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104 Responses to “Dabangg (ongoing) & still the rest of the ‘non’ box office!”
Hats off, Sallubaba. You did it. What MNIK and Kites couldnt do And what TMK, Don2 and Ra1 wont be able to do. Hope the so called experts in the trade wont try to explain why Dabangg worked big time.
I think it will have a slightly better third week than it would have had with AA, inspite of different target audiences and from here, 140 crores is a distinct possibility.
I should confess that it has sustained better than I had thought.
Dabangg grossed a huge 35-36 crore nett in week two taking its two week business to over 116 crore nett and becoming the second biggest nett grosser in the history of Hindi cinema. The two week distributor share of the film is around 67-68 crore which is also second highest total ever.
The second week total is also the second highest ever but well short of the 56 crore nett record of Three Idiots.
The third week will be interesting as like the first two weeks there is no competition for the film and weekday business in week two was steady. It is possible that the third weekend can do business in the 10-14 crore nett range.
Stunning numbers, definitely held up better than I had expected. Despite Ayodhya shutdown etc. in the North on 9/28, hopefully will have a good week 3 as well.
now a huge gap has opened up with 3I as expected.. but 160 crores also looks very unlikely which is what it needs to match Ghajini trending.. the only reason I keep bringing this up is to provide some balance to this narrative.. Taran and BOI and others have been very happy to point out how it’s crossed Ghajini and so on (breaking the 3I record was just mdia spin, it matched it.. which is fantastic.. but even by Nahata’s count there was a 30 lakh differential only.. any preview show advantage is also balanced out by the fact that Dabangg had even more prints than 3I… but leaving this aside no one can know completely precisely how much a film made in India because so much is unaccounted for.. you need at least a 3-4 crore range on even the best calculations.. so Dabangg is exactly in 3I’s range.. this is not shattering a record.. and it doesn’t have to be.. but it has been spun this way..) but conveniently no one likes to point this out! If it were only about crossing earlier films without any sort of adjustment or accounting for trending (the civilized way of looking at the box office in every country of the world including actually India even if people sometimes pretend otherwise..) well then mediocre grossers over the last 5 years have done more than relatively good grossers in the previous 5 years! So I object to this selective narrative where just crossing an older film (impressive as this is in its own right) is the only yardstick. How about the rest of the story?! Even without accounting for inflation (Ghajni released in dec ’08) Dabangg needs to do 160 crores minimally. And it has had such a free run so there’s no excuse!
Come on, Satyam.
Dont do this to the detractors of the ‘trending’ theory. You know their attention span is limited to a couple of sentences. And, dont try to confuse them with facts and logic. You know it is not done!
Dabangg has definitely broken 3I’s record. The marginal ’30 Lakhs’ difference doesn’t tell us the story about the audience numbers. If Yakuza’s numbers are correct (and one has no reason to believe they are not) Dabangg had a 30% higher first week audience than 3I. Even if it released in 30% more prints, this is a more significant achievement.
Second, the ticket rates for Dabangg were not hiked like they were for 3I.
I will only comment on its trending after Dabangg’s run is over, but as far as first week #s are concerned — Dabangg has left 3I behind.
Even if Dabangg ends up with around 150 Cr Nett, the thing to consider is that almost the same number of people might end up watching it as the numbers stand for 3I…
What this means is that Salman gets beaten not because of the number of heads he can get inside the cinema hall, but because of the economic scale, which favors the ‘multiplex-friendly’ superstar more. Aamir can draw crowds on both ends of the spectrum. Ergo, he’s a bigger star. But considering single screen theaters (or areas where multiplexes are still a rarity), Salman rules the roost. If not that, given the setup that fits him best, he’s likely to draw the biggest crowd.
yes Dabangg almost certainly sold more tickets to get to its 80 crores. But since we have not looked at this metric before I wouldn’t want to start just here. But the point is a valid one.
Agree Saket; this is a point some of us have long made — that Salman (and others, such as Govinda for instance) did not flop so much as begin to have their audiences be priced out of the paradigm…
I agree he is the biggest in single screens. And with his potential line-up and if he signs a Barjatya film, then Salman really is staking a big claim in future to be #1 star again. A film opening like Dabangg will have a snowball effect in at least his next releases.
It’s beaten it in # of occupanices but then I think 3 Idiots is not “as” massy as Dabangg in the first place. We all know the discussions about 3 Idiots before its release. Its a multiplex movie, will only make 70-80 crore etc.
I think the “fair” comparison here is Ghajini and Dabangg. Because movies are appealing to same audience across the board.
Higher ticket prices does not mean higher revenue. Is cinema an inelastic or elastic product? What about the people who did not watch 3 Idiots due to its high price and the people who turned up to Dabangg because it was “cheaper”?
Or the willingness of audiences to “pay” the price to see a 3 Idiots suggests it could have been a premium product.
This is probably why I lean more towards the total nett and it seems Dabangg has beaten 3 Idiots. Thats all that matters. Its done it with cheaper prices and more volume. The film has running time of 2 hours vs. 3 hours for 3 Idiots. That could be upto 30-40% more daily shows in a screen! There are many ways to look at it.
Yes, there are many ways to look at it. But getting more people to watch a film, I think trumps any other criteria. For example, a Vivah hardly grossed big in terms of revenue, but it ran for almost a year in many B, C centres.
I’m hardly a fan of Vivaah (couldn’t watch it beyond 10 mins) but it certainly had the best trending seen in years. It was nothing short of a phenomenon in the smaller centres!
On the current economic scale, its final gross isn’t significant though.
Another way to look at these films (Vivaah, Wanted, Dabangg) is that they provide some sort of relief to the single screen theaters, which are fast becoming irrelevant and getting phased out eveyrwhere. The multiplexes will survive and thrive; the single screens need all the support they can get.
Not a bad choice. Not that it has any chance of winning.
Am sure fans of ‘regional’ cinema ( euphemism for dosai lovers! LOL ) will be out in full force, protesting.
WHY IS UNDIKUDDUM PUNDIKUDDUM NOT NOMINATED?
You should make a trip to NY.. the Ganesh temple here (which GF and Rajen were very kind to introduce to me) has the best I’ve had anywhere outside the motherland. Of course no restaurant in NY serves Palin fans.
I thought the official Oscar selection isn’t made till after October 1, as all films released up to September 30 are eligible for consideration?
I read on another forum that Aamir is “taking it to the Oscars” (whatever that means) but that the official selection hasn’t been made yet.
I don’t think the film has a chance. I found it quite weak, and, when compared to international films, nothing original. Also, the Academy rules for nominating foreign language films have been changed, and I believe it is more rigorous now for a film to be even nominated (before, when Lagaan was nominated, it was enough if one member of the Academy saw it and nominated it).
I have been surprised and happy with Dabaang’s success. But his fans went overboard and started abusing 3Idiots and Aamir Khan. And now Dabaang’s success is only that much and taking over as the biggest hit is only a dream. Inspite of no competition, it is not catching up much.
And boxoffice is not quality in itself. Paa never broke any records and yet is admired and won many awards. Even 3 Idiots is no match to TZP and yet the former is a record breaker.
When quality cinema will be written, where will Dabaang and others of its ilk stand?
And Gadar beat Lagaan black and blue in the boxoffice department. And Lagaan is still talked about with more respect and awe.
Bachchan’s Abhimaan was no great shakes at the boxoffice compared to his other blockbusters. But what a film it is!
Even Salman has much better movies qualitywise.
Vatikala,
You are probably not here often but I happen to agree with almost everything you said above. But, that still doesnt change the fact that I happen to like Salman.
but Abhimaan actually did very well for the kind of film it was.. one can’t compare hits with Mukherjee to hits with Desai. The scale is very different.
I would not necessarily correlate the box office with the better film. There are two oppositions you’ve set up..
1)Paa/TZP/Abhimaan on one side and 3I/Bachchan blockbusters on the other.
But these are different kinds of cinema in terms of scale and genre. The audience for films in the former set is always more limited than for those in the latter. But this does not automatically mean the latter represents lesser cinema. For example I am not persuaded 3I is a lesser film than TZP, I might be inclined to believe the opposite. I would take Khakee over Paa as the greater film. And I’d certainly take a number of Bachchan blockbusters like Trishul or AAA over Abhimaan as greater cinema.
of course it works the other way too. I’d take Mili or Jurmana as better than many more loved Bachchan films. but this is not a box office argument either. Mili and Jurmana didn’t even do as well as Abhimaan.
Just because a cinema appeals to smaller cross-section of the audience does not make it better. For every one TZP today there are tons of ‘small’ films that are unwatchable!
I know you’re not exactly saying that ‘small is better’ but one can unknowingly fall back on such a structure. I of course reject the prevalent argument these days that box office is everything. A film that fails must be ‘right’ and one that doesn’t must be ‘wrong’. Irrespective of how radical one attempt is and how pedestrian another people just use the box office. But at the other end I don’t think the opposite structure should be privileged.
