How the predictions failed for Joker. It was expected that despite all the murmurs and speculations around the film, its director and the cast, audience won't be impacted to a very huge degree and give at least a fair start to Joker. At the bare minimum, at least a 50% opening was expected. Guess that was expecting a lot since the audience seemed to have made up their mind not to even step into theatres. Leave aside the word of mouthing spreading out - whether negative or positive - there were hardly any footfalls that resulted in the film being labelled as a box office failure by the time Friday came to close.
With an opening of merely 20% (which didn't really show much improvement over the weekend either), Joker continued to be poor all through. After the weekend collections in the range of 15-16 crores, the film doesn't carry many hopes in the rest of the week either. Despite the fact that it managed a solo release for itself and Ek Tha Tiger wasn't a huge competition any more, Joker has proved to be a downer at the box office. Though it is obvious that the film would suffer losses, the only silver lining is that the losses won't be of disastrous proportions since the film hasn't been sold at a very fancy price.
Meanwhile Akshay Kumar has moved on and is already eyeing OMG Oh My God! as his next money-spinner. Sonakshi Sinha has seen a break in her century run but has Son of Sardaar and Dabangg 2 lined up to bring her back in the reckoning rather soon. On the other hand Shirish Kunder could well be taking a short break before announcing his next.
Other releases of the week, I M 24, From Sydney With Love and Jalpari, didn't find any favour whatsoever from the audience. Poor release, negligible show count, abrupt arrival and hardly any mention from those within and outside the industry further proved to be a death knell for these small budget affairs. Each of these is a major commercial failure.
Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi hasn't quite managed to create magic at the box office. If the opening was lukewarm, the progress over the weekend wasn't much heartening either. The weekdays stayed on to be ordinary too with further fall in collections which means at the end of it's first week, the collections of this Sanjay Leela Bhansali production have accounted to just around 9 crores. Though this is far better than what My Friend Pinto had earned when released last year, one expected far better from this Boman Irani and Farah Khan starrer that had sent positive signals when it's promotion had kick-started.
One can't ignore the fact that Ek Tha Tiger played a major role in the film not finding good visibility and favour amongst the audience. With the Salman Khan starrer managing more than triple the collections of this Bela Sehgal directed film even in its second week, the writing was clear on the wall. Moreover, the content too wasn't really terrific enough to warrant junta stepping into theatres in hordes. All in all, this was a theek thaak affair that could entice a DVD or a satellite watch but when it came to its big screen foray, it was given a pass.
Ironically Farah Khan has faced a challenge from herself as her own production Joker has now released which means 'Shirin Farhad....' has a limited screen space in theatres. The theatrical collections are now expected to close at the 12 crore mark which is ordinary and may just about result in the film being tagged as a coverage affair.
Salman Khan's Ek Tha Tiger has set yet another record! The film has crossed the 200 crore mark, that too in just 12 days. The movie has collected more than Rs. 210 cr, in domestic and overseas Box Office. In India it has crossed 175 crore, according to trade analysts.
And this is not the only record clenched by the blockbuster. ETT is also India's biggest opener yet, as it garnered a whopping sum of Rs. 32 crores on the very first day of its release. The YRF flick also became the fastest 100 crore grosser, by crossing the 100 crore mark in just five days. Presently the movie is only behind Aamir Khan's 2009 release 3 Idiots, which is still Bollywood's top earning movie, with a collection of 202 crores, in India.
Ek Tha Tiger revolves around a RAW agent codenamed Tiger, played by Salman Khan and his lady love Zoya, essayed by Katrina Kaif. Directed by Kabir Khan, the movie released on August 15, 2012.
Even by conservative estimates, one expected an opening of around 30%-50% for 'Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi'. However that was not to be the case as the occupancy hovered under the 30% mark till the evening shows on the opening Friday and grew only marginally as the weekend progressed. Huge footfalls were not really on the cards for this Bela Sehgal film that was made on a restricted budget and didn't quite boast of a big screen canvas. Still, going by a good response to the initial talkie promos, one expected better.
