First weekend performance of latest release

Numerous voices, innumerous comments and loads of speculations - that's the way how one describes the opening of 'Omkara' as it released last Friday. First things first - has the movie lived up to the expectations that one had from this multistarrer directed by Vishal Bhardwaj? The answer is a certain YES! Pick up any 10 people and chances are high that 8 would nod their heads in affirmative. Those who have ventured into the theatres have loved the film in a big way. This brings us to the second question - Has the movie opened to the numbers it was expected to [i.e. 80% plus collections]? The answer is No!

The opening has certainly been mixed across different territories in region. But does that make the film a flop? Too early to comment before the first week's actual numbers come out but the fact remains that it is not a colossal disaster as it is being made out. At worst, it may end up as below average for certain distributors but it is unlikely that it turns out to be a complete flop at the box office. Ironical as it may sound but the word of mouth of the film is such that "The film is good, but then actually it is so good due to the rustic treatment that think twice before you take your family along!" This means that while men folk would actually be seen thronging the theatres in coming days, females are being discouraged from watching the film due to all explicit talks. The film has one more week to make some money for itself before KANK arrives and captures majority of screens across the country!

Jackie Shroff led 'We R Friends' arrived with zilch hype and would go away unsung, as indicated by the opening numbers. Also, this film that released with minimal prints is probably one of the most non-talked films this year, both in trade and audience, inspite of Jackie's presence!

Last week's movies

'Yun Hota To Kya Hota' and 'The Killer' were the two flicks that released last week. If opening weekend for YHTKH was poor, the rest of the week turned out to be equally disastrous as apparent from the collections. Naseeruddin Shah may want to forget his debutant director outing as his maiden venture did a kind of business that just didn't befit his capability as a film person. With a selective release and mere 75 lakhs opening week's collections, its doomsday for this multistarrer that neither opened well, nor picked up or sustained. Since the film is a multistarrer, its starcast would be least impacted by the film's box office fate but it would be Naseeruddin Shah himself who may now have to bear the flak till he strikes back with his next film, either as a director or an actor!

Low budget 'The Killer' too didn't enjoy a great first week as the collections hovered just below 4 crores. As expected, Mumbai brought home the most moolah [60 lakhs] whereas Delhi was next with 45 lakhs. Its low price may finally take it past the safety mark in 3-4 weeks time hence bringing it an average status, but if one looks purely from the comparison point of view, 'The Killer' is one of the least money making films coming from Vishesh Films in recent times. Nevertheless, director duo Raksha Mistry and Hasnain Hyderabadwala have made their mark in their debut film and should only be going up if one looks at the encouraging feedback received from people inside and outside the industry.

From the past

'Golmaal' may have taken a conventional 50% drop in its second week collections but in Mumbai it has been rock steady since the time it has released. Picture this - it earned 1.75 crore just from Mumbai in the second week which is equal to all the other biggies running in Mumbai at the same time - YHTKH [25 lakhs], The Killer [65 lakhs], Corporate [30 lakhs] and Krrish [55 lakhs]! Commendable by all means! Even at an all-India note, its business of around 7 crore is equal to sum total of the next two big money spinners last week - The Killer [~4 crore] and Krrish [~ 3 crore]. With 'Omkara' being the only major competition this week, 'Golmaal' is expected to make the most out of it and register a good 3rd week. The film has now crossed the 20 crore mark in 2 weeks flat and if it continues in a similar vein over next 2-3 weeks, it should have its status decided between above average to hit!

'Corporate' fell further in its 3 week which means that now it is impossible for this Madhur Bhandarkar film to cross the 10 cross mark! With around 90 lakhs added to its last week's total of 7.5 crore, it stands at just around 8.5 crore and may eventually settle down for maximum 9.25-9.50 crores collections. As the film turns out to be an average runner, Bhandarkar keeps himself busy with his second offering for the year, 'The Signal', this December.

'Krrish' fell short of reaching the 60 crore mark in 5 weeks flat by just a few lakhs as it added a little less that 3 crores to its earlier 57 crore total! It has 2 more weeks to consolidate on its collections before 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna' takes charge of multiplex screens across the country. Expectations from 'Dhoom 2' are now manifold post the success of 'Krrish' since the world would be waiting with bated breath to see the superhero turning into super villain in 6 months flat!

Both 'Phir Hera Pheri' and 'Fanaa' are now on an exit route as they earn 30 lakhs each for the film makers in their 7th and 9th week respectively. While doing so, PHP has now gone past the 40 crore milestone and has overnight brought Neeraj Vora, the film's director, on the A list of filmmakers. Kumal Kohli too is now one of the most sought out directors in Bollywood by riding high on the success of a 50 crore + film.

In the future

This Friday sees three interesting films lined up for release and the first thought that comes in mind is that this is nothing less than professional hara-kiri! With the world waiting to catch the biggie 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna' on August 11, even a single release in a week prior to that may have been a risky preposition. In that sense 3 films together is a certain no-no. Still the makers of 'Anthony Kaun Hai?', 'Darwaza Bandh Rakho' and 'Shaadi Karke Phans Gaya Yaar' seem to be thinking otherwise! While great start is least expected from any of the three flicks, AKA may embark on a decent opening [50-60%] due to the coming together of Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi. Still it is more of a kind of film for which people prefer to wait and watch for the reviews and word of mouth before actually being a part of the queue for the first day show.

Ram Gopal Verma's 'Darwaza Bandh Rakho' has an interesting storyline and a good looking narrative but it is unlikely that opening would be very good again. The promotion of the film has been good but it has been on only since last few days. If the film is indeed good and luck is on its side then it may turn out to be a sleeper success like another comic film 'Malamaal Weekly' though it seems unlikely. 'Shaadi Karke Phans Gaya Yaar' is probably the least anticipated film of the lot and that's because it has been delayed by number of years and the promos give a strong sense of deja vu! One hopes that its collections do not turn out to be the lowest ever for a Salman Khan starrer in the recent times!