Jayshah’s Box office Predictions 2014
Recap – Predictions for 2012-2013
Dabangg 2 – Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha – I was wrong and by some distance. I expected Dabangg 2 to fire but it basically huffed and puffed and failed to bring the house down
Prediction : 180-210 crores
Verdict : Superhit
Race 2 – Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, John Abraham – Bang ON! And yes even at 100 crores this was indeed average!
Prediction : 80-100 crores
Verdict : Average
Himmatwala – Ajay Devgn – Reading my post I saw a comment from GF hoping this would flop. And indeed his only wish of 2013 came true. Sajid Khan got it all wrong and so did I!
Prediction : 80-100 crores
Verdict : Average
Yeh Jaawani Hai Deewani – Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone – Well the predictions really start to look messy now. Not as messy as Roshans’ Krrish 3 collections though! This was indeed the biggest surprise of 2013.
Prediction : 90-110 crores
Verdict : Semi-Hit
Once Upon A Time in Mumbai 2 – Akshay Kumar, Imran Khan, Sonakshi Sinha – Another one I got all wrong – this one got butt kicked by Chennai Express
Prediction : 90-110 crores
Verdict : Semi-Hit
Satyagraha – Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor – I am getting bad at these now.
Prediction : 90-110 crores
Verdict : Semi-Hit
Chennai Express – Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone – Well much like YJHD, this surprised a few but maybe not the ardent SRK fans. This one was for them and indeed SRK came back into the mix with this one.
Prediction : 110-130 crores
Verdict : Hit
Krrish 3 – Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra – Erm I believe if you take the top end of my prediction I am right. But if you take the Roshans’ numbers, I’m wrong. Believe what you may but this one was not the super grosser one expected it to be.
Prediction : 150-175 crores
Verdict : Superhit
Dhoom 3 – Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Katrina Kaif – Biggest film of the year and biggest grosser of the year. And is handsomely ahead of my collections prediction as the market grows.
Prediction : 190-210 crores
Verdict : Superhit
Predictions for 2014
Jai Ho – Salman Khan, Tabu, Daisy Shah
Positives – Salman is back! Salman is back! Salman is back!
Negatives – Sohail is back! Sohail is back! Sohail is back! Kidding aside, the attempt to make something more meaningful may work against Salman here.
Prediction : 140-160 crores
Verdict : Above average
Thupakki Remake – Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha
Positives – A.R. Murugados directed Ghajini and returns here.
Negatives – Is remakes of Southern Indian cinema no longer the “in” thing? And as much as Katrina is a lucky mascot, have the wings been clipped off Sonakshi’s run?
Prediction : < 100 crores
Verdict : Flop
P.K – Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma
Positives – Raju Hirani + Aamir Khan = Boxoffice Gold
Negatives – It is hard to find one at this point. The only one is the expectations one has from the film. If they are too high, then you can be left disappointed.
Prediction : > 250 crores
Verdict : Blockbuster
Roy – Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Rampal
Positives – Film is a love triangle and has action. Ranbir’s first major foray into action
Negatives – Much like the next film on the list, Jacqueline Fernandez? I’m struggling with this one – very unpredictable considering how differently Ranbir’s last two have faired
Prediction : <100 crores
Verdict : Below Average
Kick – Salman Khan
Positives – Yes you have guessed it – Salman Khan! And Eid release!
Negatives – A rather underwhelming female lead in Jacqueline Fernandez. And quite possibly another masala film that will promise much but deliver very little
Prediction : 150-170 crores
Verdict : Semi-Hit
Phantom – Saif Ali Khan, Katrina Kaif
Positives – Personally I think the pairing is interesting and the back drop of 26/11 attacks may provide something interesting
Negatives – Saif’s big films have failed in general in the midst of mild successes like Race 2 and Cocktail. This is a risky subject and the film is going against Singham 2
Prediction : 70-90 crores
Verdict : Flop
Singham 2 – Ajay Devgn
Positives – Singham was a success and Rohit Shetty is riding high after the success of Chennai Express. Releasing near a holiday will help
Negatives – Competition is a factor but my gut feel is this film will win the battle against Phantom but will still struggle
Prediction : 80-100 crores
Verdict : Below Average
Bang Bang – Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif
Positives – Unlike Zindagi Na Milenge Dobara, this one has Roshan and Kaif minus the male bonding and being a remake of Knight & Day the film will hold some recall value. The USP should be the sizzling chemistry between the two leads
Negatives – Possibly this film might be a multiplex affair and the film it is remaking was not a huge success.