What worked for the film to some extent was decent word of mouth that allowed this Boman Irani-Farah Khan starrer to grow over the weekend. Though the jumps weren't magnificently high, they were still noticeable enough to allow 'Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi' a decent total of 6 crore weekend. While this is now indicating that the costs of this small budget film may be recovered, the total is definitely less than what even the makers would have expected to begin with.
Also, given the fact that some of the small budget films like 'Vicky Donor', 'Paan Singh Tomar', 'Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya', 'Hate Story' and 'Blood Money' amongst others have done well this year, 'Shirin Farhad....' with a much bigger name like Sanjay Leela Bhansali associated with it could have covered a larger distance.
The silver lining though is in the form of performances. Boman Irani and debutant Farah Khan are the real reasons that allowed the film to hold on some extent at the least. They have been appreciated by the audience and while Boman can be expected to be as versatile as ever in films to come, one waits to see whether Farah decides to be a little more prolific in front of the camera fro this point on.
It was always on the cards that the Bodyguard record would be comfortably surpassed by Ek Tha Tiger. However the speed at which it has happened for this Kabir Khan directed film is clearly mind boggling. Even though the film has opened extraordinarily well, one waited to see how the film would perform after the euphoria settled down. However as has turned out to be the case, the film has sustained extremely well, and how.
This Salman Khan starrer has turned out to be the first film to record over 10 crores in each of its first eight days, something that hasn't ever happened before. With its entire extended week of 9 days bringing in very good moolah, the film has now crossed the 150 crore mark by a good margin.
The feat is special for number of reasons. First and foremost this Yash Raj production is now the second biggest grosser of all times, hence being next only to 3 Idiots (202 crores). Secondly, the speed with which this number has been achieved is now a standard that has been set for films to come. Thirdly, and very importantly, it now sets very high target for Dabangg 2 which had made over 140 crores two years back. Given the current standing of Salman, the business that Bollywood is enjoying today and the fact that it is a sequel to a much loved film means that Dabangg 2 would most definitely end 2012 on a high.
The film should do well in second week as well and though the percentage drop from first week would be seemingly high, one has to consider the fact that 150 crores plus in 9 days is no mean feat. Still, a second week of around 35 crore is a possibility which means the film would be ~190 crore by the time Joker releases. Post that it would be a close watch to see the 200 crore mark being reached, something which cannot be ruled out now.
When the first theatrical promo of Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi was unveiled a few months back, it had met with a decent to good all around reception. No one had anything negative to say about this Sanjay Leela Bhansali production and the Hrishikesh Mukherjee/Basu Chatterjee flavour to the enterprise had managed to bring on smiles as well.
One would have felt though that there would be enhanced buzz in weeks to follow since the start was positive. However blame it on the huge money-spinners that came in the interim period (Ek Tha Tiger, Bol Bachchan, Cocktail) which took away a fair share of promotional space for weeks in succession or the fact that song promos didn't entice as much as the talkie ones, one does feel that Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi could have benefitted with better momentum.
As of now the film is looking at a 30%-50% opening with multiplexes expected to fetch better numbers. With Boman Irani and Farah Khan in the lead, this should be a fine number to start with though the film would have to see a very quick jump in occupancy over the weekend.
There are two reasons for that. First and foremost Ek Tha Tiger would still be the first choice of moviegoers for second week in succession and it's second week collections would be higher than first week of 'Shirin Farhad...'. Moreover, the film has one week to make maximum moolah since 'Joker' arrives next weekend. Ironic, since the film is Farah's home production.
A small film titled Delhi In A Day is expected to release alongside 'Shirin Farhad...' as well. However zero promotion, lack of star value and haphazard release means it would go totally unnoticed.
Salman Khan has proved yet again that he is the leader of the 100 crore club, in Bollywood. Salman's latest release 'Ek Tha Tiger', has broken all box-office records in India, by garnering a whopping sum of Rs.100.16 crore nett in just five days.
