The outlook is dismal for Bollywood as this holiday season has been marked by a depressing dearth of box office success for newly released films. In the past, it was possible to chalk up some revenue when two high–profile movies clashed; but even then both would often suffer. The circumstances of Laal Singh Chaddha and Raksha Bandhan are particularly worrisome though, not because they lack screen space or are in danger of faltering against competition in the weeks ahead, but because audiences refused to give them an opening week opportunity – one that should have taken advantage of its being filled with holidays.
It has been a disheartening turnout for both movies; their collections hit rock–bottom on Tuesday. The dismal performance in the first five days have now been followed by an even more meager figure, confirming the audiences’ rejection of these films. Given that Janmashtami (a partial holiday) is scheduled for Thursday, one would expect at least some growth; however, it appears as though no such positive turnarounds will take place. It’s dreadfully difficult to imagine how this weekend might shape up but we’ll keep our eyes open and learn more about the situation as time passes.
Tuesday brought some major turbulence in the box office standings for Laal Singh Chaddha and Raksha Bandhan as they witnessed a drastic decline of Rs. 2 crores and Rs. 1.75 crores respectively when compared to Thursday’s figures of Rs. 11.70 crores and Rs 8.20 crores*. Now, the six–day combined tally stands at a bleak figure of Rs 47.83 crores* and Rs 36.22 crores* for the Aamir Khan–starrer and Akshay Kumar led film respectively, without even coming close to crossing the 100 crore mark in their opening week (7 days). At this point, one wonders if it’s even achievable throughout their entire theatrical run or not; but it looks like an impossible feat at this stage.Now if this
isn’t a heartbreak, then what is?
*Estimates. Final numbers awaited
Note: All collections as per production and distribution sources