Prediction : 120-140 crores
Verdict : Hit
Happy New Year – Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan
Positives – Farah Khan returns to direct Shahrukh Khan and Deepika after the success of Om Shanti Om. One expects a grand film here given the cast. Quite possibly I would say this is the biggest film of the year
Negatives – Farah’s record has a glitch to it in Tees Maar Khan. And the film has been on and off for many years
Prediction : 220-240 crores
Verdict : SuperHit
Bombay Velvet – Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Naseeruddin Shah
Positives – Anurag Kashyap’s first really big film. This could be a surprise or possibly a mess. An interesting year for Ranbir Kapoor as this is the kind of risk that could be the making of him. And Anushka Sharma by default may have landed two of the main films of the year.
Negatives – A test of Anurag’s credentials in a different sense. Coming in Xmas, usually we have our blockbusters. This one comes with a stellar cast and broadly some critical expectations.
Prediction : > 100 crores
Verdict : SemiHit
SATYAMSHOT 
January 2, 2014 at 1:49 PM
Thupakki remake will be huge. The movie itself is very good so though it may not open great it will sustain. Expect that to reach 150 crores. Roy has Ranbir in a special appearance. I dont think it will do much unless it is a great movie. Also I have a feeling Kick can tank as its original is as bad as it can get. On the contrary Stalin was a decent movie so Jai Ho can click big time but I guess you have a point whether audience will accept Salman in such a movie. I will say that HNY will go past 200 crores on hype and PK needs good content to go past 200 crores. Between the two we will have the years biggest grosser.
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January 2, 2014 at 2:11 PM
If made properly, Bombay Velvet might turn out to be the best trending film of the year. Personally, can’t wait for it. Kashyap should also have Ugly releasing before this.
Devgn seems to have lost the plot a little bit with back to back failures. His Prabhu Deva film (Action Jackson. With Sonakshi again, I mean does this girl ever refuse a film!) releases before Singham 2 BTW. Wish he returns to doing more substantial stuff.
Akshay has ‘It’s Entertainment’ apart from the Thuppaki remake which looks a typical comedy.
And while Phantom looks risky, Saif might score a hit with Sajid Khan’s “Humshakals” where he apparently has a triple role (Riteish, Bipasha, Tamannaah, Esha Gupta, Sonal Chauhan). And as expected he has a rom-com called ‘Happy Ending’ (Govinda, Ileana, Kalki) with Raj and Krishna which might turn out to be a multiplex hit.
I think the film which might surprise everyone is Arjun Kapoor’s ‘Okkadu remake’- I expect this to be a solid hit
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January 2, 2014 at 2:23 PM
find it hard to believe a Kashyap film can trend that well but it could surprise..
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January 2, 2014 at 2:30 PM
Another surprise on earning side will be Bang Bang, though not on content which will be known on 2nd october with 5 consecutive holidays : Gandhi jayanti, Dusherra, sat, sun, Eid 😀
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January 2, 2014 at 2:49 PM
with such a track record of predictions, I would rather believe the Roshans, who have actually given many super hits, have been in the Industry for more than probably the age of many of the members here and have the guts to actually walk the talk…
saala fashion hee ho gaya to take a dig at them at all times !!
Go Kkkkk Krish !!!
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January 2, 2014 at 2:53 PM
have to agree with Alex that when BOI was under reporting AB’s movies then there was an agenda, but with Krishh suddenly BOI became the gold standard !!
Mr. Shah who stopped his BO column because Taran Adarsh stopped giving actual data, suddenly finds Taran’s numbers unreliable ….
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January 2, 2014 at 3:09 PM
that’s totally unfair.. no one’s accepting either Taran or BOI as far as I can tell.. but this is a danger when one reads things incompletely!
As for Apex c’mon accepting what he’s saying is a bit like loving RNBDJ!
never mind..!
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January 2, 2014 at 4:23 PM
Taran Netts are never his own. He publishes whatever producers give. Same with Nahta. But they do publish center wise (not all) collection in their trade magazine (Film Informaton and Trade Guide).
