First weekend performance of latest release

Due to OSO/SAAWARIYA euphoria, no film was planned for release in the weekend gone by.

Last week's movies

Enough has been said and written about OM SHANTI OM and SAAWARIYA. Still, nothing is too much for this battle which turned into a full on war by the time first week came to an end. So much has been an uproar and hullabaloo about the two films that war cries can be heard even after the verdict is loud and clear. And the verdict is that OM SHANTI OM now officially stands as the biggest ever first week earner of all times and would very comfortably turn into the biggest box office grosser of the year in two weeks flat. Reason? The first week collections of OM SHANTI OM, which released at an astonishing 865+ cinemas (the biggest release ever) has netted more than 40 crores which has left the 35 crores total of DHOOM 2 far behind.

7 crores + in Mumbai, 3 crores in Delhi, 1.25 crores in Delhi NCR, 2 crores in Ahmedabad - it's raining crores in big cities. On the other hand even smaller centers have been reading unheard of numbers as thousands have converted into lakhs there hence adding on to countrywide business. Shahrukh's star power combined with self-admitted shouting from the rooftop and genuinely unabashed entertainment quotient churned to it's fullest by Farah Khan has worked and how!

Contrary to some reports, SAAWARIYA isn't a washout. Yes, most of it's collections can be attributed to a very big release (over 650 cinemas) and it's opening weekend which was huge due to block advance bookings. Still credit needs to go to the hype created that the film did manage to collect 20 crores. In Mumbai the film crossed 3.5 crores, Delhi got another 2.25 crores, Delhi NCR another 60 lakhs and Ahmedabad was 1 crore +. SAAWARIYA has indeed seen the biggest ever response for a film starring newcomers but the fact still remains that it has seen a sharp fall with every passing day.

As things stand today, while second week of OM SHANTI OM is all set to be greater than first week's collections of SAAWARIYA, a 60%-70% drop is clearly written on the wall for SAAWARIYA. Reduced number of prints and revival of JAB WE MET with OM SHANTI OM continuing to be strong would only hamper the run of SAAWARIYA which may have to at maximum settle with an average box office status.

From the past

What a pity! Just because two big films made maximum noise, a relatively smaller film had to bear the brunt and that too not because of audience choice but that of distributors and exhibitors. I am talking about JAB WE MET which inspite of doing very good business in the first two weeks had to be withdrawn from most screens due to OSO/SAAWARIYA war. Audience were left complaining by the time the weekend was through because they clearly had JAB WE MET in mind while there were hardly any screens showing the film. With a heavily reduced print count, the film saw a massive fall and got in just around 2 crores.

There is good news though. With 23 crores in it's kitty and a hit status, the film returned with greater number of prints in it's third week due to SAAWARIYA fall. The reports continue to be good and the collections have jumped once again which means the film still is in the running. Don't be surprised if there is a VIVAH like scenario yet again with the film raking in consistent moolah for weeks and weeks to come.

Even with the big films of the week gone by collectively making 60 crores at the box office, it was a pleasant surprise to see Indian audience having a huge appetite for movies! This is the reason why BHOOL BHULAIYYA still continued to be in circulation in it's fifth week and got home another 1.25 crores + in it's 5th week. At 52 crores +, the film has now crossed HEYY BABYY and is now the biggest every money spinner for Akshay Kumar! Meanwhile the superstar continues to not just smile but have a hearty laugh because his WELCOME looks like an outright superhit in the making and is all set to give Akshay his fifth hit in a row when it releases on 21st December.

In the future

GOAL has 3 things working in it's favor. a) It looks like a slick film which should boast of technical finesse. b) It enjoys a solo release status. c) It comes at a time when CHAK DE INDIA has been widely accepted as a commercially viable sports film. The film may not be a blockbuster in the making but a 50% + start for a film releasing at close to 400 prints would keep it's investors happy.