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Q. How you see Dangal success in China market, how good can it be for Bollywood for there? Can Bahubali do miracle there after the disaster response of first part there?

A. The success of Dangal is historic. It opens up a very big market for Aamir Khan films, which also means more money can go into production of his future films. The success of Dangal will create positivity for Hindi films in China, which is good news for the industry in general. The China collections so far has shocked the trade, but given the trend, the bigger surprise could well come in the next few weeks. Anything is possible because the highest grosser in China, The Mermaid, has collections of Rs 3150 crore. Even though Dangal may not even get close to those numbers, a future Aamir Khan film might.

As for Bahubali 2 performing in China, the first film did not do well. So it’s unlikely the second will, it may not even be released there due to the lukewarm response that the first film got.

Q. What will be the impact of Bahubali 2 on Half Girlfriend?

A. It’s difficult to answer such questions. There are several factors in play here. One, the audience has already spent a lot of money on watching Bahubali 2 (hiked ticket prices), so if Half Girlfriend is a good film, it’ll get its audience. If it isn’t, the Bahubali 2 impact will seem bigger. Two, Bahubali 2 will create a screen-crunch of sorts, as it will still play on plenty of shows at multiplexes – and Half Girlfriend might not get the kind of shows and screens that it otherwise would with no holdover films performing. These are the two main concerns with Half Girlfriend releasing this week. But it’s a big film too, the music has done well, Chetan Bhagat is popular with the youth.. films based on his books have done well in the past, so the audience will come. We are expect a opening in the range of 10 crore for Half Girlfriend at the moment.

Q. Please take one name ,who ruled the last decade i.e. 2000- 09; SRK , Hrithik or Aamir.

A. SRK. We have an article on this (Click to Read). Aamir has a slightly better success and hit ratio than SRK, but SRK did more than double the films – his films almost always opened very well and he was nearly at the top of his game till 2008 – until Aamir started taking things to the next level Ghajini onwards.

Q. Will a good and original content cinema, consisting of no big actors ever score big in bollywood ? Even classic Hollywood remakes in Bollywood (Like Memento – Ghajini) are highly modified (Masala added) to woo Indian audiences.

A. We have discussed this concern in an article soon after the release of Bahubali 2 (Click to Read). The highest Hindi grosser without a male star is ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’ which collected 150 crore in India. So no film has outperformed on merit, most have needed star power. Content is clearly a problem in the industry and barring Aamir and Salman, no other actor is making films for the entire country. Top superstars are making niche films, which not only reduces their star power but tremendously reduces the potential of business.

Q. Do you think Dangal will challenge worldwide collection of Bahubali 2 even after the phase 2 of Bahubali 2?

A. It can challenge the worldwide collections of Bahubali 2 if China collections hold up well in Week 3. But it doesn’t matter. Both are Indian films and both are showing us the potential of film business globally.

Q. Will dwarf film release on Christmas 2018 ? As there is no confirmation about leading actresses ? When shooting will start ?

A. It’s confirmed for Christmas 2018, it’s a very big budget film so they probably would need a extra holiday or two. No confirmation on the leading lady yet, Deepika isn’t doing the film. Shoot is expected to start soon, they won’t be doing the outdoor shoot in Meerut, which was previously reported to be the shooting location.

Q. Is Dangal performing in China because of Aamir Khan or because of its content?

A. It’s probably a bit of both. No other Indian film, barring those featuring Aamir Khan, have done well in China. And his films are getting a big release and taking a good initial too – all before the word-of-mouth comes into play. Also, his newer films are outperforming his older releases, so it’s definitely his name that’s getting the audience to theatres – the extraordinary trend and collections in the second week is obviously because of the merits of the film itself.

Q. As you’re against this idea of clash on August 11, who do you feel should move and avert the clash – SRK untitled or TEPK and why?