2)Gadar/Dabangg on one side and Lagaan on the other
This too is connected to the first point. Because on the one hand one is now at least referring to films of the same scale (roughly) or ‘major productions’ if you will but one is still using a somewhat limiting (if not limited) definition of quality. For the audiences who made Gadar historic or who’ve now done the same with Dabangg (though the scale is hardly the same.. there is no comparison in the trending) clearly these films are ‘better’. I am not cynically making a populist point here. Note the number of times Salman has attempted masala from Veergati to Garv to tere Naam to Wanted to Dabangg. Before Wanted all the masala efforts were straight out flops or films where you invested Rs 5, you got Rs 7 and you called it ‘average’! In short these films made no dent whatsoever, even in single screens or the hinterland they were alright but nothing special. With Wanted there was a big jump though still the film even leaving aside the low multiplex participation was very good but not spectacular in single/double screens. With Dabangg you suddenly have a level of success for a Salman masala film that is light years ahead of his previous attempts and is in a league of its own (because other than Wanted nothing even worked for ‘masala Salman’ before this barring limited success for certain films in certain regions of the country..). In other words even those audiences more willing to embrace these genres did not lap up just about anything. I bring up this point because here too there is sometimes a structure where one believes that audiences that favor what one might define as ‘regressive’ cinema are willing to patronize anything. Almost as if once you give these audiences a certain set of stimuli they get to the theaters like Pavlovian creatures. But this is hardly the case. and it has never been so. The question then becomes: what do these audiences find so different about a Gadar on the one hand or a Ghajini and Dabangg on the other? Yes they’ve been starved for a certain mass entertainment for years but despite this they never lionized Garv!
Also the Lagaan example is not very typical. Think about the typical SRK blockbuster once. Was it really better cinema in any sense than Gadar? I don’t think so! It’s just that certain film conventions were defined as ‘regressive’ at the time. People considered KKHH to be more sophisticated cinema than Raja Hindustani. I don’t believe anything of the sort. Which does not mean that Dabangg is path-breaking cinema but perhaps it encodes a politics that speaks greatly to a large cross-section of the audience. If you compared DCH to Wanted I’d say that the former just represents better film-making. I would call it the better film. I might still enjoy a Wanted more but I’d see the difference between the two. This applies to Lagaan as well. It’s just a better film in every sense than 99% of the competition since whether one is a fan of the film or not. But most films are not in the DCH/Lagaan category. So I don’t see why Dabangg should be singled out when in just about every other genre also audiences seem to lap up ‘pointless’ cinema.
An even better analogy is with the Akshay comedies that I have absolutely no taste for and where I’ve not been able to see more than one or two films at the most in their entirety and there too with a lot of skimming through stuff. These films offer truly bargain basement entertainment. Really terrible stuff most of the time. But you don’t have a right to criticize it if you’ve been offering Saved by the Bell in films like KKHH! Yes I’d rather watch some of these SRK films than the Akshay ones, they’re probably ‘better’ in many ways but not really from another universe. The intelligence quotient on both is quite comparable for the most part! I would be hard pressed if I had to decide whether RNBDJ was more absurd or Housefull.
so yes there are critical standards but these cannot always be divided neatly into such oppositions.
Of course I don’t disagree with your polemical point that with every big hit there are ‘fans’ who emerge who play a cynical game. There definitely have been many who’ve loved the Dabangg success and used it to try and cut down Aamir (I pity them!). And yes many films do stand the test of time the way disposable cinema does not. With the caveat that every industry has ‘classics’ that are not necessarily the best ‘products’ of their industry. The classic example here is of the Shammi Kapoor starrer. Many of these films are loved, I love them myself but they’ll never be winning any critical contest with Awara!
The thing is that certain films make us think and certain films just give us enjoyment or timpass. The latter films make us forget the harsh realities for a while and they serve as psychiatrists which many of us cannot afford. They relax us for a while and afterall laughter is the best medicine.
As for the films which leave a lasting impression like Jaya Sanjeev starrer Khamoshi, Garm Hawa, Pyaasa or the recent TZP also relax us but in a different way.
As for comedies, each generation gets the type it deserves. Now we have loud comedies as the patronising public has also lots of loud elements. Even other types also enjoy some of these for a change once in a while. But some of these loud cinemas encourage brash behaviour in impressionalble youngsers. That is not desirable.
When we used to watch the old Chupke Chupke of Omprakash, Dharm & Bachchan, the old Golmaal of Utpal dutt, Angoor of Sanjeev Kumar, Chashme Baddoor of Farook Sheik & dipti Naval…..we used to chuckle and enjoy. Classy and entertaining. Now we have toilet comedy. Most of the time.
Peepli Live will go to the Oscars!
TNN, Sep 24, 2010, 08.33pm IST
Article
Comments (1)
Tags:peepli live|india|aamir khan
A still from the movie ‘Peepli Live’. More Pics
Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan’s production “Peepli Live” will be India’s official entry at the Oscars. Peepli Live has been shortlisted in the Best Foreign Film category.
“Peepli Live” is former journalist Anusha Rizvi’s debut as a director and the film has no big name stars, in keeping with Khan’s pledge to promote quality cinema. The movie is satirical take on farmer suicides in India and how media and politicians tackle the issue. Earlier, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with his wife Gursharan Kaur, family members and some close friends also watched the film at the special screening.
Peepli Live,” made by the actor’s production company, follows two poor farmers who face losing their land over an unpaid debt after poor monsoon rains. A local politician suggests they commit suicide so their families get compensation. A journalist overhears one of the farmers apparently urging the other to end his own life, triggering a media frenzy about whether he will go through with it, lampooning India’s sensationalist television news channels.
Just watched Dabangg (nearly empty theatre in Dubai -so probably is in its last legs here) and must confess that I haven’t had so much fun in a long long time at the movies. Really felt that I was watching a movie back from the 70s
have enjoyed dabang and infact have not enjoyed any other salman film in my life (as much as this)
INfact, i have said repeatedly, that this is salmans lifetime best performance —am again willing to be persuaded if anyone explains how x or y performance (not film ) was better than this .
surprisingly, being a slaman baiter, am v happy for his suxess here.
on seeing promos, i felt it will be a superhit.
But dont believe these reports of it beating ghajini and nearing 3I..
If it is even coming close to threatenting 31—unbeleivable.
i dont with to go into minutiae of figures, but even coming close is remarkable.
Proves beyond doubt salmans box-office pull..
even my views have changed after this and i am happy to acknowledge this.
3I box offcie was a culmination of various contributory factors–majorly aamir, but there was the hirani factor, post munnabhai and rdb vibe etc all adding up.
Dabang is a v good film but is less than half as agood a film as 3I.
if it is still nearing 3I—atleast i cannot explain (other than salmans pull)
There were no new releases this week due to the postponement of Anjaana Anjaani which will release next week.
Dabangg continues to dominate the box office as it grossed 35.25 crore nett approx in its second week taking its two week business to 116 crore nett. The third week opened very well with single screens super strong across the country. ALL TIME BLOCKBUSTER
The last quarter will a big release practically every week and with huge hits like Dabangg and Raajneeti already it may turn out to be a very good year for the industry.
the only problem with these otherwise fair BOI rankings is that (and I don’t mean to sound immodest about this) I really ought to be above Abhishek as well.
regarding this “interesting” ranking—what has john done to be above abhi-shrek…
not a shahid kapoor fan and dont feel ajay devgn is a huge force (inspite of raajneeti and OUATIM)—but why are these two not even in the top 10 and jihn / imran are there?
and the obvious question—what has srk doen to hang onto no2 in the recent past when others are dishing ATB (even salman of all the people)
Raavan And Ravanan To Be Screened At Various Film Festivals
Posted by Faridoon Shahryar at 11:36 PM
Mani Ratnam’s Raavan & Raavanan a big hit in film festivals & has invitation from 9 festivals for screening
Mani Ratnam has just returned from Venice after receiving the “jaeger-le coultre – glory to the filmmaker award” where his Raavan & Raavanan won him much appreciation and a standing ovation from the 600 strong special delegates audience. He is also the sole Indian to ever be awarded this prestigious award.
But looking at the impressive lineup of invites from international and prestigious festivakls for the films its clear that Raavan and Raavanan is a critical hit worldwide.
After Venice is the PUSAN International Film Festival in South Korea (Oct 7th to 15th 2010) where both the films will be screened.
The others festivals where the Mani Ratnam film in both or either version will be showcased are the following :
SITGES Film Festival, Spain (Oct 7th to 17th 2010) – Spanish Premier – Raavan (Hindi)
Mostra De Valencia, Spain (Oct 15th to 23rd 2010) – Action Section (Competition Section) – Raavan (Hindi)
MONTREAL-INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF NEW CINEMA, Canada (Oct 13th to 24th 2010) – Canadian Premier – Raavanan (Tamil)
Tokyo International Film Festival, Japan (Oct 23rd to 31st 2010) – Winds of Asia-Middle East Section – Raavan (Hindi)
Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festiva, New York (Nov 12th 2010) – New York Premier – Raavanan (Tamil)
Asia Pacific Screen Awards, Australia (Dec 2nd 2010) – Competition Section – Raavan (Hindi)
International Film Festival, Goa – Indian Panaroma Section – Raavanan (Tamil)
Actually, Raavan & Raavanan enjoy a very good rep internationally. In fact, TheFilmExperience.net, a popular Oscar prognosticating site had actually been expecting India to send Raavan or Raavanan as their entry for Best Foreign Film. I haven’t seen Peepli Live, but I wouldn’t have minded Raavan or Raavanan being sent to the Oscars.
