Article first published on November 11 2013
Ever since Krrish 3 released in theatres, the comments section on our website and Twitter timeline have been flooded with questions related to the box office collections of the film — Why is there such a huge difference between numbers released by independent trackers like Box Office India (BOI) and the producers of the film? Is BOI trust-worthy? Since quoting a record-breaking figure for the opening day and weekend, results in free-publicity across all news channels and social media, how can figures released by a production house be trusted – after all, with millions at stake with a film like Krrish 3, the producers can quote any figure that they want to!
Below is a quick comparison between the 10 day collections of Krrish 3 released by 3 different sources.
- Box Office India website: Rs 153 cr in 10 days (excluding collections from Telugu and Tamil versions)
- Box Office India Magazine: Rs 171.47 cr in 10 days (excluding collections from Telugu and Tamil versions)
- Filmkraft Productions: Rs 194 cr in 10 days from Hindi, Rs 206.35 including Telugu and Tamil.
Here’s how, we think, each source tracks their figures
1. BoxofficeIndia.com were the first to release All-India figures, which is probably why they are considered to be a trust-worthy source within the industry and by fans. In fact, a lot of well-known trade analysts use figures released by BOI and claim those numbers to be their own! The 202 crore lifetime figure of 3 Idiots was first released by the trade website, which was universally accepted as ‘actuals’ of the 2009 Rajkumar Hirani blockbuster.
BOI releases daily figures based on collections from a few theatres in various circuits, which is then compared to other films with a similar release size. For example, sample figures of Krrish 3 will be compared to Chennai Express, as both films released on approximately 3700 screens across India. Since they probably have contacts with top distributors, they are also well-aware if a film is under-performing or record-breaking in one or more circuits. In short, around 20-25% of collections are tracked on a daily basis for bigger films, the final total is just a guess estimate which isn’t always very accurate.
Have their figures always been reliable? No, not really. When Hrithik Roshan’s Jodhaa Akbar released, they declared the film a ‘Super-Hit’ with All-India collections of around 63.5 crore net. But on the new version of their website, they’ve reduced the total to Rs 59 crore and also changed the verdict to ‘Semi Hit’. The difference between the two verdicts is huge.
Screen captures from 2008 and 2013 below.
Jodha Akbar declared Super Hit
Verdict is now Semi-Hit
Jodhaa Akbar is not the only film though. They declared Om Shanti Om as the biggest grosser of all-time at Rs 85.79 crore net. A couple of years later, they deducted more than Rs 6 crore from its total, making it the second highest grosser after Dhoom 2 (Screen captures below). Even the figures of Jab Tak Hai Jaan were reduced by more than 15% when the film was in its third week.
Om Shanti Om 85.79 crore net in 2007
Om Shanti Om declared as biggest grosser of all time
Current site has OSO at 79.42 cr below Dhoom 2 which released in 2006
2. Box Office India Trade Magazine: These guys have plenty of sources and usually fetch figures directly from the distributors. They also provide circuit-wise figures on a daily basis. Their figures from a few circuits are at times way off the mark. Also, in recent times they have started quoting trade figures for a few films and producer figures for others. In short, their figures are not consistently accurate and bias towards a certain top star is pretty evident.
3. Figures from the production house: Exhibitors (theatre owners) report to distributors, who report directly to the producers. So only the producers accurately know how much a film has collected. But in today’s times its all about opening day / weekend records and films that are fastest to 100 / 200 crore clubs get nation-wide free publicity across all news channels and social media websites. That results in higher ticket sales, because a film that is record-breaking is considered to be good content-wise too.
For example, industry insiders are well-aware of the fact that Chennai Express did not break the opening day record of Ek Tha Tiger. But, UTV released a figure that was a mere Rs 0.12 crore higher than the previous record held by Salman Khan’s 2012 blockbuster. Result? ‘Shahrukh Khan beats Salman Khan at the box office’ was breaking news. It also became the fastest to the 100 crore club by collecting 100.45 crore in 3 days, another big record, more publicity. The film went on a historic run and eventually became the highest grosser of all time. While Chennai Express was a well-made film and thoroughly entertained every section of the audience, the fact that it broke the opening record helped it break more records in the long run.
