This entry was posted on July 15, 2010 at 7:57 PM and is filed under the bad . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed
Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
33 Responses to “Lamhaa & Udaan, IHLS (ongoing) and more of the blasted box office!”
Weekend Briefing: ‘Inception’ Breaks In, ‘Apprentice’ Lacks Magic
by Ray Subers
July 16, 2010
Easily the most anticipated non-sequel release of the summer, Inception breaks in to approximately 6,700 screens at 3,792 theaters this weekend (including a record IMAX release of 197 venues). The Sorcerer’s Apprentice casts its spell at 3,504 locations, though its unimpressive grosses on Wednesday and Thursday don’t bode well for its weekend prospects, while musical Standing Ovation counter-programs with a barely-nationwide 623-theater launch.
Exactly two years ago, The Dark Knight set the opening weekend record with $158.4 million on its way to becoming one of the highest-grossing movies of all-time. Instead of immediately following that up with another Batman movie, writer-director Christopher Nolan stepped away from the franchise to make Inception. Demonstrating their faith in Mr. Nolan, distributor Warner Bros. allotted the movie a massive budget in excess of $150 million and, similar to previous Warner events Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and The Dark Knight, scheduled it in a prime mid-July spot.
Inception has been relentlessly advertised over the past month. On television, it seems like nearly every commercial break includes an action-packed, visually-stunning spot that clearly emphasizes that the movie is from the director of The Dark Knight. This push came after a year-long campaign that gradually introduced audiences to the world of Inception. Warner Bros. also focused their marketing on convincing audiences that, in a summer of disappointments, Inception could actually live up to the hype. The studio lifted their critical embargo nearly two weeks prior to Inception’s release, which resulted in an initial flurry of overwhelmingly positive reviews, though that was followed by a reasonable degree of backlash. At the very least, all of this has caused Inception to be one of the most widely discussed movies of the summer prior to its release.
Inception grossed $3 million in its midnight start, which is slightly below Star Trek ($4 million) and Avatar ($3.5 million). Inception is tracking ahead of both of those movies in Box Office Mojo’s reader polling, though, as 68.9 percent voted to see Inception on its opening weekend. In fact, this is the best percentage for any non-sequel since the start of Box Office Mojo’s polling nearly six years ago, trailing only the likes of The Dark Knight (76.9 percent) and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (72 percent). Now, Inception hits a bullseye with readers’ interests, but it is clear that the movie is poised for a big opening.
Presumably to get a jump on Inception, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice opened Wednesday but generated a relatively meager $7.1 million in its first two days. This was almost identical to Knight & Day, which had a two-day opening of $7.3 million three weeks ago on its way to a $27.4 million five-day start.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice reunites the National Treasure team of Nicolas Cage, director Jon Turtletaub and producer Jerry Bruckheimer for a modern-day reimagining of the classic Fantasia segment of the same name. As the two National Treasure movies have made over $800 million worldwide, this may have appeared to be the recipe for an easy hit. However, Mr. Cage is very hit-or-miss, and Mr. Bruckheimer is coming off Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time ($89.2 million), which is one of the biggest domestic disappointments of his career (the movie has been sizable overseas, though).
Box Office Mojo polling indicates that business isn’t going to pick up too much for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: only 17.1 percent of readers voted that they would see the movie opening weekend, which is incredibly low for a fantasy movie. It’s also way below National Treasure: Book of Secrets (36.8 percent) and slightly down from the first National Treasure (19.1 percent).
Also opening this weekend is Standing Ovation, which is clearly targeted at fans of TV musical sensation Glee. This is distributor Rocky Mountain Pictures first nationwide release in over two years, and marketing has had a young female focus.
B.O. update: ‘Inception’ fetches bigger start than Bollywood releases
- By Taran Adarsh, July 17, 2010 – 08:16 IST
Tere Bin Laden Three Hindi movies – LAMHAA, UDAAN and TERE BIN LADEN. Two English movies – INCEPTION and THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE. One would expect Hindi films to embark on a bigger and better start, but it was INCEPTION that stole the show, from East to West, from North to South. In fact, the film fetched a fantastic start from its first show onwards, eclipsing the Hindi releases completely.
LAMHAA, starring known stars, was expected to fetch a moderate initial, but the opening response was lukewarm at several screens. It opened to a 30% to 40% response. Reason? Issue-based films, coupled with the serious theme, generally start on a slow note. Let’s see how the film performs on Saturday and Sunday. The film needs to pick up dramatically over the weekend and also perform strongly on weekdays to recover its costs.
The remaining two Hindi releases, TERE BIN LADEN and UDAAN, weren’t expected to start with a bang, primarily because both star new faces. While TERE BIN LADEN started on a 15% to 20% to 25% note in the morning and noon shows, it picked up during the evening shows, since the word of mouth is extremely positive. The several distributors and exhibitors this writer spoke to during the course of the day were unanimous that the film should pick up further on Saturday and Sunday.
UDAAN, which caters to a niche audience, also found tremendous appreciation from its target audience. Released at plexes mainly, the film also had a dull start, again in 15% to 20% to 25% range, but the business showed an escalation in the evening shows. Its business is expected to show better results over the weekend at multiplexes of metros and ‘A’ class centres
While it was a mixed first half for Marathi cinema in 2010, the Bengali scenario was not so encouraging at the box-office. However, the first six months proved eventful for Kannada, Telugu and Tamil movies. Though Malayalam films did average business at the box-office, they made headlines, thanks to controversies
Marathi cinema
Till June 2010, there have been about 40 releases in Marathi cinema and the response has been a mixed bag. Zee Talkies’ Natarang was well-received for its concept as well as Atul Kulkarni’s excellent performance of a naachya (a male tamasha artiste). The film was instrumental in bringing back tamasha to Marathi cinema. It was also released with English subtitles thus opening it for the non-Marathi speaking audience. The total earning of the film at the box-office was over Rs 10 crore. The next film that proved to be profitable was Mahesh Manjrekar’s film on the educational system, Shikshanacha Aicha Gho, that collected Rs 3.5 crore. It was followed by Avdhoot Gupte’s political drama Zenda with Rs 2 crore and Harishchandrachi Factory, India’s official entry to the Oscars, with Rs 1.5 crore. Hapus was the last film to release in June and it collected over a crore at the box-office in the first week at 172 screens across 25 districts in Maharashtra.
While AB Corp’s Vihir received critical acclaim at international film festivals, it was a disappointment at the box-office. The stakes were high for Manjrekar’s Lalbaug Parel, which was also released in Hindi as City of Gold, but it fared average at the box-office. Jhing Chik Jhing, that did the rounds of festivals, and Mumbai Pune Mumbai also did average business.
Some of the duds were Ringa Ringa, Huppa Huiyya, Irada Pakka, Anandi Anand, Kalshekar Aahet Ka?, Zale Mokale Aakash, Kshanbhar Vishranti and Target which premiered in Abu Dhabi.
Eastward bound
Down east, Bengali cinema is steadily transcending regional and national borders. Song sequences are being shot abroad amidst picturesque locations across Mauritius, Sri Lanka and Bangkok. Actors and technical crew are imported from Bollywood and Bhuvaneshwar. Bengali technicians and actors are working in Hindi films. Producers from beyond Kolkata are willingly stepping in to produce both mainstream and off-mainstream Bangla films. Around 40 feature films were released in the first six months of 2010.
All this would perhaps have painted a pretty picture of the Bengali cinematic landscape, but hardly 10 per cent of the films released could shake the audience and fill the box-office coffers.