I’ve watched Villian (Raavanan) recently. I can guess why the audience connect was missing. The dialogues are poor, didn’t enjoy at all. I liked the Hindi version, Abhishek has done very well second half where sensitive moments are there. Vikram has body suitable to that role.
good to see raavan getting atleast somthing back!
happy for mani and ash.
As for abhi-shrek, has been a “watershed” film for me —unless he changes remarkably for the better!
After “Ready”, ” Kick” and ” Ye Maya Chesave”, B-town stars Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan and Ranbir are vying for the remake rights of Telugu hits “Don Seenu” and “Darling”. Salman Khan revived this trend when his “Wanted” ( a Hindi remake of the Mahesh Babu starrer “Pokiri”) struck BO gold in 2009 and picked up more T-town scripts to keep up his winning streak.
Sallu’s al ready working in the remake of the Ram-Genelia starrer “Ready”, is slated to do the remake of “Kick” and is now taking a keen interest in the Ravi Teja-Shriya Saran flick “Don Seenu”. He has reportedly evinced an interest in watching the DVD of the laugh-riot. “Talks are on, but nothing is final. A Pan- India audience will connect to this film, because it’s the story of an underworld don who is a huge fan of Amitabh Bachchan,” says director Gopichand Malineni.
Given a choice, would Gopichand like to direct the Hindi version? “I’d love to, since it would be great opportunity to work with B-town A-listers. When I spoke to ” Ghajini” director Murugadoss, he suggested I grab the remake offer, if it comes my way. I think I can handle the script after making improvisations,” he says.
Interestingly, leading Telugu writer Kona Venkat, who carved a niche for himself in B-town with gripping films like ” Satya” and “Company” is the man who contributed significantly to the success of “Ready”, “Kick”, “Venky “and “Don Seenu”. Does he think that characters designed for Ravi Teja will suit Salman and Akshay ? “The protagonists in “Kick” and “Don Seenu” were characters who played to the gallery, These entertainers are almost tailor-made for actors like Salman and Akshay,” he says.
However, since Salman and Akshay are currently busy with their commitments, Venkat feels his friend and actor Abhishek might be suitable as the lead in the Hindi remake of “Don Seenu”. “The producer of “Don Seenu” is willing to do the remake himself, provided I direct the film and Abhishek plays the lead. I’ll meet Abhi next week and hope things fall in place,” he says.
Bollywood’s younger actors Ranbir Kapoor and Shahid Kapur are being wooed to do the remake of Telugu rom-com “Darling”. Leading B-town producers who have Ranbir and Shahid’s dates are trying to shop for the remake rights of “Darling”. Karunkaran, director of “Darling”confesses that he’s, “heard that some producers had wanted to pick up the rights” of his film. Mean while he’s busy scripting “for my next Telugu film and won’t be able to direct the Hindi version,” he says.
Well, for now B-town filmmakers are more than happy to grab a ‘hit’ script from Tollywood and make their own innovative additions.
LOL, might be appropriate for Abhishek to do it given the guy on Ravi Teja’s shirt! Incidentally Ravi Teja gets my vote for the single most offensive hero in Indian cinema!
This story is all about a ambitious boy named Seenu (Ravi Teja) who dreams of becoming a don. He always likes to be called as ‘Don’ Seenu since childhood due to the strong influence of the Amitabh Bachchan starrer ‘Don’. He grows up with just one passion – that of becoming the World’s No: 1 Don. Thanks to his enterprising nature, he gains access to the cream of the city’s dons, and uses his cleverness to play off the top two – Machiraju (Sayaji Shinde) and Narsing (Sri Hari), fierce rivals – against each other. Seenu wants to join one of these dons and grow up in the ranks. He joins hands with Machiraju(Sayaji Shinde). In the process he is given a task to go to Swiss and win the heart of Narsing’s sister whose marriage is fixed with the son of the super don Mukesh (Mahesh Manjrekar). Seenu goes to Germany and wins the heart of Deepthi (Shriya) and later, he discovers that he was shown the wrong girl. The wrong girl is none another than Deepthi (Shriya), who is the sister of Machiraju. This leads to various turns in the plot. What happens next is all about how Seenu achieves his dream of becoming a don and live happily with Deepthi.
actually if Abhishek showed this sort of inclination there would be literally (know this for a fact) many Tamil/Telugu filmmakers willing to work with him. of course I would never want him to do just this stuff all the time.. it should be part of a larger mix.. because even though I’m a fan of masala this ain’t Salim-Javed or Desai! Okkadu is one film I continue to hope he can do at some point.
Since you know my reasons for not accepting anything from them, this makes no difference. It’s too bad you think my principles are swayed by personal preferences, even in jest.
‘Wall Street’ leads market with $19 million debut
By DAVID GERMAIN, AP Movie Writer David Germain, Ap Movie Writer Sun Sep 26, 1:25 pm ET
LOS ANGELES – Movie fans are investing in Michael Douglas and Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” which opened as the No. 1 weekend movie with $19 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The 20th Century Fox release led a crop of so-so to weak newcomers, though the sequel to Douglas and Stone’s 1987 hit “Wall Street” did not quite set off a bull market at the box office.
Its financial returns were solid but unspectacular as Hollywood experienced a typically sleepy early fall weekend, with audiences finding nothing to bring them out in huge numbers.
The “Wall Street’ sequel reunites director Stone with Douglas, who reprises his role as investment shark Gordon Gekko. The movie co-stars Shia LaBeouf, Carey Mulligan and Josh Brolin in a tale set against the 2008 economic meltdown.
“I think expectations were pretty high for this movie. That’s not only an iconic character of Gordon Gekko but it’s also an iconic movie,” said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. “But then, it’s about the world of high finance. That’s not exactly a topic that sets the box office on fire, so I don’t think younger audiences were necessarily going to rush out for something like that.”
The Warner Bros. animated adventure “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole” was No. 2 with a soft opening of $16.3 million.
It finished barely ahead of the $16 million haul for Warner’s “The Town,” the Ben Affleck heist drama that was the previous weekend’s No. 1 release. “The Town” held up well and raised its 10-day total to $49.1 million, giving it a solid shot at hitting the $100 million mark, said Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner.
Sony’s teen comedy “Easy A,” which had been No. 2 a weekend earlier, also held up well with $10.7 million to finish at No. 4. “Easy A” lifted its 10-day total to $32.8 million.
Disney’s mother-daughter comedy “You Again,” starring Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis and Sigourney Weaver, debuted at No. 5 with an anemic $8.3 million.
Playing in narrower release, the Will Ferrell-produced teen comedy “The Virginity Hit” flopped with just $300,000.
The Sony release about youths aiming to lose their virginity debuted in 700 theaters, averaging a paltry $429 a cinema. That compared with $5,330 in 3,565 theaters for the “Wall Street” sequel, $4,569 in 3,575 cinemas for “Legend of the Guardians,” and $3,257 in 2,548 locations for “You Again.”
None of the new wide releases came close to the $8,000-a-theater average managed a year ago by “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,” which led the box-office over the same weekend in 2009 with a $25 million debut.
Even so, this year’s combination of newcomers and strong holdovers lifted overall business slightly. Total movie revenues came in at about $100 million, up 3.8 percent from the same weekend last year, according to Hollywood.com.
Chris Aronson, head of distribution at 20th Century Fox, said the “Wall Street” sequel came in at the high end of the studio’s expectations for opening weekend. With nearly two-thirds of the “Wall Street” audience older than 30, the studio hopes the movie will have a long run.
“If there’s one thing we know about adult audiences, they don’t rush out. But they do keep coming,” Aronson said. “It’s somewhat unique to have a character that’s 22 years old to have such a great second act, and we think we have that with Gordon Gekko.”
“Legend of the Guardians,” based on Kathryn Lasky’s children’s books, follows the adventures of young owls searching for mythical winged warriors to help overcome evil forces. The animated family tale comes from director Zack Snyder, known for such violent action flicks as “300″ and “Watchmen.”
Warner executives had hoped the movie might debut in the $20 million range or a bit higher. Still, distribution boss Fellman said “Legend of the Guardians” drew a solid family audience that gave the movie high marks.
“There’s really not a lot of family product out there for the next four to five weeks, so maybe we’ll leg this out,” Fellman said.
Several films debuted strongly in limited release.
Woody Allen’s latest ensemble tale “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger” opened with $163,474 in six theaters, averaging $27,246 a cinema. The Sony Pictures Classics release stars Naomi Watts, Anthony Hopkins, Josh Brolin and Freida Pinto.
Paramount’s documentary “Waiting for `Superman,’” which examines the ills of America’s public schools, premiered with $141,000 in four theaters for a $35,250 average. The film is directed by Davis Guggenheim, who made the Academy Award winner “An Inconvenient Truth.”
Lionsgate’s thriller “Buried,” starring Ryan Reynolds as an American buried alive by terrorists in Iraq, opened with $104,500 in 11 theaters, averaging $9,500.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” $19 million.
2. “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole,” $16.3 million.
Dabangg grossed around 10.75 crore nett over its third weekend taking its seventeen day business to nearly 127 crore nett.
The weekday business should add another 5-6 crore nett for 132-133 crore nett total after three weeks.
The film is still performing phenomenally well all over in its third weekend as Mumbai grossed 4 crore nett while Delhi/UP business was nearly 2.75 crore nett and East Punjab around 1 crore nett. Single screens across the country are holding up extraordinarily well.
Anyway, you cut it, slice it, dice it – it is a fantastic BO story for which Salman is singularly responsible.