When years of hard work and crores of rupees go into the making of every film, we can’t really blame the makers for not being 100% honest, can we? But the big problem is, this game of manipulating figures could get dirtier. The difference between various trade sources will get bigger with every major release. Those who love discussing figures, may no longer be thrilled by a record-breaking opening from their favourite superstar. In short, it could get way too predictable. Every commercial holiday release featuring Salman, SRK, Aamir and Hrithik, that is even close to the previous record, will be pushed over the line to break records .
At the same time, BoxofficeIndia could also be playing a smart game here. In recent times, every media channel has started quoting figures released from production houses and leading trade analysts. Since every fan would want their favourite star’s film to break records, BOI figures were no longer being quoted or trusted. But now, the difference between their figures and producers is so huge that a section of the media has already started quoting figures from BOI. Could well be a publicity stunt from them too!
Indicine too has grown tremendously over the last few years, we now have our own set of reliable sources. We publish our own figures for small / medium releases, but currently we do not have enough sources in the trade to track wide releases like Krrish 3, Chennai Express or Ek Tha Tiger. To give you an example, Yash Raj Films produce and distribute their films themselves. How can any one even know where they release their films? How can BOI or any other website, get collections from a fixed rental screen in a small town in Uttar Pradesh? It’s impossible, no matter how many sources you have in the trade! That doesn’t mean their figures are unreliable, it’s just inaccurate!
Coming back to the controversy around Krrish 3. We have spoken to a lot of exhibitors and distributors in the last few days, we also have theatre-wise figures from a few centres for the first week. According to our estimates, the Hindi version of the film has collected around Rs 138 crore in its first week and 170 crore net in the first 10 days. The Telugu and Tamil version has contributed around 12-13 crore, taking the lifetime collections of the film to around 182-183 crore. Again, these figures are not 100% accurate, just estimates.
Any source, any figure you take.. Krrish 3 is still one the biggest blockbusters of the year. It’s a hugely profitable film for all its investors.
Finally, a word of advice. Take your pick and trust the source that you think is most reliable. But stick to ONE source, don’t change it according to your convenience or liking towards your favourite star!
Have questions to ask? Post them in the comments section below.
We want teritorial break down, @indicine team please give us.
Wow you gave the example of CE great !!!
Against only SRK !!!
As i know Taran tweet first for 33.12 not utv and we all know HR tweet first 25.5 then taran…
Indicine you can not degrade Chennai express using word EVENTUALLY BECAME HIGHEST GROSSER as CE achieve everything whether its BOXOFFICE INDIA as u say this the first site to give 202.47 for 3I…
Highest grosser, second highest grosser or third highest grosser doesn’t matter in long run because all of these are big hits anyway. What matters is the verdict of the movies. Be it Ek Tha Tiger, Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani, Chennai Express or Krrish 3 all movies are blockbusters and that is what matters.
Who is the admin of BOI? What is their methodology of collecting figures? Are they sample surveyed and population figure is arrived after multiplying some factor with sample.
I do also admit, any one source can’t track the collections of such a wide release in short span of time – whether K3, CE or ETT.
Brilliant write up. I just have one question. In the initial days of big movies you will be quoting the numbers given by producers but can we expect you to give the actual collections in long run? Like now you said the actual collection of K3 is around 170cr Where as producer numbers are abt 190ish. So in long run will you post a separate article for every movie?
Dear Indicine,
Excellent article, I use to trust BOI but for past couple of years I realized that they are inaccurate and deflate figures to gain cheap mileage like they got support of SRK fans when ETT figure was shown 187 cr (Producer fig was 199cr.) and support of Salmaan fan when they showed that CE didn’t break day 1 record of ETT. Similarly many fans of other stars are supporting BOI and thrashing producer claim for Krrish 3. For Krrish 3, I will take average 10 days (Hindi) of BOI.com (153cr) , BOI.co.in (171.47cr) and producer (194cr). Total is 173cr (Hindi)+12 (Tamil/telegu)= 185cr.
one of the best article by indicine.
there is no partiality. very good.