One can barely finish counting the hits on the fingers of one hand. Amanush starring Soham and Srabonti, Le Chakka starring Dev and Payal Sirkar, Wanted, featuring Jeet and Srabonti, Bolona Tumi Amaar with Dev and Koel Mullick and surprisingly, Gaja Ukiler Hathya Rahasya, a children’s film that drew a packed house during a limited release at Nandan II are the films that raked in the money. Not so surprisingly, movies from the elitist, nationally and internationally-recognised camp of significant filmmakers badly bit the box-office dust. These are Rituparno Ghosh’s Aboho-maan, Clerk directed by Subhadro Chowdhury, Suman Mukhopadhyay’s Mahanagar@ Kolkata, Suman Ghosh’s Dwando and Anjan Das’ Achin Pakhi. Aparna Sen’s The Japanese Wife picked up after an initially dull opening but whether it could recover its money is anyone’s guess. The two mainstream films featuring Mithun Chakraborty in the lead, namely, Rehmat Ali and Handa Bhonda turned out to be commercial disappointments that barely did average business. His third release this year, Shukno Lanka produced by Mumbai Mantra and directed by Gaurav Pandey is not a mainstream film and its destiny at the ticket counters in yet to come out.
Some relatively young filmmakers with promising promos on television channels raised a lot of expectations. Among these were Birsa Dasgupta’s 033, about a Bengali music band trying to find its roots, a streamline-budget Antardahan by Dr. Pramod Pandey, Riingo’s lavishly-mounted Jodi Ek Din, Dhananjoy Mandal’s Mela, Thana Theke Aaschhi, Thikana Rajpath and Maati-O-Manush and Avik Mukherjee’s directorial debut Ekti Tarar Khonje. Most of these films fell by the wayside because they lacked the X-factor that pulls the audience in, while some were released without any marketing or promos.
Swapan Saha’s Ghar Sansar and Mon Niye hardly carried this quickie director’s signature and therefore, collapsed within a week of their release. Raj Mukherjee’s Mon Amar Shudhu Tomar was a bit better among masala films. Prabhat Roy’s Hangover is a sharp pointer to this veteran director’s sudden switchover to bawdy comedy. It also raises questions about Prosenjit’s hold over the top position as his off-mainstream Clerk was also a washout.
Some films should never have been made at all and were pulled out of the theatres almost a week within their release. How the makers could bag producers to fund their films and exhibitors to screen them, not to talk of good actors who acted in them remains a mystery. These are Antarbash, Bondhu Tomar, Maa, Eka Eka, Kicchu Chaoa Kichhu Paoa, Kartiker Biye, Lukochuri, Bondhu Tomar, Bor Bou Khela, Shono Mon Boli Tomay and Love Circus. The Priyanka-Rahul off-screen live-in relationship has destroyed the screen chemistry they promised in their debut film in Chirodini Tumi Je Amaar. Dev is heading towards the Numero Uno position because he is yet to deliver a flop! Following him among the leading ladies is Srabonti with two hits released on the same day. Wanted was Jeet’s first hit after a spate of flops.
Down South
It was quite an eventful year in the South. Amongst Telugu films, it was Simha that topped at the box-office. The Balakrishna starrer directed by Boyapati Srinu, made at a budget of about 18 crores, gave a fresh lease of life to producers Parachuri Prasad and Kiriti. The distributors were happy with the box-office response and the satellite rights were sold off at Rs 3 crore. The expectations are that it may end up making nearly 40 crores.
If Simha proved to be a mega-hit, Adurs, Ye Maaya Chesave, Darling and Betting Bangarraju were hits. Adurs, with Junior NTR and Nayantara in key roles, was made at around Rs.26 crore. The film collected about Rs. 30 crore. The Gautham Menon-directed Ye Maaya Chesave, starring Naga Chaithanya and Samanta, was made at a budget of Rs 10 crore and has reportedly raked in about Rs 15 crore. The Prabhas-Kajal Agarwal starrer Darling brought for distributor Dil Raju a profit of more than Rs 4 crore after the film was made at a budget of Rs 18 crore. Betting Bangarraju, a laugh-riot made at a budget of Rs 6 crore, raked in about Rs 4 crore.
In Tamil, the first half year belonged mainly to Suriya and his brother Karthi. While Suriya delivered a hit with Singam, which is still going strong, Karthi made his presence felt in a big way with Paiyya and earlier scored with Aayirathil Oruvan, Singam and Paiyya. Singam, directed by Hari, is a cop story with Suriya and Anushka in lead roles. Produced by Studio Green, it is running to full houses at many places and is expected to bring in at least Rs.40 crore. Paiyya, which had Karthi and Tamannaah in the lead, was a road movie directed by Linguswamy. Made at a budget of Rs 12 crore, the film has till date raked in more than Rs 30 crore. Vinnaithandi Varuvaya, the Gautham Menon-directed film with Silambarasan and Trisha in the lead, won rave reviews as well as box-office success. Made on a budget of Rs 14 crore, it has brought in Rs 18 crore. Karthi’s action flick Aayirathil Oruvan was lapped up by the audience due to its excellent visual effects and Karthi’s performance. The C.S.Amudhan-directed Tamizh Padam, which was a spoof on Tamil cinema, was made on a shoestring budget of Rs 2.5 crore and raked in as much as Rs 8 crore. Angadi Theru, directed by Vasanthabalan and produced by Ayngaran International, was a realistic film that went on to become an average grosser. So was the case with Simbu Devan’s Irumbu Kottai Murattu Singam. Mani Ratnam’s Raavanan, the most-awaited movie in recent times, is doing much better than its Hindi version and trade pundits expect it to be a hit.
With the late Vishnuvardhan in the lead, the Kannada film Aptharakshaka was a sequel to Apthamithra, the remake of the Tamil Chandramukhi, which, in turn, was a remake of the Malayalam hit Manichitrathazhu. The P.Vasu-directed film, with Vishnuvardhan, Komal, Avinash, Lakshmi Gopalswamy, Vimala Raman, Sandhya in the cast, was the biggest hit. The film is now being remade in Telugu.
The Puneet Rajkumar-Parvathy Menon starrer Prithvi proved to be a taut action flick and was lapped up by the audience. Puneeth plays a dare-all cop in this technically- brilliant movie. Porki, with Darshan, Pranita and Avinash in the key roles, was a remake of the Telugu hit Pokkiri. Made at a budget of about Rs 7 crore, the film managed to break even, though it didn’t do as well as the Telugu original. Prakash Raj’s debut directorial venture Nannu Nanna Kanasu is a remake of the Tamil film Abhiyum Naanum and has Prakash Raj, Amoolya and Sithara in key roles. The film has crossed the 50 -day mark.
The Sudeep-directed Just Math Mathalli, starring Sudeep and Ramya and Rajesh and Premism with Varun, Chetan and Amoolya in the lead were just average grossers.
Malayalam cinema in the first half of 2010 belonged to Mammootty, Prithviraj and debutant director Vyshakh. Their joint venture Pokkiri Raja has proved to be a clean hit. Made at a budget of Rs 4.25 crores by producer Tomichan Mulagupadam, the film has a mix of comedy, action, drama, songs et al and is a thorough entertainer. The film has grossed about Rs 17 crore. Shriya Saran is the heroine. The film is still running successfully.
Paappi Appacha, directed by debutant Mammas with Dileep and Kavya Madhavan in the lead, has proven to be a family hit. The film explores the father-son relationship and has Innocent and Dileep in the lead roles. Produced by Anoop, the film did well during the summer vacations.
Happy Husbands, directed by Saji Surendran with Jayaram, Indrajith, Jayasurya, Bhavana, Samvritha Sunil in key roles was a hit with family audience all across the state.
In Ghost House Inn, which was a sequel to In Harihar Nagar and 2 Harihar Nagar, did not get the kind of response that the earlier two films had received. But the film, which attracted the family audience and kids, proved to be a hit due to the great initials that it got, by dint of the hype in the media. The Satyan Anthikkad-directed Katha Thudarunnu, with Jayaram and Mamta Mohandas in the lead role, didn’t get the response that Satyan Anthikkad films get usually. But it’s still running at many centres and has managed to break even too. Mummy & Me, directed by Jeethu Joseph who had earlier made Detective, revolves around a mother-daughter relationship and has Urvashi, Archana Kavi and Mukesh in key roles. The film has attracted the family audience and is an average hit.
Controversies were not far behind. The Thilakan issue, the clash between the Film Chamber and the trade unions in connection with the ban on actors performing in television shows and the latest issue between producers and exhibitors which has led to films being held back for over three weeks has proved to be a bane for Malayalam cinema.