Am actually glad , it ended up being Dabangg which broke Ghajini’s numbers. A lot of people who casually comment on BO numbers come up with sheer nonsensical belief that movies like Kites, MNIK or Ra1 or Don2 can go past Ghajini. the truth is Ghajini’s numbers are not trivial and it takes an IMMENSELY liked movie with almost universal appeal to get past Ghajini.
3I is virtually untouchable no matter what the sluts at BOI say.
But weren’t films like Kites and MNIK expected to be “immensely liked, with universal appeal” before they released? So I don’t think the expectations so far out of line. And MNIK, even though it wasn’t “accepted”, still did 70 crore, which is also not a trivial matter. As for Ra.1, I am not sure, because it is not clear to me how much single screen appeal it will have.
In one word, no.
Kites was hardly a film to be possibly liked by single screen patrons. It is another matter that it was rejected by multiplexes and metroes too.
MNIK was very restricted in its appeal and even that appeal folded up after first three days. For a film on that scale, with the amount of pandering, being made by KJo and starring SRK and Kajol, 70 crores is nothing.
And remember the difference between 70 crores and 115 is more than 45 crores. It is almost impossible to cover.
Yes, but all that was only known after the films released, right? Beforehand, all people knew was that it was Hrithik in a “Hollywood style” action film after Dhoom 2, and the reuniting of Johar, SRK, and Kajol after K3G. So naturally expectations would be high. That’s all I meant. After release, true, these films were roundly rejected.
Immensely liked is one thing, universal appeal is different. I’d be hard pressed to believe Kites or MNIK was ever expected to cut across all sections of the audience. These films were sold exactly as not being populist.
SM,
Thats precisely the point.
The sane always knew before release how limited Kites and MNIK were in appeal even f they were not rejected. Only the casual observer was so emphatic in the belief that they were made of stuff that can challenge Ghajini’s numbers. And, the same casual observer was totally taken aback by the Dabangg phenomenon as again it was caught unawares.
The footfall in Pakistani cinema halls went down when Indian movies were banned during the Eid period, but the Salman Khan-starrer Dabangg has created a buzz and moviegoers are once again thronging the theatres.
Rizwan, a booking clerk, Cinestar cinema in Lahore says, “Families have started returning to the cinemas for Indian movies. The cinema hall is more than 70 per cent full during all Dabangg shows,” he says.
According to theatre owners, the film industry in Pakistan produces only a handful of low-budget movies every year and fails to garner a satisfactory response at the box office.
DabanggArif Khan, owner, Gulistan cinema, says, “Hardly eight to10 movies have been produced in Pakistan during the first nine months of 2010 while 25 to 30 Indian movies have released during the intervening period. Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, I Hate Luv Storys and Housefull have also fared well at the box office.”
CBO – September 24 to 26
Tuesday, 28 September , 2010, 18:02
The trade is eagerly awaiting the release of Rajinikanth’s Enthiran on October 1. Till then it is a dull period at the CBO.
Meanwhile, the Arya-Nayanthara flick, Boss Engira Baskaran, made merry at the CBO, as there were no new releases. The film has netted an amazing Rs 3 crore from 17 screens in Chennai city within a span of 17 days, which is outstanding.
At number two is Salman Khan’s Dabangg, which continues to impress and has become the highest grossing Hindi film in Chennai.
In third position is the B-grade Piranha-3D, which is being shown as a gap film, before Enthiran arrives in many theatres, and is collecting better than small Tamil films.
At number four is Drohi and in fifth place is Naan Mahaan Alla.
Enthiran creates record in Kerala!
By Moviebuzz | Wednesday, 29 September , 2010, 10:54
Even before its release Rajinikanth’s magnum opus Enthiran has created a new record in Kerala.
The film will release on October 1 in 128 screens in the state, the highest number of screens for any release in Kerala!
Seven Arts Vijayakumar, who is distributing Enthiran in Kerala said: “It is going to be a big bang release in the state. We are going for maximum saturation release, to absorb the hype and craze around the film.”
In Thiruvananthapuram the film is releasing in five screens, which means a capacity of approximately 4500 per show, while in Ernakulam, Palakkad and Kozhikode it is releasing in three screens each, making it the biggest ever release.
Remember no Mohanlal or Mammootty film has released so wide in Kerala, though Shikar and Pokkiri Raja have released in 100 plus screens. It once again proves that Rajinikanth has a universal reach and fan base.
September 24, 2010 at 9:14 AM
Top 5: ‘Dabangg’ equals ‘Ghajini’ lifetime business in 2 weeks
September 24, 2010 at 9:19 AM
Hats off, Sallubaba. You did it. What MNIK and Kites couldnt do And what TMK, Don2 and Ra1 wont be able to do. Hope the so called experts in the trade wont try to explain why Dabangg worked big time.
I think it will have a slightly better third week than it would have had with AA, inspite of different target audiences and from here, 140 crores is a distinct possibility.
I should confess that it has sustained better than I had thought.
September 24, 2010 at 9:44 AM
Dabangg Has 35-36 Crore Nett Second Week
Dabangg grossed a huge 35-36 crore nett in week two taking its two week business to over 116 crore nett and becoming the second biggest nett grosser in the history of Hindi cinema. The two week distributor share of the film is around 67-68 crore which is also second highest total ever.
The second week total is also the second highest ever but well short of the 56 crore nett record of Three Idiots.
The third week will be interesting as like the first two weeks there is no competition for the film and weekday business in week two was steady. It is possible that the third weekend can do business in the 10-14 crore nett range.
http://www.boxofficeindia.com/boxnewsdetail.php?page=shownews&articleid=2053&nCat=box_office_news
September 24, 2010 at 9:49 AM
Doga,
Thats pretty much in line with what you had suggested last weekend. You had predicted 34 crores if I remember correctly. Right on the nose.
September 24, 2010 at 10:31 AM
No Rajen, this was my previous comment,
“Because movie is not longer breaking records,
2nd weekend will be 22-23 cr with second week being 35+ cr.
Total after 2nd week, 115+ cr, breaking Ghajini or being very close to it.
That will be second biggest 2nd week though.
3 I = 55 cr
Dabangg = 35 cr expected
Ghajini = 26.5 cr
Rab ne = 24.5 cr.”
Its more like sitting on the nose,
September 24, 2010 at 10:33 AM
LOL! I stand corrected.
September 25, 2010 at 2:31 AM
3rd weekend will be 10-11 cr and 3rd week around 16-17 cr.
September 24, 2010 at 9:51 AM
Stunning numbers, definitely held up better than I had expected. Despite Ayodhya shutdown etc. in the North on 9/28, hopefully will have a good week 3 as well.
September 24, 2010 at 9:55 AM
now a huge gap has opened up with 3I as expected.. but 160 crores also looks very unlikely which is what it needs to match Ghajini trending.. the only reason I keep bringing this up is to provide some balance to this narrative.. Taran and BOI and others have been very happy to point out how it’s crossed Ghajini and so on (breaking the 3I record was just mdia spin, it matched it.. which is fantastic.. but even by Nahata’s count there was a 30 lakh differential only.. any preview show advantage is also balanced out by the fact that Dabangg had even more prints than 3I… but leaving this aside no one can know completely precisely how much a film made in India because so much is unaccounted for.. you need at least a 3-4 crore range on even the best calculations.. so Dabangg is exactly in 3I’s range.. this is not shattering a record.. and it doesn’t have to be.. but it has been spun this way..) but conveniently no one likes to point this out! If it were only about crossing earlier films without any sort of adjustment or accounting for trending (the civilized way of looking at the box office in every country of the world including actually India even if people sometimes pretend otherwise..) well then mediocre grossers over the last 5 years have done more than relatively good grossers in the previous 5 years! So I object to this selective narrative where just crossing an older film (impressive as this is in its own right) is the only yardstick. How about the rest of the story?! Even without accounting for inflation (Ghajni released in dec ’08) Dabangg needs to do 160 crores minimally. And it has had such a free run so there’s no excuse!
September 24, 2010 at 9:59 AM
Come on, Satyam.
Dont do this to the detractors of the ‘trending’ theory. You know their attention span is limited to a couple of sentences. And, dont try to confuse them with facts and logic. You know it is not done!
September 24, 2010 at 10:10 AM
LOL!
I find it absurd that I even have to point this out because I have been so thrilled with the Dabangg success..
September 24, 2010 at 10:55 PM
Dabangg has definitely broken 3I’s record. The marginal ’30 Lakhs’ difference doesn’t tell us the story about the audience numbers. If Yakuza’s numbers are correct (and one has no reason to believe they are not) Dabangg had a 30% higher first week audience than 3I. Even if it released in 30% more prints, this is a more significant achievement.
Second, the ticket rates for Dabangg were not hiked like they were for 3I.
I will only comment on its trending after Dabangg’s run is over, but as far as first week #s are concerned — Dabangg has left 3I behind.
Even if Dabangg ends up with around 150 Cr Nett, the thing to consider is that almost the same number of people might end up watching it as the numbers stand for 3I…
September 24, 2010 at 11:02 PM
What this means is that Salman gets beaten not because of the number of heads he can get inside the cinema hall, but because of the economic scale, which favors the ‘multiplex-friendly’ superstar more. Aamir can draw crowds on both ends of the spectrum. Ergo, he’s a bigger star. But considering single screen theaters (or areas where multiplexes are still a rarity), Salman rules the roost. If not that, given the setup that fits him best, he’s likely to draw the biggest crowd.