@nipun…dude the problem is not the difference but the gap…45-50 cr in 10 days…???just understand krrish 3 in it’s final lifetime,the difference will be more then 60-70 cr?? r u kidding me..u r crying for CE…the difference is on an avg. of 15-20 cr lifetime…now if u believe producers collection then yash raj will post 50 cr first day and 500 cr lifetime for D3 ….will u accept that when its 170-180 cr in BOI???can u actually believe even with more screens in a diwali day when every one celebrates a movie can collect 25 cr consistently ??u live in India right ?…will u watch a movie in diwali no matter how big it is??? NO ..no one does…the problem with K3 is it’s showing something which is impossible..and the consequences will start now and that is all produces will now try to show huge figurs to break records and don’t be surprised when u see Indicine showing 100 cr first day collection for “jai ho” and lifetime 500 cr and “happy new year” 200 cr first day and 1000 cr lifetime…when the actual collection r something else..please don’t complain that time saying these r fake figures becoz u r the one who is appreciating and rejoicing the fake collection of K3…and believe me D3 will show 50 cr first day produces figure and u have to believe it then as well. I just can’t Sorry.
Being an avid reader of indicine, i like its articles always. But I have a few complaints against indicine this time..
1. When you are aware that K3 collections are not 200+ across all versions then why do you not have the guts to post the actuals according to you.. How much have the roshans paid you if I may ask
2. If industry insiders know that CE did not break ETT opening then why did you not have the guts to post it back then.. You stating about industry insiders now is a clear attempt to malign image UTV and by extension SRK and all people associated with CE .. (had this not been our beloved India and had indicine been somewhere in the west, you guys would have been sued by now by UTV)
3. If some site rectifies its mistake, then it is a problem for you but you are happy posting figures that do not match your actual estimates (although I do not follow BOI but still)
4. You cant blame the producers of not being 100% honest?? I mean seriously?? When ppl like us spend their hard earned money on their films, they cant even be honest?
5. How is it not a publicity gimmick by you posting such controversial statements
6. Why till before K3, only hindi was considered for records?
7. One point you did not cover, why have the exhibitors and distributors been strictly told not to reveal actual figures.. dont you smell something fishy?
Hro no doubt is one of my absolute favs but 50 cr difference is too much.. By posting this article, you have said that from now on for all big releases we shall follow the producers figures whatever they are as most of sites do not have the sources to verify the actual figures..
Please post my comment and respond to my questions if possible.
@Rag13, good questions!
1. Like we mentioned in the article, our estimate is Rs 170 crore for the Hindi version. BUT, only Filmkraft would know the ‘actuals’. We can’t track collections of every screen that the film has released on.
2. There is way too much confusion already and if we pitch in with our own figures it gets even more confusing for our readers! And the answer above applies here too, we CANNOT track such big releases. Getting figures from multiplexes is easier, but single screens in smaller centres – impossible for us or anyone for that matter! We have to go with what the distributors say, which again can be manipulated.
3. Estimates that we publish late night can sometimes be way off! We clearly mention in each ‘early estimate’ report that it’s only from sample collections from few centres.
4. Some records are created so that more people go watch films! That doesn’t mean there has never been a record-breaking film. For example, Monday collections of Krrish 3 were indeed the highest single day collections.
5. You decide! This article was written to clear the controversy once and for all. We have worked hard on it!
6. We said this during Ra One too, only two figures should be quoted. Domestic and Overseas. Domestic figures should include business from all versions. Already there is way too much confusion, we shouldn’t be complicating things further. From now on, if a film releases in dubbed languages, we will combine collections from all versions.
7. The day after Krrish 3 released, almost every trade source started quoting their own figures. BOI said 18.75, Hrithik 25.5, Komal 22, Taran 25 and even the likes of KRK started giving out different figures. Filmkraft weren’t too happy with this, so they asked their distributors to strictly inform exhibitors to not give out figures. Dont think they did anything wrong, it’s their film after all. Who are we to even question them?