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January 2, 2014 at 4:37 PM
Moreover in last two years bunch of sites have cropped up who have data from online systems and predict the NETTs with some error. Previously apart from Nahta, Adarsh, BOI and IBOS there was nothing much. And only BOI and IBOS used to give NETTS. Nahta and Adarsh never gave any NETTs apart from where producers gave the numbers (as in Guru).These days Girish Johar tweets some data on same day. So you pretty much know the trend and predict the NETT.
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January 2, 2014 at 6:27 PM
Man this is not accepting BOI or taran. Many other sites report circuit figures or occupancy percentage , reported much lower numbers of K3 than CE, D3. YJHD.
If actual kanpur, Varanasi, Gurgaon numbers figures are so low as reported by Girish johar, how can suddenly Total collection go so high. There is clear difference of around 75 cr in figures by Taran and others.
Probably, Territory figures can be seen inside BollywoodHungama poster promoted for 15 mins in K3 fight sequences.
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January 2, 2014 at 3:30 PM
Not sure why Krrish inspires such nationalism in you. You might be confusing it with the ISRO Mars program!
As for the Roshans walking the talk.. yes Suzanne will make sure this happens when it comes to the alimony settlement!
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January 2, 2014 at 5:43 PM
Satyam- Family tak Jaaney ka nahin hai Maloom !!!!
waisey it will probably be more than the collections of Talaash !! LOL
P.S. Bad joke tha!!
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January 2, 2014 at 3:38 PM
Rocky…its only a prediction and frankly my digs amount to probably a dozen or so in total. Lighten up! Surprised your so hurt by such nominal stuff when Alex writes a dozen or so digs and was quite prolific in drivel during krrish’s release. Rather find your insinuations silly as nowhere have i said i prefer boi’s or taran’s numbers.
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January 2, 2014 at 5:40 PM
Jay, sorry if it cam out as silly, just wrote what I felt…You are the pioneer of the trending theory in Indian BO and I respect that, but the digs at Roshans were in bad taste IMO.
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January 2, 2014 at 5:43 PM
Fair enough. I’ll resist from making more.
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January 2, 2014 at 6:31 PM
If Aamir is getting flak for making a substandard product then why not Roshans? These days if you don’t make 3 Idiots you are more likely to get brickbats. It is like, if you don’t like the food, you immediately rush to yelp, facebook to vent your ire…But you never comment when you like the food 🙂
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January 2, 2014 at 4:58 PM
Rocky- have you lost the plot?
Or you have RNBDJ DVD on endless replay?😄😄
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January 2, 2014 at 5:41 PM
and what exactly is the Plot Rajen – “Omerta ” ???/
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January 2, 2014 at 7:03 PM
Rocky,
In all seriousness, I like HR.
I liked KMG quite a bit but found K2 tired . Saw a few min of K3 on a pirated DVD and I think could be an okay watch.
But, it is very obvious Roshan Sr went a little nuts with K3 numbers.
HR needs to break away from Sr and do more films like JA and ZNMD. I was also disappointed that he seems to have resorted to steroids.
You know Jay long enough to know his methodology is sound and transparent and not agenda driven. He has been quite harsh on D3 as you can see from review.
It is one thing for the guest and resident trolls to spew rubbish as it doesnt suit their agenda but somewhat disheartening to see you adopt such a posture. Disagreements are fine and welcome but O found your comment out of character and unbecoming,TBH.
So, Rocky sir- thats the plot in a nurshell.
I do realise that you have probably felt that k3 has received harsh treTment here but IMO, Roshan Sr has hopelessly over reported numbers.
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January 2, 2014 at 7:23 PM
I thought KMG was watchable though I didn’t ‘like’ it. Far preferred krrish. Was pretty entertaining overall. Found K3 unwatchable though. If someone put a gun to my head and asked me to choose between K3 and Ra One I’d ask them to pull the trigger! Of course if Drona awaits one in the afterlife one will know one has entered some circle of hell!
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January 2, 2014 at 7:30 PM
Rocky, you’re a pal and the reason we’re saying all of these things to you is because we don’t want people to think your tastes reflect our judgments! LOL! Couldn’t resist it!
All is well..! Incidentally this is a red flag for some SRK fans!
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January 3, 2014 at 9:23 AM
So Rajen sir- as Bush said ( and the Intolerant liberals say all the time (irony) ) , what you are suggesting the plot is -” either you are with us or against us” ?