September 25, 2010 at 12:46 AM
yes Dabangg almost certainly sold more tickets to get to its 80 crores. But since we have not looked at this metric before I wouldn’t want to start just here. But the point is a valid one.
September 25, 2010 at 3:46 AM
Agree Saket; this is a point some of us have long made — that Salman (and others, such as Govinda for instance) did not flop so much as begin to have their audiences be priced out of the paradigm…
September 25, 2010 at 6:17 AM
I agree he is the biggest in single screens. And with his potential line-up and if he signs a Barjatya film, then Salman really is staking a big claim in future to be #1 star again. A film opening like Dabangg will have a snowball effect in at least his next releases.
September 25, 2010 at 1:50 AM
From limited raw data it is not conclusive.
September 25, 2010 at 4:52 AM
It’s beaten it in # of occupanices but then I think 3 Idiots is not “as” massy as Dabangg in the first place. We all know the discussions about 3 Idiots before its release. Its a multiplex movie, will only make 70-80 crore etc.
I think the “fair” comparison here is Ghajini and Dabangg. Because movies are appealing to same audience across the board.
Higher ticket prices does not mean higher revenue. Is cinema an inelastic or elastic product? What about the people who did not watch 3 Idiots due to its high price and the people who turned up to Dabangg because it was “cheaper”?
Or the willingness of audiences to “pay” the price to see a 3 Idiots suggests it could have been a premium product.
This is probably why I lean more towards the total nett and it seems Dabangg has beaten 3 Idiots. Thats all that matters. Its done it with cheaper prices and more volume. The film has running time of 2 hours vs. 3 hours for 3 Idiots. That could be upto 30-40% more daily shows in a screen! There are many ways to look at it.
September 25, 2010 at 3:03 PM
Yes, there are many ways to look at it. But getting more people to watch a film, I think trumps any other criteria. For example, a Vivah hardly grossed big in terms of revenue, but it ran for almost a year in many B, C centres.
I’m hardly a fan of Vivaah (couldn’t watch it beyond 10 mins) but it certainly had the best trending seen in years. It was nothing short of a phenomenon in the smaller centres!
On the current economic scale, its final gross isn’t significant though.
Another way to look at these films (Vivaah, Wanted, Dabangg) is that they provide some sort of relief to the single screen theaters, which are fast becoming irrelevant and getting phased out eveyrwhere. The multiplexes will survive and thrive; the single screens need all the support they can get.
September 24, 2010 at 10:22 AM
btw just heard that Peepli Live is Indian entry for Oscar.
September 24, 2010 at 10:27 AM
Not a bad choice. Not that it has any chance of winning.
Am sure fans of ‘regional’ cinema ( euphemism for dosai lovers! LOL ) will be out in full force, protesting.
WHY IS UNDIKUDDUM PUNDIKUDDUM NOT NOMINATED?
September 24, 2010 at 10:28 AM
mauka nahi chhodte
September 24, 2010 at 10:36 AM
LMAO !!!!!
PS- I love Masala Dosas a lot !!
September 24, 2010 at 11:53 AM
You should make a trip to NY.. the Ganesh temple here (which GF and Rajen were very kind to introduce to me) has the best I’ve had anywhere outside the motherland. Of course no restaurant in NY serves Palin fans.
September 24, 2010 at 12:28 PM
lol
September 24, 2010 at 11:46 AM
Tongue twister titles lead to better cinema!
September 24, 2010 at 12:36 PM
Undikuddum… may not have been selected, but its inevitably poorer Hindi remake will be a record-breaker.
September 24, 2010 at 12:40 PM
What is more, the remake might make it to Oscar too!
September 24, 2010 at 11:20 AM
Bad choice if true – the movie was not much liked by Western critics. But because Aamir is attached to it the Indian media thinks it is a great movie.
They should have selected either Vihir (Marathi) or Udaan or some other regional movie.
September 24, 2010 at 11:35 AM
I thought the official Oscar selection isn’t made till after October 1, as all films released up to September 30 are eligible for consideration?
I read on another forum that Aamir is “taking it to the Oscars” (whatever that means) but that the official selection hasn’t been made yet.
I don’t think the film has a chance. I found it quite weak, and, when compared to international films, nothing original. Also, the Academy rules for nominating foreign language films have been changed, and I believe it is more rigorous now for a film to be even nominated (before, when Lagaan was nominated, it was enough if one member of the Academy saw it and nominated it).
September 24, 2010 at 10:27 AM
I have been surprised and happy with Dabaang’s success. But his fans went overboard and started abusing 3Idiots and Aamir Khan. And now Dabaang’s success is only that much and taking over as the biggest hit is only a dream. Inspite of no competition, it is not catching up much.
And boxoffice is not quality in itself. Paa never broke any records and yet is admired and won many awards. Even 3 Idiots is no match to TZP and yet the former is a record breaker.
When quality cinema will be written, where will Dabaang and others of its ilk stand?
And Gadar beat Lagaan black and blue in the boxoffice department. And Lagaan is still talked about with more respect and awe.
Bachchan’s Abhimaan was no great shakes at the boxoffice compared to his other blockbusters. But what a film it is!
Even Salman has much better movies qualitywise.
September 24, 2010 at 10:29 AM
Vatikala,
You are probably not here often but I happen to agree with almost everything you said above. But, that still doesnt change the fact that I happen to like Salman.
September 24, 2010 at 11:45 AM
but Abhimaan actually did very well for the kind of film it was.. one can’t compare hits with Mukherjee to hits with Desai. The scale is very different.
September 24, 2010 at 1:34 PM
I would not necessarily correlate the box office with the better film. There are two oppositions you’ve set up..
1)Paa/TZP/Abhimaan on one side and 3I/Bachchan blockbusters on the other.
But these are different kinds of cinema in terms of scale and genre. The audience for films in the former set is always more limited than for those in the latter. But this does not automatically mean the latter represents lesser cinema. For example I am not persuaded 3I is a lesser film than TZP, I might be inclined to believe the opposite. I would take Khakee over Paa as the greater film. And I’d certainly take a number of Bachchan blockbusters like Trishul or AAA over Abhimaan as greater cinema.
of course it works the other way too. I’d take Mili or Jurmana as better than many more loved Bachchan films. but this is not a box office argument either. Mili and Jurmana didn’t even do as well as Abhimaan.
Just because a cinema appeals to smaller cross-section of the audience does not make it better. For every one TZP today there are tons of ‘small’ films that are unwatchable!
I know you’re not exactly saying that ‘small is better’ but one can unknowingly fall back on such a structure. I of course reject the prevalent argument these days that box office is everything. A film that fails must be ‘right’ and one that doesn’t must be ‘wrong’. Irrespective of how radical one attempt is and how pedestrian another people just use the box office. But at the other end I don’t think the opposite structure should be privileged.
2)Gadar/Dabangg on one side and Lagaan on the other
This too is connected to the first point. Because on the one hand one is now at least referring to films of the same scale (roughly) or ‘major productions’ if you will but one is still using a somewhat limiting (if not limited) definition of quality. For the audiences who made Gadar historic or who’ve now done the same with Dabangg (though the scale is hardly the same.. there is no comparison in the trending) clearly these films are ‘better’. I am not cynically making a populist point here. Note the number of times Salman has attempted masala from Veergati to Garv to tere Naam to Wanted to Dabangg. Before Wanted all the masala efforts were straight out flops or films where you invested Rs 5, you got Rs 7 and you called it ‘average’! In short these films made no dent whatsoever, even in single screens or the hinterland they were alright but nothing special. With Wanted there was a big jump though still the film even leaving aside the low multiplex participation was very good but not spectacular in single/double screens. With Dabangg you suddenly have a level of success for a Salman masala film that is light years ahead of his previous attempts and is in a league of its own (because other than Wanted nothing even worked for ‘masala Salman’ before this barring limited success for certain films in certain regions of the country..). In other words even those audiences more willing to embrace these genres did not lap up just about anything. I bring up this point because here too there is sometimes a structure where one believes that audiences that favor what one might define as ‘regressive’ cinema are willing to patronize anything. Almost as if once you give these audiences a certain set of stimuli they get to the theaters like Pavlovian creatures. But this is hardly the case. and it has never been so. The question then becomes: what do these audiences find so different about a Gadar on the one hand or a Ghajini and Dabangg on the other? Yes they’ve been starved for a certain mass entertainment for years but despite this they never lionized Garv!
Also the Lagaan example is not very typical. Think about the typical SRK blockbuster once. Was it really better cinema in any sense than Gadar? I don’t think so! It’s just that certain film conventions were defined as ‘regressive’ at the time. People considered KKHH to be more sophisticated cinema than Raja Hindustani. I don’t believe anything of the sort. Which does not mean that Dabangg is path-breaking cinema but perhaps it encodes a politics that speaks greatly to a large cross-section of the audience. If you compared DCH to Wanted I’d say that the former just represents better film-making. I would call it the better film. I might still enjoy a Wanted more but I’d see the difference between the two. This applies to Lagaan as well. It’s just a better film in every sense than 99% of the competition since whether one is a fan of the film or not. But most films are not in the DCH/Lagaan category. So I don’t see why Dabangg should be singled out when in just about every other genre also audiences seem to lap up ‘pointless’ cinema.