Over all, most of the films in the first half of this year have got a mixed response. Hopefully, movies across all industries will fare better in the second half.
- (With Shoma A Chatterjee and Unni R Nair)
By DAVID GERMAIN, AP Movie Writer David Germain, Ap Movie Writer – Sun Jul 18, 2:01 pm ET
LOS ANGELES – Leonardo DiCaprio and Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” is anything but a sleeper as the thriller opened big with $60.4 million and a No. 1 finish at the weekend box office, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The Warner Bros. action tale about a team that sneaks into people’s dreams is DiCaprio’s biggest opening weekend, topping his previous best of $41.1 million for last winter’s “Shutter Island.”
“Inception” falls far short of director Christopher Nolan’s best, though. Nolan is the man who directed the Batman blockbuster “The Dark Knight,” which opened over the same weekend two years ago with a record $158.4 million.
Warner Bros. has carved out a niche with this particular mid-July weekend. The studio followed “The Dark Knight” with a $77.8 million opening for “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” over the same weekend last year.
“We like this spot. Not to sound superstitious, but stay away from this weekend. I own it,” said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros.
The final “Harry Potter” movie debuts on the same weekend next summer. Warner plans to open Nolan’s third “Batman” movie over that weekend two years from now, though Fellman said the studio could move it to an earlier date that summer.
Strong reviews helped “Inception,” which stars DiCaprio as leader of a team that normally breaks into people’s dreams to steal their secrets but now has been hired to do the opposite — plant an idea in a wealthy heir’s subconscious.
Slipping to second place with $32.7 million was the previous weekend’s No. 1 movie, Steve Carell’s animated hit “Despicable Me.” The Universal release raised its 10-day total to $118.4 million.
Disney’s family adventure “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” was a dud, opening at No. 3 with $17.4 million, lifting its total to $24.5 million since premiering Wednesday.
“It’s disappointing to say the least,” said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney, which had high hopes for the movie. “I’m perplexed. I have no response, because I honestly don’t know what went wrong.”
The movie reunites the team behind the hit “National Treasure” movies — Nicolas Cage, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Jon Turteltaub — for an action comedy about an ancient wizard training an awkward apprentice (Jay Baruchel) to take down an evil sorceress in modern Manhattan.
Bruckheimer has been a blockbuster producer for Disney with such hits as “The Rock,” “Armageddon” and the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise.
But “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” was the summer’s second Disney-Bruckheimer production to come up short at the domestic box office, following “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time,” which was unable to crack the $100 million mark.
“Jerry’s working on ‘Pirates 4′ as we speak,” Viane said of the Johnny Depp sequel due out next summer. “I’ll go to bat with Jerry any day, because his track record is pretty darn good.”
With “Inception” and “Despicable Me,” the weekend marked a rare instance when two original stories — not sequels, spinoffs or adaptations of comic books, best-sellers or other properties — led the box office.
Hollywood relies on familiar titles such as “Iron Man 2,” “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” and “Toy Story 3″ for most of its big summer releases, though the occasional fresh idea manages to score with audiences.
“We let all of the sequels and popcorn films come out and get the summer rolling, then we come in here with this original concept,” Fellman said of “Inception.” “We’re in a good place to run now for the rest of the summer.”
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
Daily trending is quite good for this sort of film. Sat made as much as Fri and Sun saw a 20% drop. On the other hand Shutter Island ended up at 128m after a 41m start. The film gained a bit opening Sat but dropped 34% that very Sun. Public Enemies made close to 100m but this opened earlier than Fri, dropped quite a bit before actually gaining a bit on Sun. Departed gained quite a bit Sat but then lost 36% on Sun. Unlike India most movies tend to drop on Sun in the US if these examples suggest anything. Looking at the crowd reaction I think this should be a pretty significant grosser. DiCaprio now has the best year of his career with back to back films with Scorsese and Nolan, both critically acclaimed, both box office successes. And again here is a star-actor who also walked away from Titanic and the easy romance genre returns. Between Titanic in 1997 and Catch Me if You can in 2002 he didn’t really have much success. GONY released that same year but didn’t do much (77m was decent enough but more was expected). Then there was the Aviator in ’94 which made 100m. Finally a breakthrough moment in ’06 with Departed at 132m (Blood Diamond was just a 57m grosser). Again ’08 had Revolutionary Road and Body of Lies, both didn’t work at 22m and 39m respectively. The point is that even when a bona fide box office star follows a ‘different’ path in an industry like Hollywood (which is far more professional in terms of matching audience desire with scripts) there are many failures along the way. DiCaprio though has stuck to his guns (he clearly lost a number of years in the bargain) and he’s now reaping the rewards. He won’t have this combo every year and even with success at the box office he’s nowhere close to the 250m or so that he could easily generate in a blockbuster kind of film. But this is Hollywood so he is among the top notch stars and no one dreams of comparing him to Will Smith!
Weekend Report: ‘Inception’ Incites Intense Interest
by Brandon Gray
July 18, 2010
While it may not have been mind-blowing by would-be blockbuster standards, Inception had a dreamy debut over the weekend, extracting an estimated $61.7 million on approximately 7,100 screens at 3,792 locations. Overall weekend business was further buttressed by the continued strength of Despicable Me and other holdovers plus the mediocre launch of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, leading to a nine percent increase over the same timeframe last year, when Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince dominated.
Inception marked another commercial coup for writer-director Christopher Nolan following the record-breaking The Dark Knight, and it delivered the biggest opening of star Leonardo DiCaprio’s career, exceeding Shutter Island. The picture occupied the coveted mid-July release slot of distributor Warner Bros.’ past blockbusters The Dark Knight and the last two Harry Potter movies. While it didn’t reach the heights of those movies, it also wasn’t a franchise title with a built-in audience, though the “From the director of The Dark Knight” angle was naturally pushed extensively in its marketing.
Science fiction-themed movies are often in danger of being too esoteric, but Inception’s advertising eluded this pitfall with a deliberate campaign that first piqued interest with mysterious but striking scenarios and imagery and, then as the release neared, clearly presented the movie as an epic heist thriller. The result was the second highest-grossing debut ever for a sci-fi movie that wasn’t a sequel, remake or adaptation, behind Avatar’s $77 million. Inception’s initial attendance was also higher than similar titles like The Matrix and Minority Report.
Warner Bros. noted that Inception’s audience composition was 56 percent male and 73 percent under 34 years old. The picture’s run included a record 197 IMAX venues which accounted for more than $7 million or 12 percent of business.
extremely pleased with how well this film is doing. I always want certain kinds of cinema to succeed. I was of course happy for the same reason when Shutter Island worked. But the film that tops the list in this sense for me is Public Enemies. This made close to a 100m, yes an argument could be made that it didn’t justify the costs (I doubt Inception will be able to either!) but measuring it by audience participation it got a clear audience and definitely stable trending. But the reason that this film pleased me the most is that it was in many ways the least commercial of the three. Mann’s tone here wasn’t designed to excite the audience into applause. Many critics complained about the lack of an emotional connection here but it was by design. This was a very important box office story. It’s a film that I again revisited in the theater. In fact this and shutter.. have been my favorite Hollywood films (among major productions that aimed for something more than mere entertainment) in quite some time. And of course despite my objections I did enjoy Inception enormously and do appreciate the overall effort that went into it. But getting back to this ‘troika’ (in my mind) I think Shutter Island intrigued me the most but I have the softest corner for Public Enemies.
Completely agree here. BTW, in the city, PE is showing as part of the Pier Film festival in August – large outdoor screen by the river – I’ll be catching this!
i hate luv stories – mediocre.. pretty dull , boring and no great storyline
Inception – simply fantastic, a mind exercise yet very entertaining
Tere Bin Laden – a good attempt overall. for a change we had a political satire that made me laugh better than the nonsensical crap we have today in terms of kambakht ishq or golmaal returns
CBO – July 16 to 18
Tuesday, 20 July , 2010, 12:48
Christopher Nolan and Leonardo Dicaprio’s Inception – and its Tamil dubbing Kanavu Vettai – has taken a dream opening in a dozen Chennai screens, and is the clear number one. It is the first Hollywood film this year to open in the number one position at CBO.
