Bollywood at the B.O.

Now let's look at the figures! The film is faring very well in Mumbai city-suburbs and circuit...

Mumbai city-suburbs
Friday - 8,36,816
Saturday - 17,68,286
Sunday - 21,91,089
Monday - 7,35,369

Now let's glance at the day-wise collections at Indore, another 'A' class centre...

Note:- The film is being screened at limited/few shows.

Monday was at par with Friday/Saturday [and at places, better] at several screens, which is a positive sign. A low-budget film that has been sold for more than reasonable prices, this one is a success in certain circuits.

THIS WEEK IN 2006
[Weekend: April 14-16, 2006]

It was touted as the first big potential hit of summer. But when Humko Deewana Kar Gaye opened on April 14, it was evident that the industry would still have to wait for a hit. Humko Deewana Kar Gaye had three major factors going in its favor: Fresh casting [Akshay, Katrina teamed for the first time], fabulous promotion embarked upon by T-Series [who also happened to be the producers of the film] and Akshay's all-time high popularity.

There were other factors too: An open week [Eight - Shani and Basic Instinct 2 were hardly any oppositions] and the onset of summer vacations. Plus, Friday was a holiday. So what went wrong?
One, the public opinion was extremely poor.
Two, the tremendous hype surrounding the film only worked to its disadvantage. There was nothing original about the film. In fact, Humko Deewana Kar Gaye came across as a poor imitation of Yash Raj's successful films, besides a number of Hollywood films.

The collections of the second release, Eight - Shani, were in the range of 5%-8% on Day 1. Need we add more?

THIS WEEK IN 2005

[Weekend: April 15-17, 2005]

If the film industry was ecstatic thanks to the flying start generated by Lucky, it was back to square one this weekend. The week witnessed four significant releases -- Mumbai Xpress, Kuchh Meetha Ho Jaye, Khamoshh - Khauff Ki Raat and Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi -- and barring Mumbai Xpress [at certain metros], the opening weekend collections of the remaining three films punctured the morale of the industry.

Mumbai Xpress fared better than the rest, but it wasn't promoted to the optimum prior to its release. Another two/three weeks of aggressive promotion would've only enhanced the prospects of the film.

On the other hand, Kuchh Meetha Ho Jaye was aggressively promoted prior to its release. A section of the industry was optimistic that it would fetch a better start thanks to its qualitative promos and Arshad's popularity, post Munnabhai M.B.B.S. and Hulchul. But nothing of the sort happened. The content was too weak.

Khamoshh - Khauff Ki Raat also went completely unnoticed. Shilpa Shetty's seductive posture on the billboards didn't ensure even a moderate start for this thriller, while Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, which won rave reviews from the media, was not the kind of film that would appeal to an average moviegoer.

THIS WEEK IN 2004

[Weekend: April 9-11, 2004]

With Murder proving a universal hit and Masti opening to packed houses, a flurry of activity was witnessed in the film industry. Bigger and better projects were being planned and announced. The almost-extinct tribe of distributors was back, enquiring with producers about their films. The exhibitors were hoping that the forthcoming releases would only compel the audiences to return to cinema halls in a big way.

With Masti began the flow of big films. The opening of the film was in the range of 90% + and thanks to a terrific start, half the battle was won. Masti made no pretensions of being an intelligent film. Nor did Indra Kumar ever claim that the film was meant for pseudo-intellectuals or the festival circuit. It delivered what it promised: Loads of entertainment!