First weekend performance of latest release

When 'Risk' and 'Mr. Hot Mr. Kool' released this Friday, it was quite evident the box office route the two films would take. While for latter there was not much debate about the fact that the film would go unnoticed, for 'Risk' there was an outside chance that the film may just about manage to create a few ripples if the subject is presented differently.

As mentioned in last week's column, good promotion, promise of some heavy duty masala and presence of Vinod Khanna were good enough reasons to hope that the film may just about break through. Sadly none of that helped in exciting the paying public as the 'Risk' opened to poor response all over. While there were not many expectations from the multiplex going audience, even the single screens gave the film a cold response which turned 'Risk' into a disappointing outing. Poor to average reviews didn't help the cause either and ultimately the only man who stands to gain from the film is Randeep Hooda who has been hailed for his solid performance. Standing tall in a losing cause, Hooda should now be getting noticed for some interesting action/thriller roles.

Last week's movies

Those [read sadists!] who were expecting 'Guru' to fail were in for a shock as the film registered some very good first week numbers. First things first, Mani Ratnam needs to be applauded for the fact that he narrated a tale that was complex on the paper but quite an easy going sight on the screen. He kept the 'masala' angle intact even as his narration style had a classy treatment to it. Result? The film has seen a good box office outcome and netted as much as 18 crores, which is quite good considering the film's subject.

Let's face it, it would have been actually foolhardy to even compare its first week outcome with last year's biggies like 'Fanaa' or a 'Krrish' or a 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna'! While each of the films were so-called family entertainers, the strength of 'Guru' lied in its subject that made selective audience venture into he theatres initially, only to spread an all around word of mouth that made others sit up and take notice.

With Mumbai contributing most with 4.5 crores, Delhi coming close to 1.75 crores and NCR bringing home another 1.5 crore with Ahmedabad and Pune too crossing the 1 crore mark, it is quite crystal clear that the film has seen good success all over.

On the other hand 'Anwar' has been a total washout and failed miserably with collections failing to touch even 10 lakhs mark. Honestly, this response is way-way belong expectations since the least that was expected was songs pulling through the film to some distance at the least. Though there were not many doubts that the film would fail to make any mark from the box office perspective, one could just not see such a disastrous response on the way! Expect the film's DVDs/VCDs to be out in a week or two!

There was another film that came virtually unnoticed in the same week as 'Guru' and 'Anwar' - Priyadarshan's 'Friendship'. A dubbed version of a film that Priyan made years back in South, it ended up getting 40 lakhs in its kitty which was quite a surprise considering zero publicity, selective release and lack of major names [The film stars Jyothika and Sharbani Mukherjee along with Tabu with no male stars].

In the end, it was Priyan's name that managed to get some audience and though there are not many hopes in the second week or the film, one waits to see if the producers and distributors decide to release the film in more territories too!

From the past

It was not a week when film lovers made a beeline to watch films at theatres. Apart from 'Guru', the only film that saw a decent chunk of audience trickling in was 'Bhagam Bhag' which was second best at 2 crores. Taking another ~60% fall but crossing 40 crore in the process, the film has been a good profit making venture for everyone involved and marks a HIT signal to Govinda's comeback. A success in the form of 'Salaam E Ishq' would only consolidate his status further while Akshay Kumar looks forward to 'Namastey London' which arrives in March.

It is now time for the DVDs and VCDs of 'Kabul Express' to hit the stands as the 5th week collections read around 30 lakhs. The film saw as much as 65% fall this week which means that the film is now in its last leg of theatrical run. With 'Guru' going full steam, 'Salaam-e-Ishq' carrying good reports and flurry of releases entire February, the film should finally end up just below the 12.5 crore mark.

Meanwhile 'Baabul' continues to stretch itself hard to reach the 17.5 crore mark. Currently at 17.4 crores, the film is in its 7th week and is registering minor collections from the limited centers it is currently playing.

After 'Guru' and 'Bhagam Bhag', the other two films with respectable collections to show were 'Dhoom 2' and 'Vivah', both of which stood at 1 crore. At 84.5 crores and 27 crores respectively, the films have been blockbusters in their own sense considering the disparity in their budgets!

In the future

This week sees the release of two films that are jut chalk and cheese in terms of overall scale, subjects and treatment. While 'Salaam E Ishq' is a mega film with expectations of a bumper opening, 'Parzania' is for the crowds who wish to watch festival films.

While there are not many hopes for the box office performance of 'Parzania', 'Salaam E Ishq' should be off to a flier and register the highest opening week collections for the year so far. The only hindrance is its 3.5 hours length which would curtail its collections to some extent since there would be lesser shows at the multiplexes. But impressive star cast, some very good songs and great hype would ensure that all those who have invested in the film come out smiling in a fortnight's time!