A. Clashes between two big films should not happen and a two week gap between the big releases is ideal, otherwise they cut into each other’s business. Both Kaabil and Raees would’ve collected a lot more than they did with a solo release. Bahubali 2 has also shown us that a good film can collect 400 crore plus, irrespective of the weekend. Toilet Ek Prem Katha is a small film that may not be able to take advantage of the holiday weekend, SRK’s untitled film is bigger, more commercial and they were the first announce the date. Unfortunately, SRK is not in a position to even request, because Raees took on Kaabil after it was announced for Republic Day. When you take someone else’s date, you can’t complain when someone else takes yours. Toilet Ek Prem Katha has very little to lose in the clash, the pressure will be on the big-budget SRK film. It has to collect at a much higher level.

Q. Is this month May-2017, the Golden era of Indian cinema? Will Bollywood ever witness this phase again? If so, when do u think? SS Rajamauli, Aamir Khan have made India proud.

A. Anything can happen at the box office. When Dangal released and did almost 390 crore,  almost everyone in the trade confidently said no film will come close until Aamir’s next release. But the record has been shattered in less than 5 months. Robot 2.0 has been made on a bigger scale and has ‘star power’ too. It could do anything if director Shankar is in form. Some of his best films have been hugely entertaining and have tremendous repeat-value. He has the sense for scale too. Internally, we’ve been hearing that the scale and visual effects are mind-boggling. It’s going to be India’s biggest film.

Q. Big Fan of your site must say excellent bunch of knowledgeable admin you guys are made up of keep it. My question I have been wanting to know is What is the All time highest Bumper opening of 90s(1990- end of 1999) decade and that of 2000s(2000-end of 2009). What are their adjusted collections in today’s era. Thank you. (Another question - Is Bahubali all languages included bigger than Hum Aapke Hai Kaun or Sholay? Please explain)

A. Collections can only be adjusted for inflation, but that doesn’t give the true picture because factors cannot be put into numbers. In the 90s, the entertainment options were very limited. Internet access was low, so piracy didn’t exist. The release was different, films weren’t top-heavy and the biggest of blockbusters would run in theatres for years. So the ‘opening day’ or ‘opening weekend’ collections weren’t important like it is today. Also, in today’s times we have hundreds of television channels, Youtube and other video streaming websites, unique content on Netflix and a huge chunk of business is lost because of piracy. So adjusting inflation isn’t the right way to compare films of different eras. It isn’t right to compare a ‘Bahubali 2’ to some of the blockbusters from the 90s. It just does not make sense – which is why we don’t put inflation-adjusted numbers here. All that we said in one of our reports is, Bahubali 2 has pushed film business to a new level like Hum Aapke Hain Kaun did in the 90s).

Q. Which film will sell more tickets worldwide(all versions included)-Baahubali or Dangal?

A. Bahubali 2 will sell more tickets. It has already sold more than 2 times the tickets that Dangal sold. Telugu version itself will be watched by nearly 4 crore people. All-India footfalls will probably be close to 10 crore.

Q. We see a lot of negativity around Salman Khan whenever his films release in social media.even then his films have bumper opening and are huge grossers?how?for example in the time of sultan he was heavily backlashed but sultan opening was bumper 37 crores? I mean how?

A. Social media negativity or positivity does not matter at all. What matters is what the neutral social media users post after the release of the film. Only if they like and recommend the film, will it help increase ticket sales. Even critic reviews make zero difference for big films now. In fact, when critics like Raja Sen or Rajeev Masand go all out to praise a film.. even industry folks know the film is a sure-shot box office disaster.

Q. Gold, mogul or Salman-Akshay-Kjo next? Which one is bigger?

A. Akshay film with Salman and Karan Johar.

Q. Half girlfriend or Mubarkan? Your pick?

A. Half Girlfriend looks stronger on paper (bigger star cast, popular writer, good music etc). Mubarakan has a director who can deliver very entertaining films when in form. Tough to pick one out of the two, but we’d say Mubarakan.

