Box Office Madness

Note all numbers are from Trade Guide

Reporting Methodology

1) New films most of the time where possible will be benchmarked against other films ‘in the same range’. The gross used for the older films will be either one’s I have computed or a BOI gross or a gross from Joginder’s column
2) Films currently playing – I will always do some trending analysis. This is always against the ‘week before’
3) To compute subsequent week grosses I will always benchmark against ‘the first week’. Before it was always the preceding week, but Week 1 is always the best base because it gives maximum centres to use
4) Going forward I will show ONE example in FULL and show the results of the remaining scenarios

New Releases

An opening week that was meant to be historic turned out to be a nightmare for most concerned with Tashan. The huge multi-star comedy/actioner riding on the success of the recent box office exploits of its stars; Akshay Kumar (a run of 5 successes in a row), Saif Ali Khan (substantial success from Race), Kareena Kapoor (accolades and box office success from Jab We Met) and Anil Kapoor (supporting acts in Welcome and Race) AND with one of the biggest production houses calling the shots, Tashan had all the pieces in the jigsaw in place to potentially annihilate opening week records. Unfortunately, the stubbornness of Yashraj and the ‘squeezing out’ of multiplex owners causing a revenue sharing row meant Tashan failed to release in most multiplexes for the whole of the week. In this age of huge multiplex revenues, the loss is likely to be greater than 10Cr nett revenues for the week.

There really hasn’t been much good fortune for Tashan from any quarters. The reviews have by in large ripped the movie apart and comparisons to films last year have been less than complimentary. The opening in small centres too lacked the frenzy and buzz seen for big releases. The pre-release publicity was lackluster; was this a disaster waiting to happen? The one bit of good news the film has received is that it will release in multiplexes in week two. That it could be all too late is a near a bang on certainty, but it could help to repair some damage.

IndiaFm

An understanding has been reached between Yash Raj Films and the multiplexes for the entire YRF slate of films for the year 2008. This agreement commences with Vijay Krishna Acharya’s TASHAN, which will be released in multiplexes nationwide starting Saturday, May 3.

This will be followed by Kunal Kohli’s THODA PYAR THODA MAGIC on June 27, Siddharth Anand’s BACHNA AE HASEENO on August 15, Jugal Hansraj’s ROADSIDE ROMEO on October 24 and culminates with Aditya Chopra’s RAB NE BANA DI JODI on December 12.

The terms agreed upon are to the mutual satisfaction of all concerned parties.

Hindustantimes

Every element seemed to be in place. Intense publicity, top league stars, no big release in competition, and the summer season which attracts the youth audience to the cinema halls by droves. Nothing helped.

Dull wave
Tashan laid a big egg at the box office. Vijay Krishna Acharya (co-writer of Dhoom and Dhoom II) was directing for the first time and it showed in the incoherent result which will do nothing - of not damage - the standing of its producer Yash Raj films. Read Aditya Chopra. Clearly the Chopra clout is diminishing.

Multiplex owners had resolved not to buckle into Yash Raj’s demand of a higher percentage of ticket sales. Usually, such an impasse has been resolved either on the eve of a film in contention, or at most the day after its release.

Note all numbers are from IndiaFm

Reporting Methodology

1) New films most of the time where possible will be benchmarked against other films ‘in the same range’. The gross used for the older films will be either one’s I have computed or a BOI gross or a gross from Joginder’s column
2) Films currently playing – I will always do some trending analysis. This is always against the ‘week before’
3) To compute subsequent week grosses I will always benchmark against ‘the first week’. Before it was always the preceding week, but Week 1 is always the best base because it gives maximum centres to use
4) Going forward I will show ONE example in FULL and show the results of the remaining scenarios

New Releases

No notable new releases to report on

Past Releases

scan112.pdf

scan21.pdf

This one includes a 12-page supplement with detailed box office reports; seems odd that Film Information does this sporadically, but not on a regular basis.

scan17.pdf

Link-BO

Note all numbers are from IndiaFm

Reporting Methodology

1) New films most of the time where possible will be benchmarked against other films ‘in the same range’. The gross used for the older films will be either one’s I have computed or a BOI gross or a gross from Joginder’s column
2) Films currently playing – I will always do some trending analysis. This is always against the ‘week before’
3) To compute subsequent week grosses I will always benchmark against ‘the first week’. Before it was always the preceding week, but Week 1 is always the best base because it gives maximum centres to use
4) Going forward I will show ONE example in FULL and show the results of the remaining scenarios

New Releases

1-2-3

Comedies continue to be bankable earners and 1-2-3 continues this trend. Though there is nothing extra-ordinary about how much it has made so far, it is still only a little shy of what a film like Jab We Met made in its first week. To avoid this abstract comparison, all I am attempting to say is a small-medium budget comedy stands a markedly better chance of survival then any other genre currently. It is very much a bankable proposition.

scan14.pdf