'Ek Tha Tiger' has become the fastest 100 crore grosser and this is not the only record
that the movie has set. The film collected a sum of Rs.32 crore on its opening day and broke the record of the highest first day collection, which was earlier held by Karan Johar's 2012 release 'Agneepath' (22 crores). It is also Yash Raj Films' first project, which has crossed the 100 crore mark.
The film revolves around a RAW agent codenamed Tiger, played by Salman Khan and his lady love Zoya, essayed by Katrina Kaif. Directed by Kabir Khan, the film released on August 15, 2012.
With four centuries to his credit, it seems that Salmania is not going to end, anytime soon.
The way Gangs Of Wasseypur II played over it's mid-week release, it was apparent that the film wasn't really headed towards a total that would have resulted in the makers smiling. The film opened on a barely average note and when the entire extended weekend passed by without any rise in collections, it was apparent that this Anurag Kashyap film would have a restricted run for itself.
The first week's collections (over 9 days) reads a little over 18 crores which just about manages to bring the film closer to the coverage mark. Taking into consideration the fact that this is a starless affair and not quite directed at the family audience, the film (in both parts) has at least brought Anurag into the commercial arena. Overall though the collections are still disappointing for a film which definitely deserved better. However, lack of star value, abundance of adult content (violence, language) and the biggest factor of them all - arrival of Ek Tha Tiger - means the film would see a premature end in theatres.
Collectively,
Gangs Of Wasseypur
1 and 2' would end at over 50 crores mark which is the highest that an Anurag Kashyap film has ever scored at the box office. He would definitely be hoping for a better box office outcome in films to come, now that some substantial moolah has flowed in.
The D-Day is just a few hours away. It is a foregone conclusion that Ek Tha Tiger would arrive like a hurricane. There won't be any surprise either when it reaches the 100 crore. It is also a given that with this, Salman Khan would make it four in a row (after Dabangg, Ready, Bodyguard) as far as scoring a century is concerned. No one doubts either that the film will break the highest collections ever for a Salman Khan starrer. Katrina Kaif fans and followers can be assured as well that this would be her biggest money spinner till date.
With all such 'definite things' in the happening, what exactly is Ek Tha Tiger chasing? Well, the stakes are much higher. It has to be seen whether this Independence Day, the film would create record for the highest grossing day ever (hence breaking the record of RA. One). If continued buzz over last few months and the advance booking are any indication, it will most definitely do that and that too by a huge margin. Figuratively speaking, the target is 30 crores first day. Will Ek Tha Tiger manage that? Looks very likely though practically speaking, one can be 100% confident that 27-28 crores is a given.
This should be possibly with all-India collections of around 70%-80% that the film can expect on the first day. While major centres and multiplexes should be recording 100% opening right through the day, one has to also take into account that the film is seeing a huge release with a record print count which means it would be impossible for this Kabir Khan directed film to register 100% occupancy all over. Moreover with a substantial population expected to watch the film after Eid, even 70% plus all-India collections till then would be enough to break and create new records.
The first major record which is all set to be created is the fastest century ever. So far it is held by Bodyguard which managed this total in an extended 9 day week. Ek Tha Tiger is all set to achieve this total in six, if not five days. Now these are the records which would be created solely on the opening basis and euphoria around Salman. The content would do the talking from Tuesday onwards and that would decided whether the film would march towards 200 crore mark or not, hence eclipsing 3 Idiots record. However, more about that next week. Till then one can be content with the fact that 150 crores is certainly on.
It was felt that decent buzz created by Gangs Of Wasseypur would positively impact Part II which was released over the weekend gone by. However that wasn't the case to be as the film barely took a 30%-40% opening with only select theatres registering better occupancy. Releasing the film in the middle of the week was anyways a risk and that showed in the footfalls as well since many were not even aware about this Anurag Kashyap directed affair running in theatres.