Q. Arjun or Siddharth? Who is more promising?

A. Arjun’s film choices are much better.

Q. Hi indicine i am your big fan of your web site especially the way you write your articles. So do you think Tubelight opening day will cross around 35 to 40 cores.

A. Don’t expect such big numbers during Ramzan. We’ll have to wait for the trailer to start the FBO. A strong trailer should ensure 30 crore plus on Day 1.

Q. Thanks Indicine! My favorite Bollywood site. Good job for keep on entertaining us with wonderful cinema scoop and brilliant articles. I didn’t participate in AskIndicine session quite some time coz give others equal opportunity. Just short & precise question: Is it justifiable to make comparison between Baahubali 2 and Dangal boxoffice collection. Give just answer to make happy and satisfy both Northeners and Southerners.

A. This South vs North battle is extremely silly. Bahubali 2 wouldn’t be as big a success all-India, if Karan Johar hadn’t backed it. And it wouldn’t be such a big success without two extraordinary films from the Bahubali team either. End of the day, Bahubali 2 is an eye-opener for film industries all across the country. It has broken several myths and paved the way for bigger and better films  in the future. Same with Dangal. If Aamir can maintain his consistency in China, it will give him scope to increase the budget of his films.

Q. As an Action movie lover want to know ,Are there standard rules when 2 main lead actors have a duel in a movie or its the actors that decides how many times he should be punched? Reason is some movies like a Dharam Veer , Krodh , Yudh Ishq Ajnabee in these movies one of the main lead dominance is quite there to observe take for example Ajnabee 2002 I guess Bobby deol beats and kills the other actor. Krodh Sunny Deol has no blood on his face while Sanjay Duty is bleeding. Now in contrast movies like Karan Arjun and Khakee both the lead actors have very equal duel.Even the Stunt director of Khakee said both the Akshay and ajay were made to have an equal fight like Salman and SRk in Karan Arjun. Why is it so? Confusing a times who decides and do the actors have a say how much they should be beaten? A bit long but glad if you answer. Thanks

A. Most of what you see on screen is not real, it’s make believe. Also, it isn’t as complicated. The actor don’t decide how many times they want to punch or get punched. It depends on the script, the director and how the action director choreographs a scene.

Q. Is Thugs of Hindostan a big budget movie.what are the expectations from the move.Seeing Aamir popularity in china if Lagaan ,TZP released now will they gross huge as seen with Dangal that great content with high on emotional is a huge success. Please reply as this is third time I m asking any question.

A. The projected budget of Thugs of Hindostan is said to be 200 crore. Nothing official from Yash Raj Films. Lagaan would definitely be a bigger success at the domestic box office if it released today, the audience trust in Aamir Khan is too strong. A ‘Gadar’ would probably not even work today.

Q. Amitabh Bachchan was number one from Kashmir to Kanyakumari in his prime days. Do we have another such all area no:1 star before or after him ? Your views .. I’m sure today it is not undisputed .. Salman in Rajasthan , Akshay in Panjab , SRK in Mumbai , Hrithik in South.. all have their own forts.

A. In correct. Salman and Aamir are the top stars across all circuits in the country. Even SRK’s strong hold of West Bengal, Aamir’s last three films have collected a lot more than SRK starrers. Akshay doesn’t even make it to Top 10 grossers in Punjab. The only actors who can compete with Aamir and Salman today are the regional superstars – who are obviously way ahead in their home and surrounding states.

Q. What is that Aamir khan have who does extraordinary collection, which is almost unbelievable.. does he keep in mind the collection while he is reading the script?

A. He knows the pulse of the audience, but apart from that it’s the sheer trust of the audience, his hard work and script sense. A ‘Dangal’ can’t be a planned blockbuster. It had almost nothing in it except Aamir’s presence and brilliance. And of course the script and extraordinary direction. But his conviction is what makes his films such huge blockbusters.