At the number two position is the much talked about Madrasapattinam, and rock steady in third place is Kalavani.
Raavanan has dropped badly as multiplexes have reduced the shows. The Tom Cruise actioner Knight and Day is holding on well in the last position.
Anyone…someone… a number for Ravaan please. This week too Taran does not quote a figure. Newspaper reports too club it together with kites when stating losses. Cant understand how a movie made in 45-50 crores can notch up losses of 100 crores? Can someone pl shed some light??
How? Sill cant follow the logic. I mean, I too can follow high school maths, am a teacher after all, but i still cant follow this figure. Can you, Ted , pl explain with some more clarity.
btw, this jaju fellow had, just this afternoon, tweeted claiming that even Dostana was a loss, Abhishek tweeted back, expressing doubts about the accuracy of his figures.
This is the same bloke who was secretary to Priyanka C, and was threatened with legal action by her, for some misdemeanour, details of which I forget.
On a slightly unrelated topic, was reading the Peepli live thread, and was most surprised to read vehement criticism of the seemingly flawless Aamir Khan. Then relief flooded over me. if people can find it in them to criticize the master- of- the – box office AK, then what price Abhishek? And , btw, IMO Abhishek is a much superior actor than the hallowed AK.
Yeah, now I’m disappearing before the volley of brickbats come hurling onto my head.
Looking fwd to a clearer explanation, Ted, and from a more reliable source.
A few facts every industrywallah must’ve learnt/memorised/discovered yet again last Friday…
* Never under-estimate the power of a Hollywood biggie.
* Never under-estimate the power of a low cost film that’s high on content.
* Never under-estimate the power of promotion and marketing. In today’s times, every film-maker should set aside a substantial amount to promote his film.
* Never under-estimate the power of youth. They call the shots today!
UDAAN and TERE BIN LADEN were low cost films that grew with a strong word of mouth. The films picked up dramatically during the course of the weekend, only because they had a lot to offer in terms of content. Both TERE BIN LADEN and UDAAN shouldn’t have a problem recovering their [low] costs. While the recovery should be decent from domestic theatrical rights, the Satellite and Home Video rights, I am sure, will fetch better revenue since the films have found tremendous acceptance on the big screen, besides winning incredible critical acclaim.
LAMHAA is a complete loss, as far as the economics are concerned. The film was launched during the boom phase, but has released during the correction phase, when prices are being revised and deals are being re-negotiated. Its domestic theatrical business has been below the mark and since the Overseas territory isn’t contributing much either, the makers will have to rely on non-theatrical avenues to recover a chunk of their investment. However, let’s not forget that the Satellite and Home Video prices also depend on how the film fares at the box-office.
That brings me to INCEPTION, which is the flavour of the season. Even the dubbed Hindi version of this film has fetched handsome figures. There are innumerable instances of Hollywood films overpowering the Hindi counterparts at the box-office, but it doesn’t mean that all Hollywood films will be embraced warmly in the future. It all depends on how popular the star is in India, the genre of the film, the local films it is competing with and how youth-friendly it is.
This Friday, Ms. Jolie’s SALT [she's extremely popular in India as well] will compete with Akshay Kumar’s KHATTA MEETHA at the domestic box-office. Let’s hope it’s a meetha-meetha week for both!
You know what that means? This means Inception will easily touch 300M numbers now & this also means that Leo will get his second big blockbuster after Titanic. His next movie is ‘Hoover’ which I am looking forward to it the most. Satyam do you think Leo can pull it off?
It’s been amazingly stable on weekdays. Mon was 10.2m or something. The film had made roughly 83m or so already. Is his very next Hoover? Of course this is an Eastwood film. I am really looking forward to it. It won’t release before next summer or something though. This is a potential 100m film if handled right.
I read somewhere that Hoover will be filming by the end of this year. Then he is also rumour to do this project with Ridley Scott. What I think he should do is a comedy ala Burn after reading or something like Sherlock Holmes.
IBOS have a 36 crore nett for Raavan off a 51 crore gross. More or less a final number. This puts it just a bit above D6. Both films more or less did the same. SR did a little more than both (though SR is essentially different from those two anyway for certain reasons.. in other words its gross does not imply rejection as much as with the other two). There is one feature common here. When Abhishek becomes part of a seriously alternative film and when it is totally rejected the 35 crore zone is where it ends up in. Which is actually not the worst performance around given the genre and given how a film like Kaminey even after being celebrated so much did at the most 10 crores more than this. Also we’ve seen how some of big Akshay failures have either done worse than this in the past or basically settled around the 40-45 crore mark. The point ought to be obvious. Other than a major star no one’s going to get an alternative film in the 35 crore zone after that sort of complete rejection. There are just no examples to the contrary. None. And then when we compare even some of the films that have done well very few do appreciably better than this range. Now people think I am a partisan for making these points but evidently those that invest the money and make the films in the industry agree which is why Abhishek keeps signing interesting and high profile stuff! I made this point the other day but there is now a very strange gap that has emerged. On the one hand Abhishek is clearly increasing his deficit with the audience (not because they don’t think he’s a star or anything but because they don’t know what to expect from his films) but his stock is obviously only growing among industry figures. There were news stories about how someone like Bhansali (there were a couple of others mentioned whose names I forget) loved him in Raavan and called him up to say as much. These ‘opinions’ lead to real consequences. The film media though, either deliberately or because it is simply incompetent, just doesn’t do a good enough job if at all of representing the ‘inner’ realities of the industry. Therefore there is always this mismatch between media chatter and what actually happens. Someone posted that piece on Shahid Kapoor earlier about how he seems on life support. This after Kaminey (I hate to sound smug but I said as much before and after the release of Kaminey)! so even as people indulge in all these rankings there’s one guy landing all the projects. How does this happen?!
the numbers are not as important here.. the people signing him up over and above his peers for a diverse range of subjects is.. the numbers just offer a possible explanation.. no matter whose numbers you took you would still be back at the essential point here..
July 16, 2010 at 6:48 PM
thats what u call unadulterated ishtyle..
like this pic.
love sunju dutt in these sort of personas
July 16, 2010 at 10:36 PM
Weekend Briefing: ‘Inception’ Breaks In, ‘Apprentice’ Lacks Magic
by Ray Subers
July 16, 2010
Easily the most anticipated non-sequel release of the summer, Inception breaks in to approximately 6,700 screens at 3,792 theaters this weekend (including a record IMAX release of 197 venues). The Sorcerer’s Apprentice casts its spell at 3,504 locations, though its unimpressive grosses on Wednesday and Thursday don’t bode well for its weekend prospects, while musical Standing Ovation counter-programs with a barely-nationwide 623-theater launch.
Exactly two years ago, The Dark Knight set the opening weekend record with $158.4 million on its way to becoming one of the highest-grossing movies of all-time. Instead of immediately following that up with another Batman movie, writer-director Christopher Nolan stepped away from the franchise to make Inception. Demonstrating their faith in Mr. Nolan, distributor Warner Bros. allotted the movie a massive budget in excess of $150 million and, similar to previous Warner events Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and The Dark Knight, scheduled it in a prime mid-July spot.
Inception has been relentlessly advertised over the past month. On television, it seems like nearly every commercial break includes an action-packed, visually-stunning spot that clearly emphasizes that the movie is from the director of The Dark Knight. This push came after a year-long campaign that gradually introduced audiences to the world of Inception. Warner Bros. also focused their marketing on convincing audiences that, in a summer of disappointments, Inception could actually live up to the hype. The studio lifted their critical embargo nearly two weeks prior to Inception’s release, which resulted in an initial flurry of overwhelmingly positive reviews, though that was followed by a reasonable degree of backlash. At the very least, all of this has caused Inception to be one of the most widely discussed movies of the summer prior to its release.
Inception grossed $3 million in its midnight start, which is slightly below Star Trek ($4 million) and Avatar ($3.5 million). Inception is tracking ahead of both of those movies in Box Office Mojo’s reader polling, though, as 68.9 percent voted to see Inception on its opening weekend. In fact, this is the best percentage for any non-sequel since the start of Box Office Mojo’s polling nearly six years ago, trailing only the likes of The Dark Knight (76.9 percent) and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (72 percent). Now, Inception hits a bullseye with readers’ interests, but it is clear that the movie is poised for a big opening.
