Another week, more of the same. Hindi big releases are record breakingly bad, small releases hold steady in weeks 4-5-6. And Telugu films look good by comparison but really aren’t. But the real interesting story is the little Punjabi film that is breaking records. (as always, figures from bollywoodhungama)
Bhoomi! Sanjay Dutt’s return to the big screen, decent sized promotional campaign, decent-ish soundtrack album and it does….$800 per screen in America. OUCH!!!!
But here’s the good news! That was on only 32 screens. The same size of release as Bareilly Ki Barfi. So it did very very badly, but the damage was successfully contained. Woo-hoo! People are learning! Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Meanwhile, Jai Luva Kusa came out on 173 screens, one of the biggest Telugu releases ever. It would be more impressive if it weren’t for Spyder‘s record breaking screen count coming up….right now I guess!
Now, are you ready to use common sense, unlike the little conclusion jumping unthinking box office analyst bunnies in the Indian press? If it opened on 173 screens, and made $647,493 total, but only $3,742 per screen, is that a GOOD release or a BAD release? I’ll make it easier for you, if most Telugu films with big stars make about $4,000 to $6,000 per screen opening weekend, is this a GOOD release, or a BAD release? BAD RELEASE!!!!!
(See those bunnies Aish is playing with? Those are apparently the ones running the box office reporting department at Indian news sources. I’m grumpy this morning)
I was going to say “average”, but no, under $4,000 per screen is just straight up bad! It’s even bad for a major Hindi release, and of course Telugu films open with higher ticket prices. And the higher ticket prices opening weekend are because opening weekend is an event, people really turn out for it. So no one is turning out for this film. Which means the second weekend will be a disaster. Okay, it would be a disaster anyway because Spyder is taking every screen in America, but this tells me it would be a disaster on its own merits anyway.
The big big regional story this week is Nikka Zaildar 2, the Punjabi film. $6,015 per screen!!!!!! Making it the second highest Indian film at the American box office. And that’s in America! Not even Punjabi territory. In Canada, it is NUMBER SEVEN at the overall box office!!!! SEVEN!!!! In the top ten of all films in Canada. And on only 22 screens. 16 at the UK Box Office, which is NOT a Punjabi area. 10 in Australia, and 7 in New Zealand. And at all places, the top top top level of per screens, the same as what we saw for the good Khan films. So, box office analyst bunnies, jump on THAT story!!!! A Punjabi film breaking out of it’s traditional market based on pure excellence, not screen count or promotions.
Especially because the Punjabi market is the obvious one to take over the Hindi film market, not the southern market. Yes, the southern films have a much longer history, more established industry, etc. etc. But they aren’t the same language or culture as Hindi films. Whereas Punjabi films, they can very easily slip right in. And so, if you didn’t want to see Sanjay Dutt stumble around in yet another rape-revenge film, or watch some big superstar you don’t really know in a language you can’t speak, you could opt for a sweet simple grounded romance with cultural touches and language that you can understand.
(I know nothing about this film besides the poster, and that alone is almost enough to make me watch it. Which is probably what happened with a lot of the rest of the audience. One look, and you can see it is better and more interesting than Bhoomi or anything else out there)
Speaking of sweet simple grounded romances, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan and Bareilly Ki Barfi are still doing solid business in week 4 and 6 respectively. $1,000 per screen, which is very good for being that old. What’s interesting is that Bareilly opened much better than Shubh, but now they have evened out in later weeks. It’s a clear triumph of word of mouth and repeat viewing power, but it’s not going to do any good if the opening weekend doesn’t get better. This goes back to last weeks post, something is going on with those opening weekend figures. The “well, might as well try it” audience that takes a risk on the first weekend is going way way down. And while the “I heard good things, I will check it out when I get a chance” audience is great to have, especially when it means week 5 is almost as good as week 3, it still isn’t quite enough unless that first week is better.
dontcallitbollywood 
Did you happen to catch the new JHMS deleted scene that was released today?
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NO! Thank you.
On Tue, Sep 26, 2017 at 9:52 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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It’s so hot. Seriously I’m shook.
I don’t think the scene was really necessary in the movie so I get why they deleted it. But holy crap. This movie is the ultimate fantasy if you’re a SRK fan.
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YES! My reaction exactly. What are they saying, by the way? Something about him explaining the rules of looking but not touching, and her asking why, so then he touches her?
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I can’t hear some of it as the sound is really bad. But it starts off with her saying “Why are you acting? You can watch if you want to. We’re just waiting for her anyway.” He replies “It doesn’t work for me. Just look, no touch” He says something else too but I can’t hear it. Then again repeats “it doesn’t work for me.” She replies “Yeah, it only works with me, just look and no touch.” So he squeezes her face like a child. She pushes his hand away and says ” Not that kind of touch.”
So he pushes her against he wall and says “this kind of touch?” and she nods. She says he has a PHD in this subject so he should tell her how she is. He moves away and says “There’s just one problem.” Then says “let’s go, it’s getting too serious, let’s go” and starts walking away.
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Actually I think I missed a few lines.
Anushka: Why are you acting? You can watch if you want to. We’re just waiting for her.
SRK: You want to watch?
Anuska: Why would I want to watch?
SRK: You’re a girl. How can I explain it to you? It doesn’t work for me. Just look, no touch. (He says something else after this but the sound is bad) It doesn’t work for me.
Anushka: Yeah, it only works with me – just look and no touch.
-He squeezes her face. She pushes his hand away.-
Anushka – not that kind of touch.
Grabs her and pushes her against the wall and says-
SRK – this kind of touch?
Anuska – You have a PHD in this subject so tell me – How am I?
SRK – There’s just one problem, Sejal.
Moves away.