Q. Dangal is running for a month in Taiwan that too without any drop in the collection, dangal is showing the same or even better trend is showing in china. So how much it can earn in china?

A. It’s certain to earn more than $100 million (650 crore approx) as Dangal has already touched $60 million in China.. The trend isn’t normal, it’s extraordinary.. so it could pretty much do anything.

Q. Why is there so much difference from Friday to Saturday to Sunday collections in China? Collections of Saturday are 4 fold compared to Friday and then again dropped massively on Sunday. In India usually there is only 10-30% difference in collections over each day of the weekend with business peaking on Sunday in contrary to business peaking on Saturday in China.

A. In most countries, Saturday business tends to be the best – as offices and schools are closed on Saturday and Sunday is a holiday.

Q. How much Half Girlfriend has a chances of getting into a 100 Cr at box office Considering a Bahubali 2 Is still dominating Indian box office.

A. We cannot predict until we watch the film. The makers are confident of the content and are looking at the film performing well even after Week 1.

Q. Which is the best Hindi film of 2017 till now – Kaabil, Raees, Jolly LLB 2, Badrinath Ki Dulhania, Phillauri, Naam Shabana and Begum Jaan ?

A. Out of the films you mentioned, Badrinath Ki Dulhania worked the best. We do not want to pick films in QnA – when the reviewer of the site has already posted reviews.

Q. Why Tubelight teaser has lesser view count on youtube compared to other trailers?

A. Teasers always get fewer views, could be because more people search for trailer and not the teaser.

Q. Please answer this! What do you think about Katrina’s lineup? JJ, TZH, ALR and possibly the film with Akshay-Dharma? Do you think she can get back to a top position, at least BO wise?

A. Solid line-up. Just when her career looked like it was going downhill, she has signed big films. It’s these films that sustain popularity of actresses and these roles work for Katrina too. She shouldn’t be doing films like Fitoor or Baar Baar Dekho. People like her in glamorous roles and not films that test her acting talent.

Q. What is the potential of Srk-Anand rai film when every thing goes on track like no clash + Christmas release + Good release i.e no protest+pre release buzz like CE, Ra.one+well received music and at the last movie turned out being best for SRK. With unique content.Please answer I am desperate to know my favourite star potential when every thing goes positive?

A. Factors or release factors don’t need to fall in place, what SRK needs at the moment is a less-hyped good entertaining film. Usually, there’s too much noise pre-release but content isn’t living upto audience expectations. A film like Chak De India had very little pre-release hype, but clicked big time. We do not have high box office hopes from the Imtiaz Ali film because of the director himself – it can obviously surprise and outperform if Imtiaz has made a universal film.. but the Aanand L Rai film has the potential to be absolutely huge.

Q. Is Aamir biggest star of Bollywood in overseas right now?

A. His film has now collected nearly 3-4 times more than the best of any other actor. Without doubt he is the biggest currently.

Q. You don’t answer my questions, still i have a question for you. Has Ritiesh Deshmukh’s Shivaji got shelved? And is Salman also a part of it ?

A. Salman isn’t a part of the film, although Ritesh has said before that there’s a cameo of Salman. Ritesh himself would be playing the role of Chhatrapati Shivaji. The film hasn’t been officially announced.

Q. Plz answer indicine what is current status of Tubelight? As a Salman fan, I’m bit concerned about low excitement around movie. I hope Kabir doesn’t overdo the Bajrangi theme as it was unique film that connect well. Considering little cold response and post Bahubali era, you think TZH is more likely to score than Tubelight.

A. Tiger Zinda Hai will be a much bigger film – scale and box office wise. Tubelight is ‘content-driven’ with Salman’s presence ensuring a big initial. Expectations of a good film will be very high though, given Kabir-Salman track record and there’s the pressure of box office too after Bahubali 2.