Presumably to get a jump on Inception, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice opened Wednesday but generated a relatively meager $7.1 million in its first two days. This was almost identical to Knight & Day, which had a two-day opening of $7.3 million three weeks ago on its way to a $27.4 million five-day start.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice reunites the National Treasure team of Nicolas Cage, director Jon Turtletaub and producer Jerry Bruckheimer for a modern-day reimagining of the classic Fantasia segment of the same name. As the two National Treasure movies have made over $800 million worldwide, this may have appeared to be the recipe for an easy hit. However, Mr. Cage is very hit-or-miss, and Mr. Bruckheimer is coming off Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time ($89.2 million), which is one of the biggest domestic disappointments of his career (the movie has been sizable overseas, though).
Box Office Mojo polling indicates that business isn’t going to pick up too much for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: only 17.1 percent of readers voted that they would see the movie opening weekend, which is incredibly low for a fantasy movie. It’s also way below National Treasure: Book of Secrets (36.8 percent) and slightly down from the first National Treasure (19.1 percent).
Also opening this weekend is Standing Ovation, which is clearly targeted at fans of TV musical sensation Glee. This is distributor Rocky Mountain Pictures first nationwide release in over two years, and marketing has had a young female focus.
July 16, 2010 at 10:38 PM
IBOS have 38 crores in 2 weeks for IHLS. 9 crores in week 2 which means they have week 1 at 29 crores.
July 16, 2010 at 11:28 PM
@satyam, q bhai, gf!!! didnt knew where to say my disappointment-
remember i had told u abt that film society?? (wel they are trying to get iruvar.. but thats not the point.. m sure they will)
BUT I MISSED KAAGAZ KE PHOOL IN PVR THEATER.. I MISSED IT..
first time i missed a movie and look what i did missed!!
July 16, 2010 at 11:59 PM
pity..
July 17, 2010 at 12:17 AM
B.O. update: ‘Inception’ fetches bigger start than Bollywood releases
- By Taran Adarsh, July 17, 2010 – 08:16 IST
Tere Bin Laden Three Hindi movies – LAMHAA, UDAAN and TERE BIN LADEN. Two English movies – INCEPTION and THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE. One would expect Hindi films to embark on a bigger and better start, but it was INCEPTION that stole the show, from East to West, from North to South. In fact, the film fetched a fantastic start from its first show onwards, eclipsing the Hindi releases completely.
LAMHAA, starring known stars, was expected to fetch a moderate initial, but the opening response was lukewarm at several screens. It opened to a 30% to 40% response. Reason? Issue-based films, coupled with the serious theme, generally start on a slow note. Let’s see how the film performs on Saturday and Sunday. The film needs to pick up dramatically over the weekend and also perform strongly on weekdays to recover its costs.
The remaining two Hindi releases, TERE BIN LADEN and UDAAN, weren’t expected to start with a bang, primarily because both star new faces. While TERE BIN LADEN started on a 15% to 20% to 25% note in the morning and noon shows, it picked up during the evening shows, since the word of mouth is extremely positive. The several distributors and exhibitors this writer spoke to during the course of the day were unanimous that the film should pick up further on Saturday and Sunday.
UDAAN, which caters to a niche audience, also found tremendous appreciation from its target audience. Released at plexes mainly, the film also had a dull start, again in 15% to 20% to 25% range, but the business showed an escalation in the evening shows. Its business is expected to show better results over the weekend at multiplexes of metros and ‘A’ class centres
July 17, 2010 at 12:18 AM
Taran’s top 5:
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/trade/top5/673.html
July 18, 2010 at 9:42 AM
Screen:
AN AVERAGE FARE
While it was a mixed first half for Marathi cinema in 2010, the Bengali scenario was not so encouraging at the box-office. However, the first six months proved eventful for Kannada, Telugu and Tamil movies. Though Malayalam films did average business at the box-office, they made headlines, thanks to controversies
Marathi cinema
Till June 2010, there have been about 40 releases in Marathi cinema and the response has been a mixed bag. Zee Talkies’ Natarang was well-received for its concept as well as Atul Kulkarni’s excellent performance of a naachya (a male tamasha artiste). The film was instrumental in bringing back tamasha to Marathi cinema. It was also released with English subtitles thus opening it for the non-Marathi speaking audience. The total earning of the film at the box-office was over Rs 10 crore. The next film that proved to be profitable was Mahesh Manjrekar’s film on the educational system, Shikshanacha Aicha Gho, that collected Rs 3.5 crore. It was followed by Avdhoot Gupte’s political drama Zenda with Rs 2 crore and Harishchandrachi Factory, India’s official entry to the Oscars, with Rs 1.5 crore. Hapus was the last film to release in June and it collected over a crore at the box-office in the first week at 172 screens across 25 districts in Maharashtra.
While AB Corp’s Vihir received critical acclaim at international film festivals, it was a disappointment at the box-office. The stakes were high for Manjrekar’s Lalbaug Parel, which was also released in Hindi as City of Gold, but it fared average at the box-office. Jhing Chik Jhing, that did the rounds of festivals, and Mumbai Pune Mumbai also did average business.
Some of the duds were Ringa Ringa, Huppa Huiyya, Irada Pakka, Anandi Anand, Kalshekar Aahet Ka?, Zale Mokale Aakash, Kshanbhar Vishranti and Target which premiered in Abu Dhabi.
Eastward bound
Down east, Bengali cinema is steadily transcending regional and national borders. Song sequences are being shot abroad amidst picturesque locations across Mauritius, Sri Lanka and Bangkok. Actors and technical crew are imported from Bollywood and Bhuvaneshwar. Bengali technicians and actors are working in Hindi films. Producers from beyond Kolkata are willingly stepping in to produce both mainstream and off-mainstream Bangla films. Around 40 feature films were released in the first six months of 2010.
All this would perhaps have painted a pretty picture of the Bengali cinematic landscape, but hardly 10 per cent of the films released could shake the audience and fill the box-office coffers.
One can barely finish counting the hits on the fingers of one hand. Amanush starring Soham and Srabonti, Le Chakka starring Dev and Payal Sirkar, Wanted, featuring Jeet and Srabonti, Bolona Tumi Amaar with Dev and Koel Mullick and surprisingly, Gaja Ukiler Hathya Rahasya, a children’s film that drew a packed house during a limited release at Nandan II are the films that raked in the money. Not so surprisingly, movies from the elitist, nationally and internationally-recognised camp of significant filmmakers badly bit the box-office dust. These are Rituparno Ghosh’s Aboho-maan, Clerk directed by Subhadro Chowdhury, Suman Mukhopadhyay’s Mahanagar@ Kolkata, Suman Ghosh’s Dwando and Anjan Das’ Achin Pakhi. Aparna Sen’s The Japanese Wife picked up after an initially dull opening but whether it could recover its money is anyone’s guess. The two mainstream films featuring Mithun Chakraborty in the lead, namely, Rehmat Ali and Handa Bhonda turned out to be commercial disappointments that barely did average business. His third release this year, Shukno Lanka produced by Mumbai Mantra and directed by Gaurav Pandey is not a mainstream film and its destiny at the ticket counters in yet to come out.
Some relatively young filmmakers with promising promos on television channels raised a lot of expectations. Among these were Birsa Dasgupta’s 033, about a Bengali music band trying to find its roots, a streamline-budget Antardahan by Dr. Pramod Pandey, Riingo’s lavishly-mounted Jodi Ek Din, Dhananjoy Mandal’s Mela, Thana Theke Aaschhi, Thikana Rajpath and Maati-O-Manush and Avik Mukherjee’s directorial debut Ekti Tarar Khonje. Most of these films fell by the wayside because they lacked the X-factor that pulls the audience in, while some were released without any marketing or promos.
