AskIndicine: Live Now

Q. What will be the verdict for Mohenjo Daro?

A. Mohenjo Daro is a disaster. Even crossing the 60 crore mark will be a struggle for the film.

Q. Now that Mohenjo Daro has failed at box office, is there a possibility of clash being averting between Raees vs Kaabil?

A. There has been no official word on Kaabil moving to a different date, but post the Mohenjo Daro debacle, it makes absolutely no sense to release both Kaabil and Raees on the same date. Republic Day weekend is not a big holiday weekend and losses that a film can suffer from a clash, is more than the advantage that one extra holiday gives. Both makers should sit, discuss and avert the clash. Kaabil can also look at a date after April 1st, as it’ll give the film tax benefits after GST implementation.

Q. How much Rustom needs to collect at box office to become Hit/super Hit/Blockbuster /ATBB ?Please provide the collection for each section

A. Detailed breakup in a separate article, later tonight. Rustom is a clean-hit at around the 85-90 crore mark.

Q. Aren’t releasing movies on festival dates overhyped? Is it not better to have a solo release on a normal weekend than clash on a festive day just for an advantage which you would get for maybe 1-2 days max (the benefit which negates if you are clashing)? I’m sure that MD would’ve done better as a solo non-holiday release. Raees and Kaabil along with Shivay and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil should avoid clashing now I believe!

A. It depends on the festive / holiday weekend. A clash makes more sense during a weekend like Christmas, than say a Diwali which has only one major holiday. Would Bajirao Mastani collect almost 190 crore if it released during a normal weekend? Would it collect the same if it clashed with Dilwale during Diwali? Answer to both is highly unlikely, because it was the first choice for moviegoers from 4th day onwards and the film got nearly 3 open weeks. At the same time, Rustom benefitted from the clash, while Mohenjo Daro lost. That’s because usually the decision is to either watch a film in theatre or skip it. This week, the choice was between two films and all the hype and buzz was around Rustom. It looked like a better product and the audience lapped it up.

The average opening day collections of Akshay Kumar’s last 10 releases is 11.6 crore (approx, after negating holiday advantage). Rustom opened about 20% higher than his average, even though it clashed with a big film. So quite clearly, Rustom benefitted from the clash because of various factors.

The clash between Shivaay and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil won’t be averted, but the makers of both films will be a lot more worried now after looking at the way the result of the Rustom – Mohenjo Daro clash.

In short, it depends on the film and the weekend. If the film is good, it can actually benefit from a clash like we’ve seen with both Rustom and Bajirao Mastani. Both films won over bigger opponents.

Q. How well have both the films, Rustom and Mohenjo Daro performed at the smaller centres?

A. Mohenjo Daro was decent on its opening day, but the collections are far lower than what was expected out of the film. Rustom is mainly performing at bigger centres, but that’s the target audience of the film.

Q. What is exact reason for poor performance of Mohenjo Daro?

A. The trailer. All the hype ended on the day it was released. It has to be one of the most poorly received trailers of a big film in a very long time. You should read our article on the trailer review and response, almost everyone criticised it, but now it makes a lot more sense. Even after the trailer was launched, it looked like the film could manage a 15 crore opening, but the promos that followed were dull and failed to generate any interest in the film. Post release, obviously, the content hasn’t clicked.

Q. How is the public response to Rustom and Mohenjodaro? Can Rustom cross the 100 cr mark now?

A. Rustom mixed to positive. Mohenjo Daro mixed to negative. Yes, Rustom should cross the 100 crore mark. The collections on Monday and then the hold on Tuesday will decide.

Q. As an Akshay fan,I’m really happy about the fact that his films are performing well in the urban centers.But do you feel that by continuously doing such films,he’ll lose out on his core fan base I.e the single screen audiences,especially in the interiors of India, where he’s huge?I’m asking this because even though Singh is Bling and Housefull 3 were marketed as massy entertainers,these films had a lot of humour which only the English speaking audience would understand, thereby making the films frustrating to watch for the core Hindi belt. Also, he doesn’t have a really massy film like a rowdy Rathore or a Gabbar is back in his Lineup. Please answer this if possible.Sorry for the long question, needed to explain myself clearly!

A. For the biggest stars in the country, it’s all about doing films that appeal to every section of the audience. This is easier than done and there is a lot to learn from actors like Aamir and Salman. Since 2010, Salman hasn’t put a step wrong as far as his choice of films is concerned. Jai Ho was probably the only film that looked dull and the result was a reflection of the same. When there were signs that south masala type of films were failing, Salman made the shift to films with a human story, this has worked big time and took him several steps ahead of everyone else. Stardom with good content is an unbeatable combination.