Naaa……
P.S.- I like Hritik but not over Aamir , Salman or the Bachchans. and this about the Roshans and the fact that whatever is considered tacky by the few Hollywood fan boys is made fun of ( and by default of the Hindi cinema loves of the single screen )..
But you won’t get it Doctor .
P.S. 1-Satyam has now suggested quite a few times that my thinking is like the Thakrey statement about Hritik when he first came on the stage ( answer to Khans), I had hoped that by now he would have known enough about me to make that kind of accusation on a “pal ” ..I have never mixed my politics and Hindi films !!!( but AB, Lata jee and Satyam jee ko sab maaf hai )
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January 2, 2014 at 3:16 PM
great post Jay. I am however deeply disturbed that you’ve admitted to being wrong on so many counts. Have you learnt nothing from Taran & co?
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January 2, 2014 at 5:33 PM
Lol satyam. Sorry i should have inflated some totals to get my predictions right. That’s the kind of guy this apex believes in.
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January 2, 2014 at 3:39 PM
Mr ‘Jay Shah’ –track record /hall of ‘fame’
Well said omrocky—finally another remaining ‘mard’ here amongst this org asking bunch of nitwits here lol
Was trying to resist commenting on this & do NOT want to RIP this post apart –it’s not my intention
But hey– check out mr Jay shahs (of the box office ‘expert’s fame!) predictions’ —couldnt resist…
Dabangg 2 –Prediction : 180-210 crores
Actually did about 50 cr less
Race 2 – Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, John Abraham – Bang ON! And yes even at 100 crores this was indeed average!
Prediction : 80-100 crores
Verdict : Average
Himmatwala – Ajay Devgn -Prediction : 80-100 crores
Actually did about HALF !!!
Yeh Jaawani Hai Deewani – Prediction : 90-110 crores
Fell short by about 75 crores only !!
Once Upon A Time in Mumbai 2 – Prediction : 90-110 crore
It actually did HALF of that !!
Satyagraha – Prediction : 90-110 crores
Ha it did nearly HALF of that!!
Chennai Express – Prediction : 110-130 crores
Haha he fell short ONLY by 100 crores !!
Krrish 3 – Prediction : 150-175 crores
No need to comment about that anymore ..we all know what’s the problem there lol
Dhoom 3 – Prediction : 190-210 crores
Now everybody’s grandma knew this & even some east European blondes I know who know as much about Bollywood box office as sunny leone knows a both acting –KNEW that dhoom3 will become the biggest grosser of all time just on the basis of the biggest franchise, cast, genre etc
And he predicted 200 crores ??
Shows how much faith he had on Aamirs capabilities !
No wonder –with 245 odd cr net after week 2 with two clear weeks for two weeks more worth holidays, he still can’t precdit 350 !!!
And talks about ‘trending’ & ‘fudged numbers’
C’mon god help us from such predictions and box office ‘experts’
🙂
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January 2, 2014 at 5:29 PM
I think you should be worried about your comments today and maturity compared to this time last year on the same predictions post. Funnily enough i don’t actually care if i got a prediction wrong. I’m not like a taran who tries to cover up a prediction by falsely reporting or commenting on films and patting himself on the back. The fact that some of you find it amusing just shows more about how childish you are than how accurate i am. If i cared do you think i would have even written the post. I expect nonsense from apex but rocky. Oh well. If we could all predict correctly we’d be millionaires. Clearly we’re not. I suggest you lighten up apex as your quite a dumb guy when you write stuff like this. If you got a pair you’d write your own predictions and see where you land. And stroke your ego if your right.
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January 2, 2014 at 5:59 PM
“C’mon god help us from such predictions and box office ‘experts’”
Who told you he is an expert? He is more of a SRK hater and abhi/bachhan fan and also falls into that catagory of aamir fan who is not really an aamir fan. Just using aamir for number games. Look at all of his comments and a 2 year old can figure it out.
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January 2, 2014 at 6:07 PM
Lol this dude is from ng for sure. Back to the kindergarten we go. A time machine and we are back in 2007.
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January 2, 2014 at 6:19 PM
Yes, I do remember you from NG, you used to play same tricks there too 🙂
SRK is still there in top 3, ouch, that must hurt 🙂
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January 2, 2014 at 6:27 PM
I think in 2007 I was stuck at FilmiKhabar! Anyone remember that?
