Bang Bang vs Haider: Screens, Budget, Runtime and Poll

Two big films – ‘Bang Bang’ featuring Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif and ‘Haider’ starring Shahid Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor – are all set to release in theatres tomorrow.

The bigger film, quite obviously, is Bang Bang. It has a much bigger star-cast and the genre too is audience-friendly. Haider on the other hand is a dark film and clearly the first choice of the critics. In fact, a section of the mainstream media has put its weight behind Haider and already concluded that it will emerge victorious on Thursday morning.

An article on Rediff gave its readers 5 reasons why Haider could trump Bang Bang at the box office. The reasons given were Vishal Bharadwaj’s track record, Vishal-Shahid reunion after Kaminey, the fact that Siddharth Anand’s last film Anjaana Anjaani failed, remake of a flop Hollywood film ‘Knight and Day’ and the significantly higher budget of Bang Bang.

However, what the media hasn’t been telling us is that while Vishal Bharadwaj’s films have received critical acclaim, his box office track record is pretty poor. Omkara, one of his best films, didn’t work at the box office and his last two releases 7 Khoon Maaf and Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola were box office disasters. In fact, Vishal doesn’t have a single clean-hit to his credit so far, something that could change after the release of Haider tomorrow.

Quick comparison between the two films

• Budget: Bang Bang – 140 cr, Haider – 37 cr
• Runtime: Bang Bang – 156 mins, Haider – 160 mins
• Screens in India: Bang Bang – 3600, Haider – 1250
• Approx theatrical net business to recover costs (after satellite and other rights): Bang Bang – 160 cr, Haider – 55 cr

Our take: The clash will affect the opening day and weekend business of both films. If released solo, Bang Bang would have probably taken a record-breaking opening, beating the records currently held by Dhoom 3 and Singham Returns. Haider would also collect much more because of higher number of shows at multiplexes and single-screens.

However, in the long run, the content of the two films will decide how big an impact the clash would have. If Bang Bang is received well, its lifetime business would be somewhere close to how much it would have collected with a solo release. Word-of-mouth is more important for Haider though, as the film would have to carry positive reports from the theatres (read audience) and not just the critics. Bang Bang could even get away with mixed reports due to its genre.

Which film do you plan to watch this weekend? Bang Bang, Haider or both? Vote and tell us!