Akshay’s choice of films in the recent past has been terrific too and because his films are comparatively lower in budget and he does so many films every year, his every film doesn’t necessarily need to appeal to every section of the audience. A film like ‘Gabbar Is Back’ was massy, Housefull 3 had the potential to perform better at smaller centres, but it wasn’t liked as much as the 2nd film in the series. Coming to films like Rowdy Rathore, it’s a very tricky decision because nearly 85% of the business is coming from multiplexes and it’s this section of the audience that had given up on Akshay not too long ago. They are back in theatres now with the success of Airlift and now Rustom. There is still an audience for well-made masala entertainers with a typical storyline, but only for a very well made film.

If a film that appeals to the core Hindi belt and masses, doesn’t appeal to the multiplex audience, the film can’t succeed at the box office.

Q. Best Hritik performances?

A. Guzaarish / Koi Mil Gaya.

Q. If you were to advice Rakesh Roshan about clashing or not clashing with Raees, what would you say? Assuming Kaabil is a 3.5 stars movie.

A. Rakesh Roshan is a industry veteran and knows the trade better than most in the industry. Raees vs Kaabil clash won’t take place. It’ll be averted.

Q. How many films of Akshay Kumar will release on 2017? Can you name them?

A. For now, only two films are confirmed to release in 2017. Jolly LLB 2 and 2.o (Robot 2 / Enthiran 2).

Q. You said Akshay Kumar’s films were underperforming at multiplexes a lot before Airlift, how are Ajay Devgn’s films doing at multiplexes?

A. Rustom is Akshay Kumar’s best opening since Rowdy Rathore. Almost all films in between have been either below expectations or just about on-par (Brothers). Films like Holiday, Housefull 3, Baby, Special 26, Boss, OUATIMD should have opened much better than they did. Ajay has been a lot more inconsistent with opening, as compared to Akshay who comes with a  minimum guarantee, but Ajay’s franchise films have taken excellent / bumper opening (Golmaal 3, Singham Returns).

Last 10 film opening day average of Ajay Devgn is around 10 crore per film, while Akshay Kumar is about 11.6 crore. Note that we have reduced collections of holiday releases by 35% (for example, the real value of Singham Return would be around 21 crore if it released on a non-holiday).

At multiplexes, Akshay films are taking a better opening than Ajay.

Q. After giving thumbs up to the trailer of Shivaay from critics and public, now what is your prediction for 1st day opening and total box office collection for Shivaay?

A. It’s too early to give accurate numbers, both for first day and lifetime. The opening day would also depend on the kind of response Ae Dil Hai Mushkil gets. If both look well-matched, then both could open equally well. If ADHM trailer doesn’t get a positive response, then it’ll be advantage Shivaay. The economics will clearly be in favour of ADHM, the makers won’t lose money even in the worst case scenario. But Shivaay is a risky film, a lot of money has gone into it, so it needs to be a good film to recover.

While a fantastic trailer generates a lot of buzz, it also increases expectations from the film. The content has to live up.

Q. This Year Akshay Has Given 3 Big Hits & all three are 100 cr grossers which is a no mean feat. Can we say he is the no. 1 star of the year as his all three movies combined gross/nett will be more than Salman’s Sultan?

A. That makes no sense. When the collections of three films are combined together, the budget of those three films should be added up too. Salman is way ahead of everyone else this year, end of the story. The man has just given a film that has collected 180 crore in 5 days, that itself is 40% more than the highest Hindi grosser of the year.

Q. Will Rustom enter in 100 crore club? 2016 is best year for Akshay kumar?

A. Rustom should. It could well be one of his best years, but we would still put his 2006 – 2007 – 2008 period as his best, because his film were taking record openings. Singh Is King almost topped 2008. It was only lower than Ghajini, but higher than a big film like Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.

Q. How much is Akshay Kumar important to Bollywood , as he delivers 2-3 hit movies per year. Is he is one man industry?

A. Huge for the industry. The pace at which he works is unbelievable. Rustom was planned, shot and delivered in record time. Before the makers of Mohenjo Daro even began to realise what had hit them, Rustom had won. The industry is never dependent on one man though, there is plenty of space for more bankable stars.

Q. When you are going to update star rating?

A. It’ll be updated this week. There has been a constant flow of big releases. It’ll be updated with the expected final total of Mohenjo Daro and Rustom.

Q. Will it be safe to say that Akshay kumar is a bigger star than Hrithik Roshan?

A. As far as we are concerned, our list of biggest stars in terms of box office pull on opening day remains this – Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Akshay Kumar. A 5 crore opening of Joker did not make Akshay a lesser star, nor will Mohenjo Daro affect Hrithik’s following. It’s a big setback for sure, but the time he does a film that appeals to his audience, they’ll be back in big numbers. Same for SRK, he’s being ridiculed and written off, but one film where the content clicks, it’ll completely change the perception once again.

Akshay was at the top when he was giving record opening (Singh Is King period) – his pace of films was the same back then too. Right now, his fan base at metro cities is growing and it could just be the start of something big with films like Robot 2.0 lined up for release.