An even better analogy is with the Akshay comedies that I have absolutely no taste for and where I’ve not been able to see more than one or two films at the most in their entirety and there too with a lot of skimming through stuff. These films offer truly bargain basement entertainment. Really terrible stuff most of the time. But you don’t have a right to criticize it if you’ve been offering Saved by the Bell in films like KKHH! Yes I’d rather watch some of these SRK films than the Akshay ones, they’re probably ‘better’ in many ways but not really from another universe. The intelligence quotient on both is quite comparable for the most part! I would be hard pressed if I had to decide whether RNBDJ was more absurd or Housefull.
so yes there are critical standards but these cannot always be divided neatly into such oppositions.
Of course I don’t disagree with your polemical point that with every big hit there are ‘fans’ who emerge who play a cynical game. There definitely have been many who’ve loved the Dabangg success and used it to try and cut down Aamir (I pity them!). And yes many films do stand the test of time the way disposable cinema does not. With the caveat that every industry has ‘classics’ that are not necessarily the best ‘products’ of their industry. The classic example here is of the Shammi Kapoor starrer. Many of these films are loved, I love them myself but they’ll never be winning any critical contest with Awara!
September 24, 2010 at 2:47 PM
The thing is that certain films make us think and certain films just give us enjoyment or timpass. The latter films make us forget the harsh realities for a while and they serve as psychiatrists which many of us cannot afford. They relax us for a while and afterall laughter is the best medicine.
As for the films which leave a lasting impression like Jaya Sanjeev starrer Khamoshi, Garm Hawa, Pyaasa or the recent TZP also relax us but in a different way.
As for comedies, each generation gets the type it deserves. Now we have loud comedies as the patronising public has also lots of loud elements. Even other types also enjoy some of these for a change once in a while. But some of these loud cinemas encourage brash behaviour in impressionalble youngsers. That is not desirable.
September 25, 2010 at 12:35 AM
When we used to watch the old Chupke Chupke of Omprakash, Dharm & Bachchan, the old Golmaal of Utpal dutt, Angoor of Sanjeev Kumar, Chashme Baddoor of Farook Sheik & dipti Naval…..we used to chuckle and enjoy. Classy and entertaining. Now we have toilet comedy. Most of the time.
September 24, 2010 at 4:57 PM
Good comment Satyam
September 24, 2010 at 5:34 PM
thanks Munna…
September 25, 2010 at 4:55 AM
very apt.. satyam the analysis. spot on
September 24, 2010 at 10:29 AM
Yes Vatikala, but even Salman wont mind a Dabangg or two in between his “better” movies ,
September 24, 2010 at 10:36 AM
I won’t mond Dabang-2. great going Salman.
His recent aap kee adalat is a must watch for all sallu fans.
September 24, 2010 at 11:46 AM
Peepli Live will go to the Oscars!
TNN, Sep 24, 2010, 08.33pm IST
Article
Comments (1)
Tags:peepli live|india|aamir khan
A still from the movie ‘Peepli Live’. More Pics
Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan’s production “Peepli Live” will be India’s official entry at the Oscars. Peepli Live has been shortlisted in the Best Foreign Film category.
“Peepli Live” is former journalist Anusha Rizvi’s debut as a director and the film has no big name stars, in keeping with Khan’s pledge to promote quality cinema. The movie is satirical take on farmer suicides in India and how media and politicians tackle the issue. Earlier, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with his wife Gursharan Kaur, family members and some close friends also watched the film at the special screening.
Peepli Live,” made by the actor’s production company, follows two poor farmers who face losing their land over an unpaid debt after poor monsoon rains. A local politician suggests they commit suicide so their families get compensation. A journalist overhears one of the farmers apparently urging the other to end his own life, triggering a media frenzy about whether he will go through with it, lampooning India’s sensationalist television news channels.
September 24, 2010 at 12:32 PM
Das Tola Trailer
[moved to separate post]
Remake of Malayalam movie, Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu
September 24, 2010 at 1:57 PM
September 24, 2010 at 2:20 PM
sincere interview..
September 24, 2010 at 2:12 PM
Just watched Dabangg (nearly empty theatre in Dubai -so probably is in its last legs here) and must confess that I haven’t had so much fun in a long long time at the movies. Really felt that I was watching a movie back from the 70s
September 24, 2010 at 6:09 PM
Sayam,
One question that I have wondered about : Did you see Dabangg? And, if so what did you think?
September 24, 2010 at 6:20 PM
LOL! Good question.
September 24, 2010 at 10:08 PM
LOL! i was thinking the same.. sometime back
September 24, 2010 at 10:40 PM
not yet… hope to this weekend..
September 24, 2010 at 6:10 PM
Sorry, Satyam.
September 25, 2010 at 6:54 AM
have enjoyed dabang and infact have not enjoyed any other salman film in my life (as much as this)
INfact, i have said repeatedly, that this is salmans lifetime best performance —am again willing to be persuaded if anyone explains how x or y performance (not film ) was better than this .
surprisingly, being a slaman baiter, am v happy for his suxess here.
on seeing promos, i felt it will be a superhit.
But dont believe these reports of it beating ghajini and nearing 3I..
If it is even coming close to threatenting 31—unbeleivable.
i dont with to go into minutiae of figures, but even coming close is remarkable.
Proves beyond doubt salmans box-office pull..
even my views have changed after this and i am happy to acknowledge this.
3I box offcie was a culmination of various contributory factors–majorly aamir, but there was the hirani factor, post munnabhai and rdb vibe etc all adding up.
Dabang is a v good film but is less than half as agood a film as 3I.
if it is still nearing 3I—atleast i cannot explain (other than salmans pull)
September 25, 2010 at 8:43 AM
BOI:
There were no new releases this week due to the postponement of Anjaana Anjaani which will release next week.
Dabangg continues to dominate the box office as it grossed 35.25 crore nett approx in its second week taking its two week business to 116 crore nett. The third week opened very well with single screens super strong across the country. ALL TIME BLOCKBUSTER
The last quarter will a big release practically every week and with huge hits like Dabangg and Raajneeti already it may turn out to be a very good year for the industry.
September 25, 2010 at 6:56 PM
boi ranking of male actors–did not know abhi shrek is below john and imran!
http://www.boxofficeindia.com/manage_stars.php?c=star_ranking_india
September 25, 2010 at 8:45 PM
the only problem with these otherwise fair BOI rankings is that (and I don’t mean to sound immodest about this) I really ought to be above Abhishek as well.
September 26, 2010 at 11:54 AM
regarding this “interesting” ranking—what has john done to be above abhi-shrek…
not a shahid kapoor fan and dont feel ajay devgn is a huge force (inspite of raajneeti and OUATIM)—but why are these two not even in the top 10 and jihn / imran are there?
and the obvious question—what has srk doen to hang onto no2 in the recent past when others are dishing ATB (even salman of all the people)
September 26, 2010 at 11:55 AM
Alex: BOI doesn’t know us, otherwise you and I would also be above Abhishek…
…on the logic that we have never given any flops.
September 26, 2010 at 12:27 PM
haha
but i wont settle being below a few of those on this or any other list–lol
September 26, 2010 at 10:56 AM
Raavan And Ravanan To Be Screened At Various Film Festivals
Posted by Faridoon Shahryar at 11:36 PM
Mani Ratnam’s Raavan & Raavanan a big hit in film festivals & has invitation from 9 festivals for screening
Mani Ratnam has just returned from Venice after receiving the “jaeger-le coultre – glory to the filmmaker award” where his Raavan & Raavanan won him much appreciation and a standing ovation from the 600 strong special delegates audience. He is also the sole Indian to ever be awarded this prestigious award.
But looking at the impressive lineup of invites from international and prestigious festivakls for the films its clear that Raavan and Raavanan is a critical hit worldwide.
After Venice is the PUSAN International Film Festival in South Korea (Oct 7th to 15th 2010) where both the films will be screened.
The others festivals where the Mani Ratnam film in both or either version will be showcased are the following :
SITGES Film Festival, Spain (Oct 7th to 17th 2010) – Spanish Premier – Raavan (Hindi)
Mostra De Valencia, Spain (Oct 15th to 23rd 2010) – Action Section (Competition Section) – Raavan (Hindi)
MONTREAL-INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF NEW CINEMA, Canada (Oct 13th to 24th 2010) – Canadian Premier – Raavanan (Tamil)
Tokyo International Film Festival, Japan (Oct 23rd to 31st 2010) – Winds of Asia-Middle East Section – Raavan (Hindi)
Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festiva, New York (Nov 12th 2010) – New York Premier – Raavanan (Tamil)
Asia Pacific Screen Awards, Australia (Dec 2nd 2010) – Competition Section – Raavan (Hindi)
International Film Festival, Goa – Indian Panaroma Section – Raavanan (Tamil)
http://faridoonshahryar.blogspot.com/2010/09/raavan-and-ravanan-to-be-screened-at.html
September 26, 2010 at 11:06 AM
good to hear.. and it’s in competition at a couple of festivals..
September 26, 2010 at 1:36 PM
Actually, Raavan & Raavanan enjoy a very good rep internationally. In fact, TheFilmExperience.net, a popular Oscar prognosticating site had actually been expecting India to send Raavan or Raavanan as their entry for Best Foreign Film. I haven’t seen Peepli Live, but I wouldn’t have minded Raavan or Raavanan being sent to the Oscars.
