'83', 'RRR' & 'Radhe Shyam's release to get impacted abroad amid new COVID-19 strain?

The film industry across the globe is returning to normalcy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. After months of theatres being shut and shootings halted, the industry has been springing to life along with the box office collections of films like Black Widow, No Time To Die, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, among others. In India, Sooryavanshi has been a breath of fresh air for the theatres, with collections close to Rs 200 crore, for the industry which was otherwise grappling due to the lack of footfalls. The response has been good even abroad with Sooryavvanshi crossing over Rs 50 crore.

However, the wait would get longer as far as the comeback is concerned. A new variant of COVID-19 has sparked action from various nations, and Indian films could also suffer because of it. With some much-awaited films gearing up for release in the next few months, the overseas collections could get impacted.

Indian films to suffer abroad as fear of new COVID-19 variant looms?

The Indian film market abroad, as per industry tracker Sreedhar Pillai, has been 'crumbling.' He added that the threat of the new variant, one being the latest in South Africa called Omicron, fears and speculations around which does not look good for mega Indian films set to release overseas.

With various countries especially in Europe planning on a lockdown to curb the threat, the distribution prices have already started dropping, he said. The time was not conducive for the filmmakers of films like '83, RRR, Radhe Shyam, Prithviraj, among others for their business abroad as they are already slated to release in the next two months.

Countries like Austria, Netherlands and Slovakia in Europe have imposed partial or complete lockdown in the wake of the resurgence of COVID-19 and more countries are likely to follow suit. Numerous nations could be taking travel-related restrictions as well to curb the threat from a South African variant. Even in countries like New Zealand, numerous restrictions are still underway as the partial lockdown has been in place since August. 

The variant detected in South Africa, named 'Omicron', has sparked worries even in India. The World Health Organisation has termed it a variant of concern. Some states in India are already preparing to tackle this virus, if and when it gets detected in the nation.

Upcoming big releases which could be hampered due to new COVID-19 strain

Ranveer Singh-starrer '83 is the big release in December, around Christmas. Baahubali director SS Rajamouli's RRR then releases on January 7 next year, Prabhas' Radhe Shyam hits theatres on January 14 and Akshay Kumar's period action film Prithviraj releases on January 21 in 2022.

If lockdown is imposed in countries abroad, theatres would most likely remain closed. Even if the films are released, many audiences might also prefer not to step out if the worry on the rise of cases increases. Filmmakers might also choose not to release the films abroad if the prices offered are not what they expect, and that could make a dent in their collections.