Q. If i say the record created by Bahubali in Bollywood is a shame for the Bollywood directors and the top stars, do you agree with me? Can you give the collection of Bahubali in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam? Who are the people watching Dangal in China, Is it Indians or the Chinese?

A. Certainly nothing to be ashamed of. Bahubali 2 is one-off case and it was backed by Karan Johar. It’s not like South films will suddenly start to work all over the country, but we have a lot to learn from the success of Bahubali 2. Hopefully we start to make better films, more universal and giving the audience value for the high ticket price that majority are unwilling to pay for most films at the moment.

Q. Dear Indicine team firstly congratulations to you for such a huge fanbase for this website. My question is dose Bahbubali collections have raised the bar for bollywood? Will there be a more pressure on the khans now? Do u think any khan movie vl break records set by Bahubali?

A. Thank you. There will certainly be pressure on the Khans, because records have now become breaking news. It creates positivity for big films post release, even mainstream media has started covering box office collections. Like we’ve said, box office is extremely unpredictable. A Salman Khan film can collect 400 crore in India, he has the audience and the craze surrounding him. If that’s backed with a solid film like Bajrangi Bhaijaan, anything is possible.

We have to end the QnA. Thank you for joining us today. Apologies to those whose questions weren’t answered.

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264 Comments

  • Please take one name ,who ruled the last decade I.e. 2000- 09 , SRK , Hrithik or Aamir.there is a big fan war among fans about this topic.

  • Will a good and original content cinema, consisting of no big actors ever score big in bollywood ? Even classic hollywood remakes in bollywood (Like Memento – Ghajini) are highly modified (Masala added) to woo Indian audiences.

  • Do you think dangal will challange worldwide collection of bahubali 2 even after the phase 2 of bahubali 2?

  • Best Performance Acting wise Of Varun, Siddharth, Shahid, Ranbir according to you?
    please answer this time

  • Do you think SRK is doing mistake by working in upcoming romantic film of imtiaz ali in this age ?

  • What are your expectations from Half girlfriend as the buzz is low do you expect that bahubali 2 will still dominate this weekend?

  • Is tubelight going to release in china? If yes then what will be the minimum collection of it?
    Also want to thanks you for providing us latest correct information about movies.. ?

  • How you see Dangal success in China market, how good can it be for Bollywood for there? Can Bahubali do miracle there after the disaster response of first part there? Which part is your favourite of Bahubali (Part 1 or Part 2)

  • Will dwarf film release on Christmas 2018 ? As there is no confirmation about leading actresses ? When shooting will start ?

  • As you’re against this idea of clash in
    August 11 who do you feel should move
    and avert the clash SRK untitled or
    TEPK and why?

  • Dangal Gross in China and Total overseas is likely to go way above of HAHK & DDLJ , isn’t Dangal is bigger Hit in Overseas than HAHK & DDLJ in Domestic? Your view on this plz

  • Is this month May-2017, the Golden era of Indian cinema?
    Bollywood will ever witness this phase again?
    If so, When do u think?

    SS Rajamauli , Aamir Khan India is proud of you?

  • Big Fan of your site must say excellent bunch of knowledgeable admin you guys are made up of keep it.
    My question I have been wanting to know is What is the All time highest Bumper opening of 90s(1990- end of 1999) decade and that of 2000s(2000-end of 2009). What are their adjusted conversation in today’s era. Thank you.

  • Is Bahubali all languages included bigger than Hum aapke Hai kaun or Sholay?
    Please explain

  • Why Indian media going Gaga Over Baahubali and Completely ignored Dangal WW Records,When it is Creating More Records than Baahubali even with less Screens & ATP ??

  • What are the final worldwide collections of Kaabil and what is it’s verdict ? How Kaabil performed in the TV at its television premiere?
    Plz answer this time.
    THank you

  • Dangal is beyond ATBB verdict in overseas so how can one really describe that? Sholay of overseas or something else?

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