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January 2, 2014 at 6:40 PM
yep. Have been there multiple times but discourse was not matching my wavelength. There were couple (may be more) of post on Satyam 🙂
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January 2, 2014 at 6:44 PM
It was a terrible blog. Pure drivel.
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January 2, 2014 at 6:48 PM
Wow the mighty srk fans have fallen. Back in 2007 they would be fanatically be proclaiming srk is the king. Now this fella hs reduced him to a top 3. A victory. Maybe the 6 years of ghajini, 3 idiots, dabang, bodyguard, ett and d3 has finally broken their hearts. As with all comments against srk fanatics i exclude the likes of henry. There are some good ones out there.
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January 2, 2014 at 6:53 PM
some things never change sadly.. people saying the same things irrespective of what year it is. Dinosaurs are more current!
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January 2, 2014 at 5:47 PM
Aside- Bachchan Sahab seems to be on a Voice Over spree- OUATIM-2 and Boss , both had his Voice Over !!
yeh kya ho raha hai !!
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January 2, 2014 at 6:47 PM
yeah it’s a bit much! Krrish too.
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January 2, 2014 at 5:55 PM
How ironic that Jay shah predicting more for a SRK film over a film which will bring back Hirani/aamir combo of 3I.
Where is the limitless market which was talked about so much during CE? Did we cap out at 250-275 crore?
So your D3 prediction was only 190 to 210 crore, all this while you thought CE 225 crore was nothing and kept on comparing to 3I 200 crore?
LOL…
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January 2, 2014 at 6:04 PM
Wow the cavalry is out in full force tonight.
No your wrong on the conclusions you have drawn. This time last year only ett was close to 3 idiots. Also neither was the d3 release date announced. If you read my post from last year i had peekay releasing in Xmas. Dates changed and in fact after seeing how yjhd performed a lot of my predictions would have changed upwards. You guys are behaving as though i have crystal ball. Geez…there are lot more important people in the world than me making worse predictions than me! Chill out and quit trying to find some kind of agenda in my predictions. They are just predictions. As dumb as that sounds…i don’t pace one tenth the importance on them that you are now.
The post may as well be deleted if its being dissected as some examination.
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January 2, 2014 at 6:13 PM
Can you explain “How ironic that Jay shah predicting more for a SRK film over a film which will bring back Hirani/aamir combo of 3I.”
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January 2, 2014 at 6:17 PM
Your blind maybe? It will take you a few minutes to figure it out but if you read the post properly you will realise how dumb you’ve been. I guess i got the kids to deal with tonight who don’t know there greater thans from less thans. Or that 250 is more than 220-240
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January 2, 2014 at 6:26 PM
you just can’t resist name calling, i guess it runs in the abhi fans…
anyway, so you put # at 250 crore (the greater sign doesn’t mean anything), that’s it?
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January 2, 2014 at 6:32 PM
I think you started the insinuations and snidey comments here not me. I continued it but mainly cos you thought your smart making your comment but you just did not read the post. Fanatics tend to do this. Draw conclusions without reading. Why cant i call you a name? Your ruining mine and making silly point so damn right i will point out you’ve been dumb.
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January 2, 2014 at 6:58 PM
Z: “How ironic that Jay shah predicting more for a SRK film over a film which will bring back Hirani/aamir combo of 3I.”
I may not agree with sarcasm/taunts going on between you and Jay but I am unable to correlate your comment with above post.
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January 2, 2014 at 6:08 PM
my prediction for 2014:
Jai Ho – 175 crore (by chance if it’s a solid movie then can go up to 225 crore or more).
HNY – 250 crore.
PK – 350 crore (based on what i hear about aamir on this blog and Hirani and i assume no competition again) Hirani films trend is great. This is the film which will show what the cap is of the market.
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January 2, 2014 at 7:18 PM
Also think byomkesh bakshi should be there in the surprise list of this year
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January 2, 2014 at 7:31 PM
yeah but this is not going to be a big grosser..
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January 2, 2014 at 7:46 PM
What an awesome post. I wish there were more people in the world who would accept their mistakes (if you can even call it that, after all it’s just Bollywood box office we are talking about) so openly.
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January 2, 2014 at 7:59 PM
I think more movies would be doing 120-180 range with mixed WOM. If it is rejected they will do 60-80.