Q. Akshay Kumar’s multiplex audience are returning, so how do you analyze his career for the next 2 years given that he has a very promising line-up of releases?

A. Continuing from the last answer, we believe it could just be the beginning of something big for Akshay. Rustom could well be a game changer for him. If Jolly LLB 2 opens at 18-20 crore plus on its opening day, that’s when he really begins to enter the elite league.

Q. I have noticed that u people don’t like film critics. can i know why? Isn’t criticism necessary in every field of work?

A. There is a big disconnect between the critics and the audience. Most critics believe they are too intelligent to like films that masses and even city audience enjoy. Like a Housefull 2 / 3 for example. Films are made for the audience, when critics reject a film that the audience like.. it becomes a problem, because the reach of the media can hurt the business of a film. A person who would probably like the film, might not watch it because a CNN-IBN critic has given it 1 star. We are also completely in favour of abolishing press screening and against media publishing negative reviews before theatrical release.

Q. How much M S Dhoni can collect is gets positive response to movie?

A. It has the potential to be a huge grosser. A 15 crore opening is on the cards and even a 150 crore plus grosser is a possibility. Every Indian knows Dhoni and unlike Azhar, people are curious to learn more about Dhoni’s story. The director Neeraj Pandey is one of the best in the industry too.

Q. Final box office prediction of Rustom?

A. It’s 102 crore. The final prediction of both films is on this page. We’ll make an article on this soon. Link to IndicineLBO

Q. Is Sunny Deol a bankable star today?

A. No.

Q. Do you think Dangal can do more business in India than Sultan did?

A. Whenever an Aamir Khan film has released during Christmas, it has become not only the highest grosser of the year, but also the highest grosser of all time. Except Taare Zameen Par, which was off beat and released with Welcome. So Dangal will be a disappointment if it does anything less than 225 – 250 crore. The first target / expectation itself will be 300 plus.

Q. In an interview K. V. Vijayendra Prasad Sir (Writer of Baahubali & Bajrangi) said that Salman Khan is going to star in Eega 2/ Makkhi 2 …It has been more than a year after that interview but till today nothing official has come…Is Makkhi 2 really happening?

A. There is no update on EEGA 2. Last heard, they are still working on the script. It wasn’t a year ago though. We were the first to publish an article on this, it was about 4 months ago. Read.

Q. What has been the response to the trailers of Banjo, Freaky Ali and Happy Bhaag Jayegi? Which out of three has the potential to put higher boxoffice number?

A. Response to the trailer of Freaky Ali has been good. Happy Bhaag Jayegi is mixed, the trailer was good, but it hasn’t really created any buzz around the film. Banjo is mixed too. As far as the box office is concerned, all three films can surprise.

Q. What can you say about MS Dhoni trailer and its response and what could be the opening of the film?

A. Excellent response, opening should be 15 plus. Keep following our FBO page for updates.

Q. What has happened to Shimit Amin (Director of Chak de India & Rocket Singh)? I heard that YRF had a three film deal with him. If so then when is his next flick coming? He is a great director and a gap of 7-8 years really makes his fans sad.

A. Shimit Amin is doing a film with Ranveer Singh.

Q. After the performance of kya kool hai him 3, mastizaade and great grand masti, do you think sex comedy genre has died in India?

A. Yes, the genre is dead. A lot was dependent on the success / failure of Great Grand Masti, which was the biggest franchise of the genre. Piracy killed the film and the sex comedy genre too.

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Q. Do you think Dangal can break the 45 crore mark on a single day if the trailer/film is universally liked or accepted?

A. Will be extremely difficult and borderline impossible, because Dangal is releasing on a non-holiday. Sunday collections of the film could touch 45 crore if the word-of-mouth is extraordinary.

Q. What are the total collections and verdicts of Sultan, Great Grand Masti, Madaari, The Legend Of Michael Mishra, Fever and Budhia Singh : Born To Run ?

A. Sultan – 301 crore All Time Blockbuster. Great Grand Masti 13.8 crore Disaster , Madaari – 13.25 crore Flop, The Legend of Michael Mishra 1.6 crore Disaster. Fever 2 crore Disaster. Budhia Singh: Born to Rule 3.25 crore Flop.

Q. Ranveer Ching Returns is a movie or a music album? And when did it happen. There were no reports of shooting of this film? Please give detail

A. It’s an advertisement, not a feature film.

That’s the end of the QnA session for today. It’s been more than 3 hours now, thousands of people are still following the answers and there are hundreds of questions still pending.. we can’t possibly answer all of them. Apologies to those who posted the questions, but could not get an answer. Do join us next week. We’ll try to take up different questions, this week was more about the Mohenjo Daro debacle and the success of Rustom.

Until then, thank you for visiting.