Cineplex offers tickets from Tk 100 to Tk 300, depending on the category.
PUSH GROWS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE THAT CATERS TO PRODUCERS’ NEEDS
Despite strong audience turnout during Eid, producers are disappointed, stating it is difficult to raise investment due to the lack of e-ticketing, box office or proper infrastructure of cinema halls.
After being released in at least 120 theatres during Eid, Borbaad earned Tk 270 million in its first week, but producer Shahreen Akter said they’ve only received around Tk 40 to 50 million due to several deductions.
"The movie is doing well. The audience has returned. But the amount we producers are actually earning is questionable,” said Shahreen.
“After deducting different commissions from the price of each ticket, we get only Tk 30 to Tk 40. This includes the expenses of the hall owner, agent and other expenses. The biggest crisis is that there is no box office reporting system in the country. As a result, no one knows the actual income."
She pointed out that even basic promotional expenses like printing posters and banners now fall entirely on the producers.
"Here, printing posters and banners is now the responsibility of the producer. Even those who earn millions of taka do not want to bear these expenses themselves. If we budget Tk 150 million until the end of the film, the other expenses increase after the release of the film. At the end of the day, we are not getting a producer-friendly system. We are not able to know transparently how our films are selling."
Calling on the government and film stakeholders to pay attention to this issue, the producer said: “A long-term, producer-friendly infrastructure should be built so that everyone can survive and make good films.”
When asked about the performance of Daagi, producer Shahriar told Glitz: “It is very, very difficult to calculate how many people viewed our movies, or how many tickets have been sold in Bangladesh. There is no e-ticketing system here, no box office system.”
"The budget of our movie is Tk 45 million. The cinema halls in Bangladesh have a good audience capacity. But we do not get proper information because there is no e-ticketing or box office. Producers in Bangladesh are very helpless from this point of view."
He also pointed out a critical issue - a theatre capable of selling tickets worth Tk 1.8 million often rents the movie for just Tk 400,000 to Tk 500,000 for two weeks. Even if the film does great business, the producer only gets that fixed rental amount.
He stressed the need for infrastructure reform, saying that without a central server, e-ticketing, or box office tracking, it's very hard for producers to recover their investment.
Meanwhile, Jinn 3 was recently pulled from Star Cineplex and Lion Cinema, but its producer Abdul Aziz said it performed reasonably well and the business was “not bad”.
Sharaf Ahmed Jibon, the producer and director of Chokkor, said the first week of Eid was chaotic, and it was hard to secure screens against big-budget films.
However, in the second week, the movie got better shows, and he expects revenue to pick up gradually.
Jibon, whose film Chokkor marks his debut as a director and producer, admitted he is still learning the ins and outs of the film industry.
“Since it's my first movie, and my first time producing, I may not know much. The structure of this place is different. There's a lot to learn and understand. But the box office system is necessary."
HOW’S THE BUSINESS?
When asked about overall Eid business, Awlad Hossain Ujjal, general secretary of the Exhibitors' Association, told Glitz that audience turnout has significantly “increased”.
"Audiences are watching movies with their families on Eid. This trend has been seen across the country after many years. Every theatre is doing super duper hit business," said Ujjal.
However, he stressed that the industry cannot rely solely on Eid releases.
"Even if we make 30 movies a year, and if we show five or six hit movies with good stories, the situation in the halls will improve."
Sudipta Kumar Das, an advisor to the Exhibitors' Association, echoed similar views, saying the success of Eid releases must be maintained.
“We will soon hold a meeting to discuss how to maintain it, and how to take it forward. We will advise the hall owners that those who have shown the movie on Eid should show another alternative movie after it. Then all the movies on Eid will be able to do business.”
Mirza Abdul Khalek, owner of Lion Cinema Hall, expressed caution when asked if Bangladeshi cinema is entering a new golden age.
He explained that despite the strong Eid business, he had suffered heavy losses of around Tk 4.2 million since last Eid-ul-Azha, covering staff salaries and bills.
While this Eid was profitable, it hasn’t fully offset his previous losses, he added.
He said that depending only on Eid for business is unsustainable.
"I did business this Eid, but now I have to wait for Eid-ul-Azha. After Eid is over, I have to worry about how I will run the theatre for the next ten months."
He described this over-reliance on Eid-centric releases as one of the “biggest concerns” for the future of Bangladeshi cinema.
[Writing in English by Zakia Rubaba Hoque and Ruhshabah Tabassum Huda]