@himesh indicine hasn’t said Krrish3 actual figure is 170 crs! U need to read the post properly, no site or critics can track more then 4000 screens only distributors/producers know actual figures! But we need to be consitent with every movie/actor, can’t take different sources 4 every movie/actor!
loved your article…. it’s awesome it will really help many sick people
But @jazz ur forgetting that BOI always increases 20-25 crs or deducts after 1-2 years so 45 crs difference is not a big deal as in 1-2 years the difference will be 15-20 crs & dont4get they havent included dubbed verion which have fetched 12-15 crs if they add like official figures have added them then the difference is not as big as u think at the end of the day BOI figures & lifetime of Krrish3 wont have big difference as it looks now coz boi are known to change their figures everytime & yet remember again 12-15 crs dubbed version are not included in BOI figures where 12-15 crs are included in official figures!
I also want territorial break down to compare with boi 1st week tbd.
and yes just to add.. as @jazz said.. even with 4000+ screens.. is it really possible on pre-diwali/diwali + ind vs aus final match to consistently have 25 cr+ days?? we live in INDIA right?? When post noon every soul in this country (almost every soul) starts making preparations for the evening and celebrate with families can a collection of 25 cr+ (which most movies of big stars (akshay, ranbir) do not achieve even on a national holiday) be legitimate? Can fourth day of a film, which was not even a holiday in govt offices nett 35+ crores.. or suddenly Hro has become God that people have left all their work to go watch Krrish3!!??
This k3 controversy will expand now. Imagine d3 release and producer quote 50cr first day.. just 10th day of k3’s release and gap is 53cr. Even HR fans cant enjoy the happiness of k3 become highest grosser of alltime for this doubt.. It may not cross 200cr acc to boi let alone crossing ce’s figure.
Excellent article! The fact is no one can be trusted, and believed to be 100 accurate. No one can know the accurate figure for such huge releases like Krrish 3m CE, ETT, etc apart from the producer.
I still don’t know why some people are treat BOI as the mecca of Bollywood websites. I don’t think that BOI is certified from Indian govt. It’s just one of the other 100 websites. It has been criticized by many people, it doesn’t even track down every single screen in the country, they also use to average out different screens which can’t be accurate for such a wide release. The truth is only producers can know the exact figure. We don’t know if they manipulate it or not. There could some manipulation in the figure, but it’s also hard to trust the figures shown by BOI, too.
For example; RA.One released in 2011 with similar hype, but in lesser amount of screens. According to BOI, it collected around 14.5 crore on Diwali from Hindi version, and over 18 crore including regional versions across the country which was a record for Diwali day. And now, they are showing 15 crores from Hindi version for Krrish 3. How can it be so low after 2 years with increase in considerable amount of screens, and ticket prices? According to them, it only collected 0.50 crore more than 2011’s Diwali release. Isn’t that doubtful, too? Moreover, Krrish 3 was released on over 4000 screens across the country, 15-18 crore does not even equal to 43% occupancy for such a hyped and anticipated movie which is highly questionable.
BOI was once used to be the most trusted site regarding box office collections, mainly until couple of years ago or 2010. So, majority of people used to trust BOI because lack of other sources. But, time has changed, there are many other sources emerged who can also track box office collections (even Indicine have their own trackers now), which resulted in gaps between BOI figures and other trade analyst’s figures mainly since big releases like JTHJ, SOS, Singham, YJHD, ETT, and CE, as a result BOI was hardly getting any attention, now the difference is huge in case of Krrish 3, so as Indicine said, it could also be a major publicity attention by BOI, or anything else, but it is certainly getting high attention now. Producers might also manipulate the figures, but for whatever reason, BOI is also showing really low figures logically.
Lets face it, we ourselves, predicted it to collect around 25 cores on it’s opening day, don’t lie to yourself. I always predicted it’s weekend collections to be around 65 crore from all versions in India.
Some people are saying Roshans paid to trade analysts and various sites etc. Almost all the sites are showing closer to producers figure except BOI. My question to them, then why they couldn’t pay BOI too if they did pay trade analysts, variou sites, magazines, newspapers, etc.? Similar thing could be said for BOI, too, that someone paid BOI to show relatively less numbers. BOI isn’t an official Bollywood site, and isn’t certified. After all, it’s easier to pay only one site rather than other 15 people.
I’d also like to write the same thing as Indicine wrote at last that, “Finally a word of advice. Take your pick and trust the source that you think is most reliable. But stick to ONE source, don’t change it according to your convenience or liking towards your favourite star!”
