Last year and earlier this year, we came up with four articles wherein we asked trade experts how much the digital films would have earned at the box office had these films been released in cinemas. After a tremendous response to each of the three stories, we are now back with a similar exercise.
NOTE – The box office data presented below are specifically for the Indian Box Office
Probable Theatrical Box Office Lifetime: Rs. 60 to 70 crores
Last week, the Kriti Sanon-starrer Mimi was released on Jio Cinema and Netflix. Though it had been scheduled for release on July 30th, but due to being leaked online before then, its premiere date was pushed up to July 26th. However despite this lack of negative feedback from audiences, the film still managed to score high with critics because of Laxman Utekar’s directorial prowess and his screenplay co-written with Roshan Shankar which delivers some genuine laughs throughout.
Therefor, had Mimi been given a cinema release date, it would have garnered an above average opening on day one. But ticket sales would have increased greatly after day two. Given the film is PG-rated and family friendly, families of all ages will flock to see this movie that they could take their children too without being embarrassed or worried about them having nightmares later on. It wouldn’t be unheard of for second week ticket sales to surpass first week ones; something that has only happened once before with Kangana Ranaut starrer Queen (2014). Depending on what other movies are released around it in the initial and following weeks, if Mimi can manage to reach 50% at least by the end of the year then I’m sure you’ll consider this movie successful.
Trade Verdict:
Trade Analyst Taran Adarsh believes that the movie ‘Mimi’ would have been successful. He said, Mimi was a calm entertainer. It had an interesting plot and was very believable. The performance of each actor was great, whether it’s Sai Tamhankar-who is a skilled actress-Pankaj Tripathi-or even Kriti Sanon-who many people are unfamiliar with. However, when it comes to categorizing performers, Kriti does not make it onto this list yet does for glamorous roles.
He added, Had it come out in theaters the first day probably wouldn’t have been great as this is a female-centric film, the name itself is different and Kriti Sanon has an unrecognizable character. However with positive word of mouth going around about how much people loved watching her on screen again – its popularity would grow. Girish Johar, producer and film business analyst stated, Word of mouth seems to be pretty good for the most part.
You know it might have made about $35 million USD at theaters or something along those lines. Trade Analyst Atul Mohan meanwhile said, If this movie was released under normal circumstances I think it would’ve done very well since you know women are going to love this movie since they want to see themselves on screen more often so they’ll bring their husbands and kids along too. Such movies do really well when they appeal to ladies.
While Trade Expert Komal Nahta asserted that ‘Mimi’ was original because the female protagonist did not find a love interest, Netizens believed otherwise and disapproved of how its screenings were postponed indefinitely. Commenting on the film’s box office success in big urban areas, experts say ‘Mimi’ may have succeeded at 25 Crores nationwide (taking into account past trends), but finally chose to take its chances as an online release – less risky than investing in theatre rentals without certainty over when they would open again due to industry uncertainties.
Taran Adarsh emphasized that In these uncertain times where theaters haven’t reopened yet, the decision can make sense for producers looking out for their own financial interests, noting that Netflix offered strong compensation. Atul Mohan also expressed his confidence in stating the makers had little reason to resist what turned out to be a good offer.
Komal Nahta argued, I believe they must have thought about what was best for them. Given that Dinesh Vijan and Jio Studios released Roohi in movie theaters, it would be safe to release this film online. Since Dinesh Vijan is an experienced producer, he needs to make sure the money keeps rolling so he can finance his next production.
If I were the producer of Mimi (a title), I probably would have waited until there are enough tickets sold at theaters because it brings something different than a regular Bollywood movie-going experience. Girish Johar nodded before adding, If I were the director or producer of Mimi, after much consideration as well as weighing all my options- I most likely would take advantage of releasing my movie on streaming sites because they offer unique content unlike any other source out there.
