First weekend performance of latest release

After two good Fridays which gave two successful films in quick succession, RACE and ONE TWO THREE, it was a dull start to the weekend in spite of three films releasing on the same day - SHAURYA, KHUDA KE LIYE and BHRAM. As was pretty much on the cards even before the release of the three films, SHAURYA and KHUDA KE LIYE had their hopes hinging on word of mouth while the promotion of BHRAM was so poor that expecting a face saving footfall too was an unreasonable expectation.

This is exactly what happened as BHRAM hardly saw a decent release in spite of being a reasonably fine film while SHAURYA, the best of the lot, did start showing an improvement as shows progressed. However, it's performance over the week and the second weekend would eventually decide if this well made film with some brilliant act by Kay Kay Menon and Rahul Bose would help it sail through to the safety mark. On the other hand KHUDA KAY LIYE saw good reviews coming it's way but for a film belonging to this genre, an aggressive and a sustained stay at the multiplexes is very much required. However, with two major films releasing this weekend, that doesn't appear to be on the cards.

Last week's movies

ONE TWO THREE has turned out to be a box office success. After being panned by the critics once Show One of the film commenced, ONE TWO THREE managed to strike a chord with the audience, especially youth, who came in hordes to make the film a success. Result is that ONE TWO THREE, a medium budget film, has managed to collect close to 12 crores just from India in it's first week. While Mumbai has topped 2 crores, Delhi has crossed the 1 crore mark as well.

With 12 crores in it's kitty, ONE TWO THREE has now taken the fourth highest opening of the year. While the top of the list is dominated by the likes of RACE (35 crores) and JODHAA AKBAR (25 crores), #3 position is occupied by SUNDAY (14 crores). In a quarter dominated by flops, this multi starrer by a debutant director Ashwani Dheer has given Bollywood a reason to smile.

From the past

Now this is what you call instant money. What seemed to be milestone is the kind of money which movies today are capable of making in two weeks flat. 50 crores, the overall total for a film till a few months back, is what a big film is making in two weeks flat these days. OM SHANTI OM, DHOOM 2 and WELCOME have done this in the past. Now RACE too has followed suit as it has achieved the feat in a fortnight's time.

After cashing in 35 crores+ in the first week, the film has done well even in the second week with more than 15 crores coming in. This has made a RACE a 51 crores earner even as it continues to rake in moolah for third week succession. Mumbai was fantastic yet again with close to 2.5 crores being added to the total while Delhi topped 1.5 crores. Bangalore missed 1 crore by a few lakhs while both Ahmedabad and Hyderabad managed to cross 50 lakhs each.

A superb performance like this has made RACE the first suspense thriller ever to enjoy such a great time at the box office. While the above mentioned three biggies have been popcorn entertainers/family films, RACE is mainly an adult drama/thriller. Taking this factor into account, it is indeed quite some feat for this Abbas-Mustan directed flick which has 'raced' ahead of it's contemporaries!

The only other film which did good business apart from ONE TWO THREE and RACE in the week gone by was old war horse JODHAA AKBAR. Still dealing in crores, JODHAA AKBAR added another 1.25 crores in the week gone by after taking only 40% fall. Standing tall at 61 crores plus, JODHAA AKBAR is now looking at doing great business as it's DVDs arrive on 'master-of-cheap-prices' - Moser Baer.

TAARE ZAMEEN PAR too lived on for another week after seeing only 30% fall. With 15 lakhs more coming in, the film is now just 10 lakhs away from touching 61 crores.

In the future

All eyes are now set on next Friday's twin releases of KRAZZY 4 and U ME AUR HUM. Though both the films belong to distinct genres, it is turning out to be an intense battle of sorts since KRAZZY 4 as well as U ME AUR HUM have a lot riding on them.

With comedies doing well, especially over last few months, with hardly any film belonging to this genre failing at the box office, KRAZZY 4 is expected to open decently. On the other hand U ME AUR HUM does seem to have an edge since it brings with a different air to it, courtesy some of the best promos designed for a film in recent times.

U ME AUR HUM looks like a handy mix of drama, love, romance, tears and light hearted moments which would make family audience, especially ladies, warm up to the film. Music too is certainly going to play a major part in the film taking a good opening since Vishal Bhardwaj's tunes have been performing consistently well at the charts ever since the music hit the stands.

On the other hand KRAZZY 4 does have an Ace in the form of Hrithik's performance on the title song, something that should keep his fans interested in the film, especially since the promotional music video arrives towards the end credit rolls.

However, with an overall classy treatment which Ajay Devgan seems to have given to his directorial debut, it certainly is advantage U ME AUR HUM as of now!