At his end the makers did well to release the film on Wednesday so as to enjoy a complete week before Ek Tha Tiger arrives. However the decision didn't really pay expected benefits as the film just about went through the motions right till the end of weekend and managed only a little over 16 crores in total. On a regular release it may have seemed like a decent haul since Gangs of Wasseypur is a star-less affair with an offbeat theme. Moreover these are collections accumulated only over five days. However the fact that the film has only seven days for itself before Ek Tha Tiger takes over means the film has very limited run.
In fact one of the other reasons for the film's below-par run is the fact that audience has been waiting for Ek Tha Tiger more than anything else which means other releases were bound to be crushed. In case of Gangs of Wasseypur 2, even though critical response ranged from average to excellent, that didn't really translate into fabulous collections. The way Gangs of Wasseypur 2 is going, it would end its run much below the lifetime collections of Gangs of Wasseypur which is around 28 crores. A better release timing would have definitely helped this well made film to score more.
However nothing could have possibly saved Second Marriage Dot Com, Overtime and 5 Ghantey Mien 5 Crore which released only in select theatres and disappeared unannounced while collecting barely in thousands.
There is a mad rush amongst makers to release their films before Ek Tha Tiger hits the screens next week. Though there are as many as five films lined up, the only one that can expect good footfalls is Gangs of Wasseypur II. Part I of the film saw good appreciation coming its way and turned into a neat grosser. Now Part 2 has created some good buzz around itself and the makers have done well to sustain momentum ever since the release of Part 1. Promos have been impressive and what goes in the film's favour is the fact that (especially) followers of Part 1 are eagerly looking forward to it.
Having said that, the film is again catering to the niche audience which means one can't be expecting any records to be broken here. Still, anything over 60% opening for this Anurag Kashyap film would be good enough reason to rejoice for the investors. Moreover, it would have to sustain very well over the weekdays as well since its run would be impacted by Ek Tha Tiger that arrives on Wednesday, 15th August. This is the reason why GOW 2 is also releasing this Wednesday so as to enjoy a full week run. Since Jism 2 hasn't really gained many brownie points for itself, GOW 2 can expect an uninterrupted run.
Other four releases of the week are Second Marriage Dot Com, Main Krishna Hoon, 5 Ghantey Mien 5 Crore and Overtime. Amongst these, only film which has seen some promotion coming its way is Second Marriage Dot Com whiles rest are coming literally unannounced. Second Marriage Dot Com deals with remarriage, Main Krishna Hoon is a live-animation flick, 5 Ghantey Mien 5 Crore is a thriller and Overtime is a dramatic affair. One waits to see whether these films actually manage to release on Friday. However, it would be futile to expect anything more than 5%-10% opening for them.
Trade as well as industry in general was caught by surprise with Jism 2 opening much better than what was predicted. While it had seemed that the collections would range between 40%-60% depending upon centres, the craze around checking out Sunny Leone meant that occupancy was in upwards of 60% during the opening shows with quite a few centres registering houseful collections by the time evening set in. It was clear - there were many out there who were curious to have a dekko at the film and the brand value helped too.
Even though the euphoria settled down after Friday shows were concluded, the film had already made huge moolah with as astonishing 7.5 crores coming on the opening day. Add to that one crore which had come the previous day from paid previews and the film was already sitting pretty on 8.5 crores.
Expectedly though, the film showed a massive fall (around 30%-40%) on Saturday and this was due to two reasons. First and foremost the film had seen its saturation point being reached on Friday which means it would have been near impossible for it to show similar collections on the next day too. Moreover, not just were majority of reviews negative, even the word of mouth was tilted more towards bad to average. Though critical appreciation or rejection hardly matters for a film belonging to this genre, audience verdict was important. That hasn't really been in the favour of this film which means there would be struggle from this point on.