In my opinion, there could be some manipulation in the official figures (everyone does that), but it doesn’t mean that BOI is showing exactly accurate figure, either. I do agree with some comments here that there should be an official and common source to track down the actual box office collections, or some kind of rule that producers can only show the exact figures.
Sorry for a long comment!
@Rohit, couldn’t agree more. Well said!
I only trust you indicine u r fab n unbiased.. but I always follows taran adarsh and Komal nahta.. they r also most trustable….
@amir yes actuals in the sense neither Producers no nor Boi.com but the numbers they get from their sources
Don’t make excuses indicine….if u don’t have the capability to cover such huge releases like C.e nd fake k3 by ur own then why are u posting the fake figures which in ur own words are not trustworthy……u told that Boi is not trustworthy but I can say that u r a crape site at least Boi have the the courage to show their own figrs not like u….
Just close ur site….
@Indicine please reply to the post of @rag13 ….i want thethe answer for the 6th point @rag13 has mentioned,,,,,,,,,,Why till before K3, only hindi was considered for records??….you have to answer this
Everything will be cleared if we check the tax paid on film business . .
@rag13, well done bro.. These are some serious issues pointed by you.. I also want the reply from indicine team as we are the people who spend our precious time in reading the articles published by indicine.. We always thought whatever we read here is honestly written by the indicine team but now there is a big doubt.. @indicine please respond to those questions asked by indicine..
@Indicine team
Thanks for the prompt replies.. But again it is my advise as a reader to please refrain from posting something that shows somebody in negative light.. As you wrote that most trade insiders know about CE first day, then most insiders also know about K3 actuals.. On one hand you say we know it is not true(CE) and on other you say follow this (K3)! maybe not your intention but it is sending out a message that you have a propaganda against a certain production house.. and you guys very well know what i mean.. Rest keep up the good work!
i dont know which site to follow after seeing ce figures i lost my faith in producsr figures i am an salman fan till now except ett his all previous films nt having much difference between prodicer figure i think he will nt want to become part of dirty politics if records r made by manipulating we salman fans dont want it to break these records nw we lost our faith in records all we want is jai ho is liked by all it would becom sixth consecutive blockbaster of superstar
good article but k3 crossed 200 or not….
first of all thanks to Indicine to give this kind of Article with your thoughts.
with this Article i come to conclusion for:
1. Producers definitely manipulate figure and its confirm by Indicine as per their knowledge and current Example is CE & K3.
2. their is no site which is trust able in a country like India whether its BOI or others.
3. atleast BOI is one who is based on some estimation and when finals come as per their knowledge they change them.
but with this article you completely lost Big Time.
if you knows that CE or K3 collection being Manipulated by producers and if you have your estimated figure than you should publish the same because we people who visit your BO related article to just know your collection and you said Simply that Producers are being manipulated figures for free publicity. my question is why you not given your views on that.
you said your are not having source to get collection for wide releases than how you given Beshram opening day collection about 19.64cr while producers said its 21.56cr and as per my knowledge its third highest widely released film in 2013 with 3500 screens. You not put your take on Including regional figure in main collections for K3.
so in case if we don’t have any trust able source with 95-100% accuracy than for collection we have to pick a source with our convenience so i will stay with BOI.
it is simple more screens for K3 less sources for BOI and u will see that in D3 too
@Farhan do’t be so rude, we fans not visit Indicine for BO report, if that so than i would be first who qit this site because they r not giving collection as their own, the best part of Indicine that its give wholesome Information about Bollywood, Films trailers, buzz song every kind of details and they provide us a platform to give our opinion in comment section, this is great thing at least they give us a chance to bash,love or trust as per our convenience so i will always be a part of Indicine visitors but for BO figures i won’t follow them.
When ETT 186 became 198, its OK
When CE 208 became 227, its OK
but in the case KRRISH3 all protest because its not KHAN film!
Shame bollywood!
Isn’t it an unfair comparison if we say that we will include all versions in the domestic collections ‘hereafter’ ?
@HamzaKhan, no regional version of any film has come close to the figures of Krrish 3. Also, in most of our articles, we have quote figures of Ra One as 125 crore which includes business from all versions.