I believe you are predicting based on size, director, history, actors and likely success. But all of them are not going to become hit or realize full potential. So I am not sure if one number/range is good enough. There is possibility of worst case scenario along with best.
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January 2, 2014 at 8:23 PM
Munna,
These are called predictions for a reason, giving a range from 80 crores as a worst case and 180 as best case is called hedging one bets.
Live a little dangerously and give us a couple of predictions. Your behind must be sore from sitting on the fence for so long!😄
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January 2, 2014 at 8:33 PM
Abhi daaru nahi pi hai ki fence par baithun 🙂
It is more to do with mathematical probabilities of success. Here the implicit assumption is that product is good. So D3 prediction is correct(success) but the number is wrong. Himmatwala prediction is wrong, so number is going to be wrong.
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January 2, 2014 at 8:01 PM
I do think Aamir’s brand value has taken a hit with Dhoom 3, nothwithstanding all the boxoffice records it has created. Even Pearl Harbor made close to (or over) 200 million, but does anyone ever remember it for being a relatively big earner?
Anyway, I think Aamir is smart enough to not keep making the same mistakes, but I do think he is one guy who should just stop thinking about box office completely. Because in the end he will still keep producing hits (if not the biggest earners) because his way of thinking is actually massy enough to appeal to a universal audience.
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January 2, 2014 at 8:46 PM
I don’t think he lost any brand value (may be some). He has done Raja Hindustani, Fanaa which were more massy like D3 and people still pan them for clichéd-ness. We always invoke 3 Idiots ;it did excellent business in multiplexes but Single screen and interiors it didn’t do that good business. So Aamir fans are disappointed with D3 because they want TZP, Sarfarosh or JJWS or at least Ghajini..People who don’t like him will always nitpick (Talaash is nitpicked for BO number or trying to find realism in supernatural).
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January 3, 2014 at 4:32 AM
I’d say brand Aamir has taken a slight knock. But again he has nothing like a Kites or Guzarrsh or Ra.One to his name. I’d say D3 is more a disappointing result, merely a missed opportunity than a total fiasco of sorts. It’s not the kind of film that comes a long often, when many things are ticked off box office wise and the opening is earth shattering. That it still towers above everything else by a distance is a fair achievement but this could have been a real mammoth film if done right.
I agree with Munna that he has done this type of film before and still regained his audience. If anything I think he does this kind of film to appease a section of the audience who are into films like Fanaa or RH.
As much as I like Sarforosh I think a sequel at this point would be a bad move. Dhoom is a franchise and P.K he is coming again with Hirani. He should seriously do something fresh next. Going back to an old hit is a bit of a safety net. He’s done Talaash as a police officer too.
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January 3, 2014 at 7:55 AM
agree on Sarfarosh.. plus the film depended so much on strong characters it would be hard to repeat this in a sequel.
On the brand thing don’t think it has made any difference in the box office sense. You’re quite right about the missed opportunity here in truly creating an unsurpassable total. It’s also true that with a multiplex audience Aamir probably didn’t close the deal with this film. On the other hand he probably helped himself with a non-multiplex audience. Much as with Fanaa or Ghajini. Admittedly there was no real negativity on the latter two films in any quarter even if some grumbled about Fanaa. So yes a very slight knock perhaps but not one that has any real impact at the box office. Now he has the Hirani and season 2 of SJ so his brand will be fine again. Where I completely agree is that he does need something quite fresh once more. Since he’s been setting the benchmarks for a while it might be argued that he needs the somewhat edgier thing that’s also a big success. He’s had enough huge grossers. Will probably get one with the Hirani too. He can really do a ‘reset’ at this point. It’s harder for an older star to do this but still I’d love to see him take up the equivalent of a Lagaan challenge again. Something different or unexpected. The current deal where he gets a somewhat offbeat Talaash to do well enough combined with a big grosser in one genre or the other is certainly one he can sustain for a while but given the higher bar he’s set for himself for so long it would just be better if he started anew in a way. He really doesn’t have anything left to prove in any sense. I suspect he’ll do this after the Hirani. Might take a bit of a break again.
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January 3, 2014 at 4:27 AM
I did not like his association with YRF one bit. Was not excited that he signed D3. I hope he had a horrible time with Aditya that he won’t come near that guy again. lol. Aditya Chopra has destroyed the ‘big’ YashRaj films. It’s amazing to even think that DDLJ was directed by the same guy who has given us crap after crap ever since, but I digress.