Commercially though, the job has been done for the film. When it was expected that the film would at best collect 12 crores over the weekend, that number was reached by close of Saturday itself. The film is now sitting pretty on a 20 crore base after a good Sunday, which is simply huge for a product that has been made on a very low cost. This also goes on to show that right costing, brand quotient as well as smart marketing with some element of curiosity attached to a product can aid a film arriving into a safety zone sooner than later.
Meanwhile other two releases of the week, Krishna aur Kans and Yeh Jo Mohabbat Hai, opened to empty houses in whichever centres they were released. With collections reading in thousands, even the print and publicity cost won't be recovered for these films. In that aspect From Sydney With Love played it's cards smartly and postponed it's arrival instead of getting sandwiched in a horde.
As many as three Hindi films and one Hollywood flick release this week. While Jism 2 tops Bollywood releases, Yeh Jo Mohabbat Hai and animation film Krishna Aur Kans also trying to make it's presence felt, Total Recall would be the Hollywood outing this week. While Jism 2 is obviously expected to lead amongst Hindi films, Total Recall should open well but definitely not on the lines of The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-Man or even Ice Age 4 for that matter since neither is it an established franchise in India nor does it have a lead (Colin Farrell) who has a huge fan following here.
This means the stage is all set for Jism 2 to make moolah. The film has ade some good news ever since it was conceptualised. With Sunny Leone landing in India this week, there is added curiosity about her and the film. The songs have been tuneful too while the name Bhatt carries a weight of its own. The film's theme though is a double edged sword. While it is good enough to entice youth, for family audience it could well mean a deterrent. This would show in the collections as well which are expected to be good but not mind blowing.
All of this means that collections in the range of 40%-60% (depending upon centres and multiplex v/s single screens) are pretty much on the cards with expectations of a better showing as the weekend progresses. This should still be good enough for the film as it has been made at a moderate cost and hence anything over a 10-12 crore weekend would be a matter of celebration for the makers. In fact these numbers would be quite good for a film of this genre since these were the lifetime collections of Hate Story that had released earlier this year.
Meanwhile Yeh Jo Mohabbat Hai is arriving in a rush which is surprising since they come from a banner that had once made quite a few Bollywood potboilers but would struggle to make its presence felt. On the other hand animation film Krishna aur Kans is arriving out of nowhere. Expect 5%-15% footfalls for these films in the select screens they release.
These are turning out to be real good times for Bollywood. Bol Bachchan, Cocktail and now Kya Super Kool Hain Hum - Three different films catering to varied sensibilities have been accepted by the audience, and how. Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum was always looking like a success in the making but its stupendous opening (of 23 crores) was reason enough to rejoice. Detractors though were busy writing obituaries as many were of belief that the so-called 'vulgar, disdainful and cringe worthy' film won't survive over the weekdays. None of this happened though as the film stayed on to be quite stable over the weekdays too.
Result? The film has now netted close to 33 crores in its first week, hence assuring itself a comfortable hit tag. In fact for both Riteish Deshmukh and Tusshar Kapoor, this is their biggest money spinner ever in a two hero set up. Though both of them have hugely successful franchises like Golmaal and 'Housefull' to their name, these have been three-four hero setups with Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar respectively leading the bunch. In case of Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum though, the junior-most amongst the tribe have managed to find audience apne dam par which is double the reason for celebration for them.
The film will get impacted over the weekend though since Jism 2 is arriving with a good hype. Later in the middle of the week when Gangs of Wasseypur II releases (it arrives on a Wednesday), there would be further competition in store. However, this Sachin Yardi adult comedy is the kind of film that could fetch its loyal (college going) audience in days to come as well on a steady basis till Ek Tha Tiger arrives.
The job is done though with the milestone of 45 crores pretty much in sight. However for a 50 crore affair, Riteish and Tusshar would have to wait for another day. Not that they would complain as their film is now one of the top grossing success of the years so far and that too after being made at a throwaway cost.
