The past weekend saw two entirely dissimilar films – one, a lighthearted entertainer which followed the story of a homosexual couple, and the other, a horror thriller set on a haunted ship – hit theaters, both starring an actor who had a stellar year in 2019. Ayushmann Khurranna triumphed with three blockbusters – Article 15, Dream Girl and Bala – whereas Vicky Kaushal achieved massive success with Bhoot – The Haunted Ship. Despite their similarities, every movie stands on its own and draws its own audience. This was very much the case with the new releases.
Despite being advertised as a family film, Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhan, a film addressing a controversial subject, collected only Rs. 32.66 crores during its opening weekend, which is significantly less than the revenue earned by Ayushmann Khurrana’s last two movies, Bala and Dream Girl, amounting to Rs. 43.95 crores and Rs. 44.57 crores respectively. As these two films entertained a much wider audience base, the figure of Rs. 12.03 crores achieved by the former on Sunday was only to be expected.
Bhoot – The Haunted Ship is one of the uncommon horror films produced by Bollywood. Even among Hollywood movies that have been imported to India, only a few belonging to this genre find a wide audience, and this Vicky Kaushal starrer was mainly aimed at moviegoers in multiplexes. Contrary to the typical Bollywood masala film, Bhoot – The Haunted Ship didn’t contain melodic songs, chartbuster dances, or a suggestion (or even a heavy dose) of a sexual element.
Sunday made a sizable Rs. 5.74 crores addition, a commendable achievement taking into account the circumstances. Presently accumulating to Rs. 16.36 crores, its success over the upcoming weekdays could determine its eventual success in the box office.