September 27, 2010 at 9:19 AM
I’ve watched Villian (Raavanan) recently. I can guess why the audience connect was missing. The dialogues are poor, didn’t enjoy at all. I liked the Hindi version, Abhishek has done very well second half where sensitive moments are there. Vikram has body suitable to that role.
September 27, 2010 at 2:34 PM
it did decently in Tamil though…
September 27, 2010 at 2:46 PM
In Tamil, it was Mani’s movie after long time. The initial itself is enough for doing decent.
September 27, 2010 at 2:48 PM
Karthik, Prabhu’s presence didn’t help much either.
September 27, 2010 at 3:32 PM
Vikram does pack in a big initial.. so yeah this was a combo.. but it did stay relatively stable in certain multiplexes for a couple of weeks..
September 26, 2010 at 2:00 PM
good to see raavan getting atleast somthing back!
happy for mani and ash.
As for abhi-shrek, has been a “watershed” film for me —unless he changes remarkably for the better!
September 26, 2010 at 2:27 PM
Remade to order
BVS Prakash, TNN, Sep 27, 2010, 12.00am IST
After “Ready”, ” Kick” and ” Ye Maya Chesave”, B-town stars Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan and Ranbir are vying for the remake rights of Telugu hits “Don Seenu” and “Darling”. Salman Khan revived this trend when his “Wanted” ( a Hindi remake of the Mahesh Babu starrer “Pokiri”) struck BO gold in 2009 and picked up more T-town scripts to keep up his winning streak.
Sallu’s al ready working in the remake of the Ram-Genelia starrer “Ready”, is slated to do the remake of “Kick” and is now taking a keen interest in the Ravi Teja-Shriya Saran flick “Don Seenu”. He has reportedly evinced an interest in watching the DVD of the laugh-riot. “Talks are on, but nothing is final. A Pan- India audience will connect to this film, because it’s the story of an underworld don who is a huge fan of Amitabh Bachchan,” says director Gopichand Malineni.
Given a choice, would Gopichand like to direct the Hindi version? “I’d love to, since it would be great opportunity to work with B-town A-listers. When I spoke to ” Ghajini” director Murugadoss, he suggested I grab the remake offer, if it comes my way. I think I can handle the script after making improvisations,” he says.
Interestingly, leading Telugu writer Kona Venkat, who carved a niche for himself in B-town with gripping films like ” Satya” and “Company” is the man who contributed significantly to the success of “Ready”, “Kick”, “Venky “and “Don Seenu”. Does he think that characters designed for Ravi Teja will suit Salman and Akshay ? “The protagonists in “Kick” and “Don Seenu” were characters who played to the gallery, These entertainers are almost tailor-made for actors like Salman and Akshay,” he says.
However, since Salman and Akshay are currently busy with their commitments, Venkat feels his friend and actor Abhishek might be suitable as the lead in the Hindi remake of “Don Seenu”. “The producer of “Don Seenu” is willing to do the remake himself, provided I direct the film and Abhishek plays the lead. I’ll meet Abhi next week and hope things fall in place,” he says.
Bollywood’s younger actors Ranbir Kapoor and Shahid Kapur are being wooed to do the remake of Telugu rom-com “Darling”. Leading B-town producers who have Ranbir and Shahid’s dates are trying to shop for the remake rights of “Darling”. Karunkaran, director of “Darling”confesses that he’s, “heard that some producers had wanted to pick up the rights” of his film. Mean while he’s busy scripting “for my next Telugu film and won’t be able to direct the Hindi version,” he says.
Well, for now B-town filmmakers are more than happy to grab a ‘hit’ script from Tollywood and make their own innovative additions.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/regional/news-interviews/Remade-to-order/articleshow/6630467.cms
September 26, 2010 at 3:25 PM
Good News for Abhi!
September 26, 2010 at 7:58 PM
I know nothing about Don Seenu.. what’s it like?
September 26, 2010 at 8:38 PM
LOL, might be appropriate for Abhishek to do it given the guy on Ravi Teja’s shirt! Incidentally Ravi Teja gets my vote for the single most offensive hero in Indian cinema!
September 26, 2010 at 8:39 PM
this is the Wanted sort of low brow deal.. I think if Abhishek is willing to do remakes he could really choose something more intelligent..
September 26, 2010 at 3:40 PM
Don Seenu became hit just because of Ravi Teja. It has issues with screen play and direction.
September 26, 2010 at 8:38 PM
This story is all about a ambitious boy named Seenu (Ravi Teja) who dreams of becoming a don. He always likes to be called as ‘Don’ Seenu since childhood due to the strong influence of the Amitabh Bachchan starrer ‘Don’. He grows up with just one passion – that of becoming the World’s No: 1 Don. Thanks to his enterprising nature, he gains access to the cream of the city’s dons, and uses his cleverness to play off the top two – Machiraju (Sayaji Shinde) and Narsing (Sri Hari), fierce rivals – against each other. Seenu wants to join one of these dons and grow up in the ranks. He joins hands with Machiraju(Sayaji Shinde). In the process he is given a task to go to Swiss and win the heart of Narsing’s sister whose marriage is fixed with the son of the super don Mukesh (Mahesh Manjrekar). Seenu goes to Germany and wins the heart of Deepthi (Shriya) and later, he discovers that he was shown the wrong girl. The wrong girl is none another than Deepthi (Shriya), who is the sister of Machiraju. This leads to various turns in the plot. What happens next is all about how Seenu achieves his dream of becoming a don and live happily with Deepthi.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Seenu
September 26, 2010 at 8:39 PM
Promos have a lot of reference to Big B.
September 26, 2010 at 8:42 PM
just made the same point coincidentally!
actually if Abhishek showed this sort of inclination there would be literally (know this for a fact) many Tamil/Telugu filmmakers willing to work with him. of course I would never want him to do just this stuff all the time.. it should be part of a larger mix.. because even though I’m a fan of masala this ain’t Salim-Javed or Desai! Okkadu is one film I continue to hope he can do at some point.
September 26, 2010 at 11:49 PM
I thought Okkadu was already remade in Hindi?
September 26, 2010 at 11:52 PM
that was Athadu which remade as Ek.
September 27, 2010 at 1:07 AM
Oh, OK, thanks.
September 27, 2010 at 1:17 AM
An Okkadu remake was planned (by Raj Kumar Santoshi, with both Bachchans, but never materialized.
September 27, 2010 at 7:42 AM
offtopic, Can someone throw light on
Kar Wai Wong??
last nite saw In the mood for love..
Need a little enlightment oh him and his filmography….
September 27, 2010 at 3:17 AM
mahesh babu’s??? 2003 release
September 26, 2010 at 8:44 PM
IBOS have higher numbers than everyone else for Dabangg. They have 123 crores for the film in 2 weeks.
Too bad SM has sworn never to accept an IBOS number!
September 26, 2010 at 8:45 PM
their total for Peepli Live is 33 crores.
September 26, 2010 at 11:48 PM
Since you know my reasons for not accepting anything from them, this makes no difference. It’s too bad you think my principles are swayed by personal preferences, even in jest.
September 26, 2010 at 11:53 PM
Isn’t a ‘principle’ something too exalted to be expended entirely on a BOI?!
September 27, 2010 at 1:08 AM
It was expended on IBOS.
September 27, 2010 at 12:38 AM
http://boxofficeindia.com/youdetail.php?page=shownews&articleid=2058&nCat=you_asked_it
Q. Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and Gadar were record grossers for 7 years, can Three Idiots hold record for that long?
A. Unlikely. It will be surprising if no film beats in the next 2-3 years.
September 27, 2010 at 7:54 AM
Midweek B.O.: ‘Dabangg’ collects Rs. 10 cr, total Rs. 125 cr nett
September 27, 2010 at 8:15 AM
quite a margin.. IBOS have it at 123 crores before accounting for this third weekend! They’re 8 crores ahead of everyone else.
September 27, 2010 at 8:14 AM
‘Wall Street’ leads market with $19 million debut
By DAVID GERMAIN, AP Movie Writer David Germain, Ap Movie Writer Sun Sep 26, 1:25 pm ET
LOS ANGELES – Movie fans are investing in Michael Douglas and Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” which opened as the No. 1 weekend movie with $19 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The 20th Century Fox release led a crop of so-so to weak newcomers, though the sequel to Douglas and Stone’s 1987 hit “Wall Street” did not quite set off a bull market at the box office.
Its financial returns were solid but unspectacular as Hollywood experienced a typically sleepy early fall weekend, with audiences finding nothing to bring them out in huge numbers.
The “Wall Street’ sequel reunites director Stone with Douglas, who reprises his role as investment shark Gordon Gekko. The movie co-stars Shia LaBeouf, Carey Mulligan and Josh Brolin in a tale set against the 2008 economic meltdown.
“I think expectations were pretty high for this movie. That’s not only an iconic character of Gordon Gekko but it’s also an iconic movie,” said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. “But then, it’s about the world of high finance. That’s not exactly a topic that sets the box office on fire, so I don’t think younger audiences were necessarily going to rush out for something like that.”
The Warner Bros. animated adventure “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole” was No. 2 with a soft opening of $16.3 million.
It finished barely ahead of the $16 million haul for Warner’s “The Town,” the Ben Affleck heist drama that was the previous weekend’s No. 1 release. “The Town” held up well and raised its 10-day total to $49.1 million, giving it a solid shot at hitting the $100 million mark, said Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner.