Swapan Saha’s Ghar Sansar and Mon Niye hardly carried this quickie director’s signature and therefore, collapsed within a week of their release. Raj Mukherjee’s Mon Amar Shudhu Tomar was a bit better among masala films. Prabhat Roy’s Hangover is a sharp pointer to this veteran director’s sudden switchover to bawdy comedy. It also raises questions about Prosenjit’s hold over the top position as his off-mainstream Clerk was also a washout.
Some films should never have been made at all and were pulled out of the theatres almost a week within their release. How the makers could bag producers to fund their films and exhibitors to screen them, not to talk of good actors who acted in them remains a mystery. These are Antarbash, Bondhu Tomar, Maa, Eka Eka, Kicchu Chaoa Kichhu Paoa, Kartiker Biye, Lukochuri, Bondhu Tomar, Bor Bou Khela, Shono Mon Boli Tomay and Love Circus. The Priyanka-Rahul off-screen live-in relationship has destroyed the screen chemistry they promised in their debut film in Chirodini Tumi Je Amaar. Dev is heading towards the Numero Uno position because he is yet to deliver a flop! Following him among the leading ladies is Srabonti with two hits released on the same day. Wanted was Jeet’s first hit after a spate of flops.
Down South
It was quite an eventful year in the South. Amongst Telugu films, it was Simha that topped at the box-office. The Balakrishna starrer directed by Boyapati Srinu, made at a budget of about 18 crores, gave a fresh lease of life to producers Parachuri Prasad and Kiriti. The distributors were happy with the box-office response and the satellite rights were sold off at Rs 3 crore. The expectations are that it may end up making nearly 40 crores.
If Simha proved to be a mega-hit, Adurs, Ye Maaya Chesave, Darling and Betting Bangarraju were hits. Adurs, with Junior NTR and Nayantara in key roles, was made at around Rs.26 crore. The film collected about Rs. 30 crore. The Gautham Menon-directed Ye Maaya Chesave, starring Naga Chaithanya and Samanta, was made at a budget of Rs 10 crore and has reportedly raked in about Rs 15 crore. The Prabhas-Kajal Agarwal starrer Darling brought for distributor Dil Raju a profit of more than Rs 4 crore after the film was made at a budget of Rs 18 crore. Betting Bangarraju, a laugh-riot made at a budget of Rs 6 crore, raked in about Rs 4 crore.
In Tamil, the first half year belonged mainly to Suriya and his brother Karthi. While Suriya delivered a hit with Singam, which is still going strong, Karthi made his presence felt in a big way with Paiyya and earlier scored with Aayirathil Oruvan, Singam and Paiyya. Singam, directed by Hari, is a cop story with Suriya and Anushka in lead roles. Produced by Studio Green, it is running to full houses at many places and is expected to bring in at least Rs.40 crore. Paiyya, which had Karthi and Tamannaah in the lead, was a road movie directed by Linguswamy. Made at a budget of Rs 12 crore, the film has till date raked in more than Rs 30 crore. Vinnaithandi Varuvaya, the Gautham Menon-directed film with Silambarasan and Trisha in the lead, won rave reviews as well as box-office success. Made on a budget of Rs 14 crore, it has brought in Rs 18 crore. Karthi’s action flick Aayirathil Oruvan was lapped up by the audience due to its excellent visual effects and Karthi’s performance. The C.S.Amudhan-directed Tamizh Padam, which was a spoof on Tamil cinema, was made on a shoestring budget of Rs 2.5 crore and raked in as much as Rs 8 crore. Angadi Theru, directed by Vasanthabalan and produced by Ayngaran International, was a realistic film that went on to become an average grosser. So was the case with Simbu Devan’s Irumbu Kottai Murattu Singam. Mani Ratnam’s Raavanan, the most-awaited movie in recent times, is doing much better than its Hindi version and trade pundits expect it to be a hit.
With the late Vishnuvardhan in the lead, the Kannada film Aptharakshaka was a sequel to Apthamithra, the remake of the Tamil Chandramukhi, which, in turn, was a remake of the Malayalam hit Manichitrathazhu. The P.Vasu-directed film, with Vishnuvardhan, Komal, Avinash, Lakshmi Gopalswamy, Vimala Raman, Sandhya in the cast, was the biggest hit. The film is now being remade in Telugu.
The Puneet Rajkumar-Parvathy Menon starrer Prithvi proved to be a taut action flick and was lapped up by the audience. Puneeth plays a dare-all cop in this technically- brilliant movie. Porki, with Darshan, Pranita and Avinash in the key roles, was a remake of the Telugu hit Pokkiri. Made at a budget of about Rs 7 crore, the film managed to break even, though it didn’t do as well as the Telugu original. Prakash Raj’s debut directorial venture Nannu Nanna Kanasu is a remake of the Tamil film Abhiyum Naanum and has Prakash Raj, Amoolya and Sithara in key roles. The film has crossed the 50 -day mark.
The Sudeep-directed Just Math Mathalli, starring Sudeep and Ramya and Rajesh and Premism with Varun, Chetan and Amoolya in the lead were just average grossers.
Malayalam cinema in the first half of 2010 belonged to Mammootty, Prithviraj and debutant director Vyshakh. Their joint venture Pokkiri Raja has proved to be a clean hit. Made at a budget of Rs 4.25 crores by producer Tomichan Mulagupadam, the film has a mix of comedy, action, drama, songs et al and is a thorough entertainer. The film has grossed about Rs 17 crore. Shriya Saran is the heroine. The film is still running successfully.
Paappi Appacha, directed by debutant Mammas with Dileep and Kavya Madhavan in the lead, has proven to be a family hit. The film explores the father-son relationship and has Innocent and Dileep in the lead roles. Produced by Anoop, the film did well during the summer vacations.
Happy Husbands, directed by Saji Surendran with Jayaram, Indrajith, Jayasurya, Bhavana, Samvritha Sunil in key roles was a hit with family audience all across the state.
In Ghost House Inn, which was a sequel to In Harihar Nagar and 2 Harihar Nagar, did not get the kind of response that the earlier two films had received. But the film, which attracted the family audience and kids, proved to be a hit due to the great initials that it got, by dint of the hype in the media. The Satyan Anthikkad-directed Katha Thudarunnu, with Jayaram and Mamta Mohandas in the lead role, didn’t get the response that Satyan Anthikkad films get usually. But it’s still running at many centres and has managed to break even too. Mummy & Me, directed by Jeethu Joseph who had earlier made Detective, revolves around a mother-daughter relationship and has Urvashi, Archana Kavi and Mukesh in key roles. The film has attracted the family audience and is an average hit.
Controversies were not far behind. The Thilakan issue, the clash between the Film Chamber and the trade unions in connection with the ban on actors performing in television shows and the latest issue between producers and exhibitors which has led to films being held back for over three weeks has proved to be a bane for Malayalam cinema.
Over all, most of the films in the first half of this year have got a mixed response. Hopefully, movies across all industries will fare better in the second half.
- (With Shoma A Chatterjee and Unni R Nair)
July 18, 2010 at 11:00 PM
‘Inception’ earns dreamy reception with $60.4M
AP
By DAVID GERMAIN, AP Movie Writer David Germain, Ap Movie Writer – Sun Jul 18, 2:01 pm ET
LOS ANGELES – Leonardo DiCaprio and Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” is anything but a sleeper as the thriller opened big with $60.4 million and a No. 1 finish at the weekend box office, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The Warner Bros. action tale about a team that sneaks into people’s dreams is DiCaprio’s biggest opening weekend, topping his previous best of $41.1 million for last winter’s “Shutter Island.”
“Inception” falls far short of director Christopher Nolan’s best, though. Nolan is the man who directed the Batman blockbuster “The Dark Knight,” which opened over the same weekend two years ago with a record $158.4 million.
Warner Bros. has carved out a niche with this particular mid-July weekend. The studio followed “The Dark Knight” with a $77.8 million opening for “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” over the same weekend last year.
“We like this spot. Not to sound superstitious, but stay away from this weekend. I own it,” said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros.
The final “Harry Potter” movie debuts on the same weekend next summer. Warner plans to open Nolan’s third “Batman” movie over that weekend two years from now, though Fellman said the studio could move it to an earlier date that summer.