If Aamir’s brand has hurt…its not showing up at the box office. And that is what matters first and foremost with stars. He is playing the game perfectly IMO. As much as I wished he stayed away from YRF….it was a smart career move.
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January 2, 2014 at 9:26 PM
If there’s a film that deserves to flop here it’s Bang Bang. The film it’s remaking is as atrocious as the principal actors here.
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January 3, 2014 at 4:36 AM
I actually think Hrithik and Katrina will be perfect for “Bang Bang” (what a stupid ass title though!). Knight and Day was OK to me. The action scenes HAVE to be one of the best and please God, no slow motion fights. Hope Hrithik has some real time fight scenes. I think it has potential to be a huge earner.
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January 3, 2014 at 7:45 AM
bollywood recycles(copy) well especially aamir khan
mr and mrs smith along with other tiny bond flicks into ek tha tiger and it wasn’t flop …commercial and quality are two different parameters alltogether
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January 3, 2014 at 6:51 AM
GF: Do you dislike Hrithik? I mean do you find him offensive on screen or something.
And while Knight and Day underperformed domestically (and wasn’t a ‘good’ film by any means), it did very well overseas. Do think Katrina is all wrong for the Diaz part- the latter is no great shakes as an actor, but has a definite flair for comedy (she was in her elements here. And still believe that her performance in There is Something About Mary was comedy gold). Aside the rather interesting bit is that the screenplay for the remake has been co-written by Sujoy Ghosh
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January 3, 2014 at 7:46 AM
I must say that Knight and Day is such a flat movie it’s odd to try and remake it. It’s true that these days you get a big initial and unless the film completely tanks everyone calls it a hit even on the poorest trending. But trying this with Knight and day is nonetheless risky. Unless things are seriously spiced up here a Kites-like result would be a real possibility.
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January 3, 2014 at 7:51 AM
and as like kabir khan doing an ek tha tiger ….
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January 3, 2014 at 8:14 AM
Found Knight and Day unwatchable, the most empty of Cruise’s films during this entire rather bleak period of his. When I say this I’m not weighing in on domestic or international totals.
As for Hrithik, it’s not about “disliking” him. Just don’t see the actor here that everyone else appears to even periodically, find him essentially shallow and given that’s precisely what I think of Knight and Day this seems doubly bad. Of course this sort of film doesn’t need real actors which is why Katrina’s along for the ride. Doubt this one will fail, but given the source material it does deserve to.
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January 3, 2014 at 10:08 AM
I share the bewilderment at the generally positive assessment of Hrithik as an “actor.” Happened to watch Jodhaa Akbar with my Mom over Christmas and thought his performance was about an inch deep. Left me longing for Pradeep Kumar!
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January 3, 2014 at 10:45 AM
LOL. But c’mon, it isn’t fair to compare him to Pradeep Kumar. Hrithik is a true-blue star. In my view, the only the one from his age group
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January 3, 2014 at 12:13 PM
“Hrithik is a true-blue star. In my view, the only the one from his age group”
Sincerely mean no offense when I say this but because you’re definitely not alone in this perspective I’d say it’s more a reflection on how the definition of stardom has mutated into something so regimented and so disconnected from qualities beyond the surface, and increasingly tethered to a bland international standard that this kind of assessment (a sad one in my view) has become increasingly popular.
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January 3, 2014 at 12:27 PM
well said..
also being a true-blue star isn’t quite the end of the debate. Vin Diesel might be a true-blue star but in a more informed discourse lesser stars who also bring something else to the table rightly get more attention. Which is not to say Hrithik is Vin Diesel by any means. Obviously he means more within his contexts. Hrithik’s stardom has never been in question. But what he has done with it very much is. I largely see his career as one of stagnation. Not quite sure what he has proved over the years that he didn’t right after KNPH. His last best chance to take things to a different level, at least in the pure box office sense, was after the Krrish/D2 double in ’06. Now it’s a bit too late. Aamir has only cemented his unique status, Salman has blown everyone not called Aamir out of the water (how long it lasts is another matter but he’s ut-initialling everyone), even SRK has had a real high after a long time with CE. Hrithik always struck me as the guy waiting to be ‘promoted’ to the topmost rank once the older guard (Aamir or SRK or whoever) made way. But it doesn’t quite work that way. Now there’s a younger generation already making a mark and he doesn’t have the body of work in terms of quality to set himself apart. All of this still doesn’t dent his stardom but it also doesn’t take him as far as many think.