Sony’s teen comedy “Easy A,” which had been No. 2 a weekend earlier, also held up well with $10.7 million to finish at No. 4. “Easy A” lifted its 10-day total to $32.8 million.
Disney’s mother-daughter comedy “You Again,” starring Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis and Sigourney Weaver, debuted at No. 5 with an anemic $8.3 million.
Playing in narrower release, the Will Ferrell-produced teen comedy “The Virginity Hit” flopped with just $300,000.
The Sony release about youths aiming to lose their virginity debuted in 700 theaters, averaging a paltry $429 a cinema. That compared with $5,330 in 3,565 theaters for the “Wall Street” sequel, $4,569 in 3,575 cinemas for “Legend of the Guardians,” and $3,257 in 2,548 locations for “You Again.”
None of the new wide releases came close to the $8,000-a-theater average managed a year ago by “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,” which led the box-office over the same weekend in 2009 with a $25 million debut.
Even so, this year’s combination of newcomers and strong holdovers lifted overall business slightly. Total movie revenues came in at about $100 million, up 3.8 percent from the same weekend last year, according to Hollywood.com.
Chris Aronson, head of distribution at 20th Century Fox, said the “Wall Street” sequel came in at the high end of the studio’s expectations for opening weekend. With nearly two-thirds of the “Wall Street” audience older than 30, the studio hopes the movie will have a long run.
“If there’s one thing we know about adult audiences, they don’t rush out. But they do keep coming,” Aronson said. “It’s somewhat unique to have a character that’s 22 years old to have such a great second act, and we think we have that with Gordon Gekko.”
“Legend of the Guardians,” based on Kathryn Lasky’s children’s books, follows the adventures of young owls searching for mythical winged warriors to help overcome evil forces. The animated family tale comes from director Zack Snyder, known for such violent action flicks as “300″ and “Watchmen.”
Warner executives had hoped the movie might debut in the $20 million range or a bit higher. Still, distribution boss Fellman said “Legend of the Guardians” drew a solid family audience that gave the movie high marks.
“There’s really not a lot of family product out there for the next four to five weeks, so maybe we’ll leg this out,” Fellman said.
Several films debuted strongly in limited release.
Woody Allen’s latest ensemble tale “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger” opened with $163,474 in six theaters, averaging $27,246 a cinema. The Sony Pictures Classics release stars Naomi Watts, Anthony Hopkins, Josh Brolin and Freida Pinto.
Paramount’s documentary “Waiting for `Superman,’” which examines the ills of America’s public schools, premiered with $141,000 in four theaters for a $35,250 average. The film is directed by Davis Guggenheim, who made the Academy Award winner “An Inconvenient Truth.”
Lionsgate’s thriller “Buried,” starring Ryan Reynolds as an American buried alive by terrorists in Iraq, opened with $104,500 in 11 theaters, averaging $9,500.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” $19 million.
2. “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole,” $16.3 million.
3. “The Town,” $16 million.
4. “Easy A,” $10.7 million.
5. “You Again,” $8.3 million.
6. “Devil,” $6.5 million.
7. “Resident Evil: Afterlife,” $4.9 million.
8. “Alpha and Omega,” $4.7 million.
9. “Takers,” $1.7 million.
10. “Inception,” $1.2 million.
September 27, 2010 at 11:28 AM
Dabangg grossed around 10.75 crore nett over its third weekend taking its seventeen day business to nearly 127 crore nett.
The weekday business should add another 5-6 crore nett for 132-133 crore nett total after three weeks.
The film is still performing phenomenally well all over in its third weekend as Mumbai grossed 4 crore nett while Delhi/UP business was nearly 2.75 crore nett and East Punjab around 1 crore nett. Single screens across the country are holding up extraordinarily well.
http://www.boxofficeindia.com/boxnewsdetail.php?page=shownews&articleid=2059&nCat=box_office_news
September 27, 2010 at 11:32 AM
After 3rd week its all about how long it can sustain the single screens.
If it doesnt will bundle ~ 140 cr, and if it does sustain a bit more there, will go towards 145 cr.
Its easily biggest Single Screen Grosser since Gadar.
Shares will be huge around 78-80 cr.
September 27, 2010 at 3:24 PM
Anyway, you cut it, slice it, dice it – it is a fantastic BO story for which Salman is singularly responsible.
Am actually glad , it ended up being Dabangg which broke Ghajini’s numbers. A lot of people who casually comment on BO numbers come up with sheer nonsensical belief that movies like Kites, MNIK or Ra1 or Don2 can go past Ghajini. the truth is Ghajini’s numbers are not trivial and it takes an IMMENSELY liked movie with almost universal appeal to get past Ghajini.
3I is virtually untouchable no matter what the sluts at BOI say.
September 27, 2010 at 3:33 PM
LOL, can’t disagree!
September 27, 2010 at 3:47 PM
But weren’t films like Kites and MNIK expected to be “immensely liked, with universal appeal” before they released? So I don’t think the expectations so far out of line. And MNIK, even though it wasn’t “accepted”, still did 70 crore, which is also not a trivial matter. As for Ra.1, I am not sure, because it is not clear to me how much single screen appeal it will have.
September 27, 2010 at 4:01 PM
In one word, no.
Kites was hardly a film to be possibly liked by single screen patrons. It is another matter that it was rejected by multiplexes and metroes too.
MNIK was very restricted in its appeal and even that appeal folded up after first three days. For a film on that scale, with the amount of pandering, being made by KJo and starring SRK and Kajol, 70 crores is nothing.
And remember the difference between 70 crores and 115 is more than 45 crores. It is almost impossible to cover.
September 27, 2010 at 4:19 PM
Yes, but all that was only known after the films released, right? Beforehand, all people knew was that it was Hrithik in a “Hollywood style” action film after Dhoom 2, and the reuniting of Johar, SRK, and Kajol after K3G. So naturally expectations would be high. That’s all I meant. After release, true, these films were roundly rejected.
September 27, 2010 at 5:11 PM
Immensely liked is one thing, universal appeal is different. I’d be hard pressed to believe Kites or MNIK was ever expected to cut across all sections of the audience. These films were sold exactly as not being populist.
September 27, 2010 at 4:39 PM
SM,
Thats precisely the point.
The sane always knew before release how limited Kites and MNIK were in appeal even f they were not rejected. Only the casual observer was so emphatic in the belief that they were made of stuff that can challenge Ghajini’s numbers. And, the same casual observer was totally taken aback by the Dabangg phenomenon as again it was caught unawares.
September 27, 2010 at 4:45 PM
Good to see Rajen talking box office and effectively
September 28, 2010 at 8:35 AM
Dabangg pulls Pakistani viewers to theatres
The footfall in Pakistani cinema halls went down when Indian movies were banned during the Eid period, but the Salman Khan-starrer Dabangg has created a buzz and moviegoers are once again thronging the theatres.
Rizwan, a booking clerk, Cinestar cinema in Lahore says, “Families have started returning to the cinemas for Indian movies. The cinema hall is more than 70 per cent full during all Dabangg shows,” he says.
According to theatre owners, the film industry in Pakistan produces only a handful of low-budget movies every year and fails to garner a satisfactory response at the box office.
DabanggArif Khan, owner, Gulistan cinema, says, “Hardly eight to10 movies have been produced in Pakistan during the first nine months of 2010 while 25 to 30 Indian movies have released during the intervening period. Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, I Hate Luv Storys and Housefull have also fared well at the box office.”
September 29, 2010 at 9:45 AM
CBO – September 24 to 26
Tuesday, 28 September , 2010, 18:02
The trade is eagerly awaiting the release of Rajinikanth’s Enthiran on October 1. Till then it is a dull period at the CBO.
Meanwhile, the Arya-Nayanthara flick, Boss Engira Baskaran, made merry at the CBO, as there were no new releases. The film has netted an amazing Rs 3 crore from 17 screens in Chennai city within a span of 17 days, which is outstanding.
At number two is Salman Khan’s Dabangg, which continues to impress and has become the highest grossing Hindi film in Chennai.
In third position is the B-grade Piranha-3D, which is being shown as a gap film, before Enthiran arrives in many theatres, and is collecting better than small Tamil films.
At number four is Drohi and in fifth place is Naan Mahaan Alla.
http://sify.com/movies/tamil/fullstory.php?id=14957666&cid=13525926
September 29, 2010 at 9:47 AM
Enthiran creates record in Kerala!
By Moviebuzz | Wednesday, 29 September , 2010, 10:54
Even before its release Rajinikanth’s magnum opus Enthiran has created a new record in Kerala.
The film will release on October 1 in 128 screens in the state, the highest number of screens for any release in Kerala!
Seven Arts Vijayakumar, who is distributing Enthiran in Kerala said: “It is going to be a big bang release in the state. We are going for maximum saturation release, to absorb the hype and craze around the film.”
In Thiruvananthapuram the film is releasing in five screens, which means a capacity of approximately 4500 per show, while in Ernakulam, Palakkad and Kozhikode it is releasing in three screens each, making it the biggest ever release.
Remember no Mohanlal or Mammootty film has released so wide in Kerala, though Shikar and Pokkiri Raja have released in 100 plus screens. It once again proves that Rajinikanth has a universal reach and fan base.