As predicted in this column last week, Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum embarked on a very good start with the first day average occupancy in the range of 60%-70%. This was pretty much as per the script because intense marketing and promotion for over six months had ensured that the Ekta Kapoor production would have some healthy numbers to show.
What came as an icing on the cake was the fact that the collection stayed on to be quite stable over the weekdays as well. Now this was most crucial for this adult comedy since hype would have ensured a healthy first day but poor of word of mouth could have resulted in a sudden crash as well. Fortunately for the film, this didn't quite happen and even though the reviews were mostly negative, the makers hardly complained since they had
practically asked for it from the time their promotional campaign had kick-started.
All of this means that the film managed over 22 crores for itself in the first weekend which is a huge number by all means and also one of the best this year. In fact it is better than the likes of Teri Meri Kahaani (Shahid Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra) and Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu (Kareena Kapoor, Imran Khan) which were obviously far bigger projects and also more expensive. Moreover, while both these films were extensively shot in foreign
locations, Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum was an entirely 'desi' film with Goa as the most exotic location it could think of visiting.
The way Kyaa Super Kool Hai Hum has found good patronage coming from the youth, it is now a given (as hinted last week itself) that 40 crores would be comfortably crossed. However the challenge now is to come close to the 50 crore mark. With Jism 2 and Gangs of Wasseypur II as limited competition before Ek Tha Tiger arrives with all it's fury, all eyes would now be on Riteish Deshmukh and Tusshar Kapoor to de some 'macho' impression over the weekdays as well.
As predicted in this column last week, Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum embarked on a very good start with the first day average occupancy in the range of 60%-70%. This was pretty much as per the script because intense marketing and promotion for over six months had ensured that the Ekta Kapoor production would have some healthy numbers to show.
What came as an icing on the cake was the fact that the collection stayed on to be quite stable over the weekdays as well. Now this was most crucial for this adult comedy since hype would have ensured a healthy first day but poor of word of mouth could have resulted in a sudden crash as well. Fortunately for the film, this didn't quite happen and even though the reviews were mostly negative, the makers hardly complained since they had
practically asked for it from the time their promotional campaign had kick-started.
All of this means that the film managed over 22 crores for itself in the first weekend which is a huge number by all means and also one of the best this year. In fact it is better than the likes of Teri Meri Kahaani (Shahid Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra) and Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu (Kareena Kapoor, Imran Khan) which were obviously far bigger projects and also more expensive. Moreover, while both these films were extensively shot in foreign
locations, Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum was an entirely 'desi' film with Goa as the most exotic location it could think of visiting.
The way Kyaa Super Kool Hai Hum has found good patronage coming from the youth, it is now a given (as hinted last week itself) that 40 crores would be comfortably crossed. However the challenge now is to come close to the 50 crore mark. With Jism 2 and Gangs of Wasseypur II as limited competition before Ek Tha Tiger arrives with all it's fury, all eyes would now be on Riteish Deshmukh and Tusshar Kapoor to de some 'macho' impression over the weekdays as well.
Balaji's winning streak continues with its latest release, Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum that has garnered huge numbers on Day 1 at the domestic box office.
This is the studio's seventh successive hit after Love Sex Aur Dhokha, 'Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai', 'Taaryanche Bait (Marathi), Shor In The City, Ragini MMS and The Dirty Picture.
The raunchy comedy, starring Tusshar Kapoor and Riteish Deshmukh, collected Rs. 7.12 Cr (Net) on Friday, making it one of the top 10 openers of the year.
The opening numbers have been better than some of the other films that released earlier this year, that were made on higher budgets and featured a bigger star cast.
Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum is poised for an enormous opening weekend of 22 Cr+.
Producer Ekta Kapoor said, “We got gaalis from the critics and taalis from the audience. That is the recipe for sure-shot box office success.”
Tanuj Garg, CEO, Balaji Motion Pictures, said, “The huge opening of Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum re-endorses our ability and strength at creating product intrigue and excitement through innovative marketing and aggressive distribution.”