Strong reviews helped “Inception,” which stars DiCaprio as leader of a team that normally breaks into people’s dreams to steal their secrets but now has been hired to do the opposite — plant an idea in a wealthy heir’s subconscious.
Slipping to second place with $32.7 million was the previous weekend’s No. 1 movie, Steve Carell’s animated hit “Despicable Me.” The Universal release raised its 10-day total to $118.4 million.
Disney’s family adventure “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” was a dud, opening at No. 3 with $17.4 million, lifting its total to $24.5 million since premiering Wednesday.
“It’s disappointing to say the least,” said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney, which had high hopes for the movie. “I’m perplexed. I have no response, because I honestly don’t know what went wrong.”
The movie reunites the team behind the hit “National Treasure” movies — Nicolas Cage, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Jon Turteltaub — for an action comedy about an ancient wizard training an awkward apprentice (Jay Baruchel) to take down an evil sorceress in modern Manhattan.
Bruckheimer has been a blockbuster producer for Disney with such hits as “The Rock,” “Armageddon” and the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise.
But “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” was the summer’s second Disney-Bruckheimer production to come up short at the domestic box office, following “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time,” which was unable to crack the $100 million mark.
“Jerry’s working on ‘Pirates 4′ as we speak,” Viane said of the Johnny Depp sequel due out next summer. “I’ll go to bat with Jerry any day, because his track record is pretty darn good.”
With “Inception” and “Despicable Me,” the weekend marked a rare instance when two original stories — not sequels, spinoffs or adaptations of comic books, best-sellers or other properties — led the box office.
Hollywood relies on familiar titles such as “Iron Man 2,” “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” and “Toy Story 3″ for most of its big summer releases, though the occasional fresh idea manages to score with audiences.
“We let all of the sequels and popcorn films come out and get the summer rolling, then we come in here with this original concept,” Fellman said of “Inception.” “We’re in a good place to run now for the rest of the summer.”
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. “Inception,” $60.4 million.
2. “Despicable Me,” $32.7 million.
3. “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” $17.4 million.
4. “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” $13.5 million.
5. “Toy Story 3,” $11.7 million.
6. “Grown Ups,” $10 million.
7. “The Last Airbender,” $7.5 million.
8. “Predators,” $6.8 million.
9. “Knight and Day,” $3.7 million.
10. “The Karate Kid,” $2.2 million.
July 18, 2010 at 11:01 PM
I saw a show that was 90% full and many clapped at the end..
July 18, 2010 at 11:02 PM
Daily trending is quite good for this sort of film. Sat made as much as Fri and Sun saw a 20% drop. On the other hand Shutter Island ended up at 128m after a 41m start. The film gained a bit opening Sat but dropped 34% that very Sun. Public Enemies made close to 100m but this opened earlier than Fri, dropped quite a bit before actually gaining a bit on Sun. Departed gained quite a bit Sat but then lost 36% on Sun. Unlike India most movies tend to drop on Sun in the US if these examples suggest anything. Looking at the crowd reaction I think this should be a pretty significant grosser. DiCaprio now has the best year of his career with back to back films with Scorsese and Nolan, both critically acclaimed, both box office successes. And again here is a star-actor who also walked away from Titanic and the easy romance genre returns. Between Titanic in 1997 and Catch Me if You can in 2002 he didn’t really have much success. GONY released that same year but didn’t do much (77m was decent enough but more was expected). Then there was the Aviator in ’94 which made 100m. Finally a breakthrough moment in ’06 with Departed at 132m (Blood Diamond was just a 57m grosser). Again ’08 had Revolutionary Road and Body of Lies, both didn’t work at 22m and 39m respectively. The point is that even when a bona fide box office star follows a ‘different’ path in an industry like Hollywood (which is far more professional in terms of matching audience desire with scripts) there are many failures along the way. DiCaprio though has stuck to his guns (he clearly lost a number of years in the bargain) and he’s now reaping the rewards. He won’t have this combo every year and even with success at the box office he’s nowhere close to the 250m or so that he could easily generate in a blockbuster kind of film. But this is Hollywood so he is among the top notch stars and no one dreams of comparing him to Will Smith!
July 19, 2010 at 2:54 PM
Weekend Report: ‘Inception’ Incites Intense Interest
by Brandon Gray
July 18, 2010
While it may not have been mind-blowing by would-be blockbuster standards, Inception had a dreamy debut over the weekend, extracting an estimated $61.7 million on approximately 7,100 screens at 3,792 locations. Overall weekend business was further buttressed by the continued strength of Despicable Me and other holdovers plus the mediocre launch of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, leading to a nine percent increase over the same timeframe last year, when Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince dominated.
Inception marked another commercial coup for writer-director Christopher Nolan following the record-breaking The Dark Knight, and it delivered the biggest opening of star Leonardo DiCaprio’s career, exceeding Shutter Island. The picture occupied the coveted mid-July release slot of distributor Warner Bros.’ past blockbusters The Dark Knight and the last two Harry Potter movies. While it didn’t reach the heights of those movies, it also wasn’t a franchise title with a built-in audience, though the “From the director of The Dark Knight” angle was naturally pushed extensively in its marketing.
Science fiction-themed movies are often in danger of being too esoteric, but Inception’s advertising eluded this pitfall with a deliberate campaign that first piqued interest with mysterious but striking scenarios and imagery and, then as the release neared, clearly presented the movie as an epic heist thriller. The result was the second highest-grossing debut ever for a sci-fi movie that wasn’t a sequel, remake or adaptation, behind Avatar’s $77 million. Inception’s initial attendance was also higher than similar titles like The Matrix and Minority Report.
Warner Bros. noted that Inception’s audience composition was 56 percent male and 73 percent under 34 years old. The picture’s run included a record 197 IMAX venues which accounted for more than $7 million or 12 percent of business.
July 19, 2010 at 2:55 PM
so it’s come in a bit higher than expected..
July 19, 2010 at 3:04 PM
extremely pleased with how well this film is doing. I always want certain kinds of cinema to succeed. I was of course happy for the same reason when Shutter Island worked. But the film that tops the list in this sense for me is Public Enemies. This made close to a 100m, yes an argument could be made that it didn’t justify the costs (I doubt Inception will be able to either!) but measuring it by audience participation it got a clear audience and definitely stable trending. But the reason that this film pleased me the most is that it was in many ways the least commercial of the three. Mann’s tone here wasn’t designed to excite the audience into applause. Many critics complained about the lack of an emotional connection here but it was by design. This was a very important box office story. It’s a film that I again revisited in the theater. In fact this and shutter.. have been my favorite Hollywood films (among major productions that aimed for something more than mere entertainment) in quite some time. And of course despite my objections I did enjoy Inception enormously and do appreciate the overall effort that went into it. But getting back to this ‘troika’ (in my mind) I think Shutter Island intrigued me the most but I have the softest corner for Public Enemies.
July 20, 2010 at 7:40 AM
Completely agree here. BTW, in the city, PE is showing as part of the Pier Film festival in August – large outdoor screen by the river – I’ll be catching this!
http://pier54.com/riverflicks/
July 20, 2010 at 12:49 AM
It’s come in even higher at 62.7m. Sun dropped much less than estimated.
July 19, 2010 at 5:35 PM
the last three films i watched:
i hate luv stories – mediocre.. pretty dull , boring and no great storyline
Inception – simply fantastic, a mind exercise yet very entertaining
Tere Bin Laden – a good attempt overall. for a change we had a political satire that made me laugh better than the nonsensical crap we have today in terms of kambakht ishq or golmaal returns
July 20, 2010 at 1:04 AM
http://boxofficeindia.com/npages.php?page=shownews&articleid=1833&nCat=news
Inception – 5.60 crore nett (300 prints)
Lamhaa – 5.50 crore nett (900 prints)
Tere Bin Laden – 3.75 crore nett (325 prints)
Udaan – 1.15 crore nett (150 prints)
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/trade/top5/674.html
Lamhaa – Collected approx. Rs. 6 cr. nett in its opening weekend on 922 screens.