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January 3, 2014 at 12:59 PM
Waiting to be promoted is apt. Instead of grabbing the bull by the horns and making it happen.
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January 3, 2014 at 8:20 AM
Good to see you,Saurabh!
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January 3, 2014 at 4:07 AM
an excellent summation from Jay on the D3 box office:
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January 3, 2014 at 11:25 AM
My response(s) to the ‘excellent summation’ on D3 by ‘Jay shahs’ —are here—
To add—
The 200-250 cr was a free gift given to d3 by the predecessors/franchise/producers and above all by HR….
The REAL game began post two weeks
When the TRENDING for which aamir is famous for kicked in…
To help in the trending were–the following factors—
EASIEST box office friendly genre
BIGGEST FRANCHISE
Katrina /YRF
OPEN FIELD–no credible releases for TWO more weeks
So after attaining about 250 cr in first two weeks—
All I asked for as a face-saving deal for aamir/d3 is get 100 -150cr more in the next two weeks —
But the ‘trend kings ‘ like Satyam & ‘jay shah’ already seem to have given up–(I haven’t) –let’s see 🙂
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January 3, 2014 at 11:16 AM
BANG BANG -curtain raiser
@ ‘shalini’–u sound v similar/same to Sally aka salim…
“Watch Jodhaa Akbar with my Mom over Christmas and thought his performance was about an inch deep.” It depends how many inches ‘deep’ do u consider ‘depth’ lol
As for ‘bang bang’ —
I will be surprised if it does anything below 200 cr(wh)ores..
We are NOT talking about an aamir movie here where the ‘story/content’ HAS to be good for it to work or else u get a talaash or d3 (post two weeks!)
However the main problem facing hritik is not any ‘competition’ or underperformance but his own health & personal issues
IF they get sorted & IF the film gets completed–it will be a fun watch —
For this genre –it’s got the A-TEAM Bollywood can offer !!
(Deepika can be good as well here but feel Kat has an edge still)
HR on cover—
http://www.techykart.com/exhibit-magazine-subscription.html
Besides it will be good to revisit the Kat-HR ‘chemistry’ after ZNMD 🙂
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January 3, 2014 at 3:11 PM
Jay, your logic is quite alright I guess. The reasons in words
convey more than the actual numbers (the business is changing rapidly) and the ‘status symbols’ of hits and misses and inbetweeners (because the costs are not known yet, obviously).
The monster hit of all, which doesn’t make me happy at all, will be HNY as I think Farah and SRK have got the bit in between their teeth now – irrespective of the quality of the film. Abhishek man is still stuck in a rut doing nonsense stuff that doesn’t do his immense talent any justice at all. Someone tell him instead of smarming him with flattery.
Peekay should be a good film. I hope it brings the quality of an Aamit starter back which took a blemish with a poor D3!
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January 3, 2014 at 3:19 PM
Yes the numbers matter less than narrative. I think HNY is shaping up to be the big film if the year. P.k should be the best of this list.
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January 5, 2015 at 12:31 AM
Most of the predictions came out to be true…except the under estimation of Kick and Singham 2. time for 2015 predictions!
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January 5, 2015 at 1:24 AM
Aamirsfan & Others – Most of the predictions are wrong –
Dead wrong and huge under quotation was given for Holiday, Kick, Bang Bang, Singham2 and PK. His predictions are right only for Happy New Year and Jai Ho.
As these are mere predictions we cannot hold anything against any one. But calling Jayshah – one of the most biased member here – as someone whose predictions are true is a gross overstatement and the very thing PK asked us not to do.
Quite clearly, Jayshah is the Wrong Number
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January 5, 2015 at 2:26 AM
bias – I guess people should look at themselves. The correct words are agree and disagree.
Of course some predictions are not correct but if there is something to be discussed/argued is the the reasoning behind the predictions.
If you are brave enough, you will put your prediction and we can discuss at end of year!
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January 5, 2015 at 11:54 AM
some even dare to predict that their favorite stars will ‘act’ in their next films..
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