Produced under the Alt Entertainment banner, the film has been written and directed by Sachin Yardi, and stars Tusshar, Riteish Deshmukh, Sarah-Jane Dias, Neha Sharma, Anupam Kher and Chunky Pandey, among others.
Smart marketing, aggressive promotion and continued hype has done well for Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum. The film, which has been pretty unabashed as far as tagging itself as a sex comedy is concerned, has been in news ever since it was launched. Resultantly, close to 8-9 months after it started making buzz, the Riteish Deshmukh-Tusshar Kapoor starrer sequel to Kya Kool Hain Hum, is all set to fetch a good start all over this weekend. As things stand today, while 60%-70% start is a given (which is good considering the fact that it would be patronised mainly by students and youth), expect houseful shows by late night.
Ever since sequels came into vogue, the trend has been for each of them to do at least double the business (at times even triple) of the original. The only exception has been Rakht Charitra but then well, that's a different story altogether. Going by that logic, and also considering the fact that the market has really expanded for films in last 7-8 years, Kya Super Kool Hain Hum should comfortably cross the 40 crores mark as it's lifetime collections. In fact it won't be surprising if this number is reached by the second weekend itself but for that one has to wait and watch for the actual content.
The film's promos have pretty much indicated what the content is all about. This also means that it would be a push for the family audience (sans their children) to be actually venturing in theatres in hordes. More so since 'A' certificate would be further deterrent. However with an entire week open for itself by virtue of being a sole release, the film should rake in good moolah. While the film is all set to be a success, it would also bring in a double hat trick for Riteish Deshmukh who has five successive profit makers behind him (Housefull 2, Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya, Double Dhamaal, F.A.L.T.U, Housefull).
While the success would also mean that Tusshar would be able to shrug off the failure of Chaar Din Ki Chandni, it would also be second lease of life for Sarah Jane Dias (Game) and Neha Sharma (Crook). As for Ekta Kapoor, she would be looking forward to yet another success for her after The Dirty Picture.
Meanwhile, a film called Aalaap is also releasing this weekend but this barely promoted outing doesn't stand a chance at the box office.
Saif Ali Khan has all the reasons to break into a wide grin. His Cocktail has managed to net 55 crores in it's first week, hence turning out to be his biggest week ever, either in a solo or multi starrer. After a 36 crores weekend, the film held on well in the weekdays as well and though there was a slight decline in collections from Tuesday onwards, it wasn't scary enough to lead to any alarms. In fact the collections were pretty much as per industry norm of 50%-60% fall in collections over the weekdays, hence resulting in the kind of total that now marks Cocktail as a definite hit at the least.
It's eventual fate depends upon the second weekend though. The Dark Knight Rises is the major release of the weekend and since that too is expected to create havoc at the box office on it's first couple of days at the least, Cocktail should ideally come back on track from Sunday onwards. Hollywood euphoria is expected to settle down by then and family audience should be favouring the desi daaru of Saif Ali Khan-Deepika Padukone-Diana Penty all over again.
All of this means that while 75 crores is most definitely achievable from here, it would be interesting to see if the film crosses the 80 crores mark. There is competition in store week after week (Kya Super Kool Hain Hum and Jism 2) which means Cocktail would have to hold on ground quite firmly. However, given the fact that Saif didn't quite have a happy outing with Agent Vinod just a few weeks back, one can be rest assured that he would happy with anything between 75-80 crores for Cocktail.
After giving a landmark film like Singham, Ajay Devgn is all set to repeat history, as his latest release Bol Bachchan is ready to hit the Rs. 100 crore mark.
The Rohit Shetty flick has garnered a whopping sum of Rs 98.66 crore nett, according to trade analysts. So it's just a matter of time for the laugh riot to join the prestigious 100 crore club.
The film released in India on July 6, 2012 and also stars Asin Thottumkal, Prachi Desai and Abhishek Bachchan alongside Devgn. If the film hits the Rs. 100 crore mark, it will be Bachchan's first film to enter the club.