TBL – The 3-day total stands at approx. Rs. 3.74 cr. nett on 344 screens.
Uddan – Rs. 1.25 cr. nett on 150 screens
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News-By-Industry/Media/Entertainment-/Entertainment/Hollywood-beats-Bolly-at-box-office/articleshow/6189039.cms?curpg=2
http://businessofcinema.com/news.php?newsid=16647
July 20, 2010 at 6:48 AM
CBO – July 16 to 18
Tuesday, 20 July , 2010, 12:48
Christopher Nolan and Leonardo Dicaprio’s Inception – and its Tamil dubbing Kanavu Vettai – has taken a dream opening in a dozen Chennai screens, and is the clear number one. It is the first Hollywood film this year to open in the number one position at CBO.
At the number two position is the much talked about Madrasapattinam, and rock steady in third place is Kalavani.
Raavanan has dropped badly as multiplexes have reduced the shows. The Tom Cruise actioner Knight and Day is holding on well in the last position.
http://sify.com/movies/tamil/fullstory.php?id=14950217&cid=13525926
July 20, 2010 at 7:17 AM
Anyone…someone… a number for Ravaan please. This week too Taran does not quote a figure. Newspaper reports too club it together with kites when stating losses. Cant understand how a movie made in 45-50 crores can notch up losses of 100 crores? Can someone pl shed some light??
July 20, 2010 at 10:04 AM
As per distributor @prakashjaju.,
producer made money but the distributor, Reliance lost about 40 cr
July 20, 2010 at 10:38 AM
Inception does $10.2M on Monday, this is awesome trending.
http://boxofficeguru.com/
July 20, 2010 at 12:43 PM
indeed..
July 20, 2010 at 11:00 AM
How? Sill cant follow the logic. I mean, I too can follow high school maths, am a teacher after all, but i still cant follow this figure. Can you, Ted , pl explain with some more clarity.
btw, this jaju fellow had, just this afternoon, tweeted claiming that even Dostana was a loss, Abhishek tweeted back, expressing doubts about the accuracy of his figures.
This is the same bloke who was secretary to Priyanka C, and was threatened with legal action by her, for some misdemeanour, details of which I forget.
On a slightly unrelated topic, was reading the Peepli live thread, and was most surprised to read vehement criticism of the seemingly flawless Aamir Khan. Then relief flooded over me. if people can find it in them to criticize the master- of- the – box office AK, then what price Abhishek? And , btw, IMO Abhishek is a much superior actor than the hallowed AK.
Yeah, now I’m disappearing before the volley of brickbats come hurling onto my head.
Looking fwd to a clearer explanation, Ted, and from a more reliable source.
July 20, 2010 at 1:43 PM
http://www.bangaloremirror.com/article/36/2010072020100720190636696fcc0bcf/What-a-bad-script.html
July 21, 2010 at 2:43 AM
Taran:
Content is King
July 21, 2010 – 08:29 IST
A few facts every industrywallah must’ve learnt/memorised/discovered yet again last Friday…
* Never under-estimate the power of a Hollywood biggie.
* Never under-estimate the power of a low cost film that’s high on content.
* Never under-estimate the power of promotion and marketing. In today’s times, every film-maker should set aside a substantial amount to promote his film.
* Never under-estimate the power of youth. They call the shots today!
UDAAN and TERE BIN LADEN were low cost films that grew with a strong word of mouth. The films picked up dramatically during the course of the weekend, only because they had a lot to offer in terms of content. Both TERE BIN LADEN and UDAAN shouldn’t have a problem recovering their [low] costs. While the recovery should be decent from domestic theatrical rights, the Satellite and Home Video rights, I am sure, will fetch better revenue since the films have found tremendous acceptance on the big screen, besides winning incredible critical acclaim.
LAMHAA is a complete loss, as far as the economics are concerned. The film was launched during the boom phase, but has released during the correction phase, when prices are being revised and deals are being re-negotiated. Its domestic theatrical business has been below the mark and since the Overseas territory isn’t contributing much either, the makers will have to rely on non-theatrical avenues to recover a chunk of their investment. However, let’s not forget that the Satellite and Home Video prices also depend on how the film fares at the box-office.
That brings me to INCEPTION, which is the flavour of the season. Even the dubbed Hindi version of this film has fetched handsome figures. There are innumerable instances of Hollywood films overpowering the Hindi counterparts at the box-office, but it doesn’t mean that all Hollywood films will be embraced warmly in the future. It all depends on how popular the star is in India, the genre of the film, the local films it is competing with and how youth-friendly it is.
This Friday, Ms. Jolie’s SALT [she's extremely popular in India as well] will compete with Akshay Kumar’s KHATTA MEETHA at the domestic box-office. Let’s hope it’s a meetha-meetha week for both!
July 21, 2010 at 10:18 PM
Inception made $9,765,137 on tuesday
http://boxofficemojo.com/daily/chart/
You know what that means? This means Inception will easily touch 300M numbers now & this also means that Leo will get his second big blockbuster after Titanic. His next movie is ‘Hoover’ which I am looking forward to it the most. Satyam do you think Leo can pull it off?
July 21, 2010 at 10:21 PM
It’s been amazingly stable on weekdays. Mon was 10.2m or something. The film had made roughly 83m or so already. Is his very next Hoover? Of course this is an Eastwood film. I am really looking forward to it. It won’t release before next summer or something though. This is a potential 100m film if handled right.
July 21, 2010 at 11:55 PM
I read somewhere that Hoover will be filming by the end of this year. Then he is also rumour to do this project with Ridley Scott. What I think he should do is a comedy ala Burn after reading or something like Sherlock Holmes.
July 22, 2010 at 11:40 AM
IBOS have a 36 crore nett for Raavan off a 51 crore gross. More or less a final number. This puts it just a bit above D6. Both films more or less did the same. SR did a little more than both (though SR is essentially different from those two anyway for certain reasons.. in other words its gross does not imply rejection as much as with the other two). There is one feature common here. When Abhishek becomes part of a seriously alternative film and when it is totally rejected the 35 crore zone is where it ends up in. Which is actually not the worst performance around given the genre and given how a film like Kaminey even after being celebrated so much did at the most 10 crores more than this. Also we’ve seen how some of big Akshay failures have either done worse than this in the past or basically settled around the 40-45 crore mark. The point ought to be obvious. Other than a major star no one’s going to get an alternative film in the 35 crore zone after that sort of complete rejection. There are just no examples to the contrary. None. And then when we compare even some of the films that have done well very few do appreciably better than this range. Now people think I am a partisan for making these points but evidently those that invest the money and make the films in the industry agree which is why Abhishek keeps signing interesting and high profile stuff! I made this point the other day but there is now a very strange gap that has emerged. On the one hand Abhishek is clearly increasing his deficit with the audience (not because they don’t think he’s a star or anything but because they don’t know what to expect from his films) but his stock is obviously only growing among industry figures. There were news stories about how someone like Bhansali (there were a couple of others mentioned whose names I forget) loved him in Raavan and called him up to say as much. These ‘opinions’ lead to real consequences. The film media though, either deliberately or because it is simply incompetent, just doesn’t do a good enough job if at all of representing the ‘inner’ realities of the industry. Therefore there is always this mismatch between media chatter and what actually happens. Someone posted that piece on Shahid Kapoor earlier about how he seems on life support. This after Kaminey (I hate to sound smug but I said as much before and after the release of Kaminey)! so even as people indulge in all these rankings there’s one guy landing all the projects. How does this happen?!
July 22, 2010 at 11:41 AM
related comment here:
http://satyamshot.wordpress.com/2010/06/30/bachchan-796-797-798-799-800-801-802/#comment-61731
July 22, 2010 at 12:25 PM
SATYAM TO PROVE YOUR POINT NOW U WILL CONSIDER IBOS..HAHAHAH MAN YOU ARE TOO GOOD…..
July 22, 2010 at 12:40 PM
the numbers are not as important here.. the people signing him up over and above his peers for a diverse range of subjects is.. the numbers just offer a possible explanation.. no matter whose numbers you took you would still be back at the essential point here..