SRK – Come on, let’s go. It’s getting too serious. Let’s go.
SRK walks away and Anuska follows.
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I don’t know how they can show us a scene like this without subtitles!
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I swear I never thought we would ever get to see him in this light! It’s just everything. This movie is such a sensual treasure for us.
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“sensual treasure”…absolutely. This short scene would have be good because it explains three things: that Harry is not interested in those kind of bars, that he really can women go weak in her knees and is the link to the answer he gives minutes later.
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Exactly what I just said in the post that just went up! Great minds. Or else a very well constructed film, so it is easy for us to connect the dots.
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The punjabi film also attracts Pakistani crowds.
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Good point. The Urdu/Pakistani film market is growing very very slowly in America, so far as I can tell from box office reports, and what is playing at my local theaters. But it still really isn’t much of an industry.
On Tue, Sep 26, 2017 at 11:44 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Plus punjabi culture is the most easily identifiable Indian culture overseas. The club crowd already knows punjabi remixes, naan, palak paneer and butter chicken are already our culinary ambassadors, Punjabi hiphop is huge in the UK and recognizable elsewhere. For a random non-indian person, it would be easier to watch a punjabi film with an Indian friend than it would be to watch a south indian film.
Also, on the news front — Kajal is starring in the Tamil remake of Queen and Madhavan is confirmed for his fist straight up telugu film Savyasachi with Naga Chaitanya
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I love the typo “Madhavan is confirmed for his fist straight up telugu film”. I want to see him in a fist straight up type film!!!
I am not so thrilled with Kajal in a Queen remake. Partly because I am still mad at her for being TOTALLY USELESS in Magadheera. But that was the director’s fault, not hers.
On Tue, Sep 26, 2017 at 11:52 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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😂 that’s just me after my glass(es) of wine 😂
I kinda like kajal. I loved her in Maari. I thought she was super annoying in Darling but that was just the bad edited version I watched. She appeared muuuuch better in the better edited one. She was also quite good in Mr. Perfect. Although, I highly doubt anyone can capture the craziness of Kangana. The legend of queen was basically established by the heer song. I cry everytime I hear it. It’s heartbreaking. Can they capture heer un tamil?
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I really liked Kajal after Singham, and then I saw Magadheera and it killed my love.
Good point about the “Heer” song in Queen. More generally, there were all those tiny little touches making her into a real feeling Delhi area girl. Not like the glossy perfect version we usually get in Hindi films. I hope in the remake they change enough to make it specific to Hyderabad or where ever instead of just taking everything from Queen and changing the language.
Did they say who is going to play horrible-boyfriend Rajkummar Rao in the remake? That’s a hard role too, because you have to be absolutely hateful to the audience (I still haven’t fully forgiven Rajkummar, I get mad at him every time he shows up onscreen), but still charming enough that we can see why our heroine fell for him and believed him.
On Tue, Sep 26, 2017 at 12:01 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I don’t know if he’s charming in the film but he’s definitely the kind of fuckboi you get in middle class Delhi. I love queen because it’s such a Delhi story but then again the theme of a girl being left at the alter is a nightmare that the entire country (plus at least Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) identify with it. Kangana had the advantage of not being a very successful heroine-heroine at that point and that helped her blend into this role. Can kajal break out of her heroine-heroine image because if she plays it like she plays a heroine this film is DOA
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I’ll put it this way. I’m not watching the film thinking “I hate you for being so stupid and falling for this clearly horrible person, it takes me out of the film to believe you would believe him”. Especially in the flashbacks, there is that kernel of reasonable decency that makes you believe a sheltered young woman would believe him and take a chance with him. And then you meet him in present day and just want to hit him so hard that the stupid sunglasses fall off his stupid face. I really hate that character.
On Tue, Sep 26, 2017 at 12:11 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I know what you meant.
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Nooo, why it must be movie with Naga Chaitanya? I can’t stand him even on the photos. It’s like 1 million actors in India and Madhavan chose the one I dislike the most
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Maybe it’s an obscure sign of love? He thought “Angie will have a hard time seeing this movie when it releases in theaters, I will make it less painful for her by picking the one actor she most dislikes to play opposite me”.
On Tue, Sep 26, 2017 at 12:22 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I’m still heart-broken that he is not doing Charlie remake with Sai Pallavi, so this news about Naga hit me even stronger.
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Madhavan is just sending you on an emotional roller coaster! Maybe he has something wonderful planned to make up for it?
On Tue, Sep 26, 2017 at 1:06 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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He better do something big to keep me, because there is Tovino in my heart too now 😉
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Maybe he can sense that and that’s why he is turning away from you?
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I gave him the best years of my life (since I saw his shirtless scene in Zara Zara Behekta Hai like 10 years ago) and now he leaves me for Naga Chaitanya. Life is so cruel.
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Well, at least Tovino is there to comfort you.
On Tue, Sep 26, 2017 at 4:21 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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😁
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Tamanna is doing the Telugu remake of queen. I think she is quite a good dancer but actor, not so much.
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Has she ever done a solo? I mean where she’s the principal actor
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Kajal for the Tamil version, Tammanah for Telugu and Manjima Mohan for Malayalam apparently. I kind of feel like Tammanah will do the the best – not that its a competition or anything.
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It should be a competition. It’s a brilliant film.
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I agree! I loved Queen. Ideally, I’d want all three versions to be great but I’m not super hopeful. Kajal is fine but I’ve never seen her in anything where she’s blown me away. I don’t know enough about Manjima’s work to have a specific opinion. I have liked Tammanah in quite a few of her films though, hence my guess.
It wouldn’t let me reply to your comment directly for some reason…
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Mahesh has given interviews with both Rajeev Masand and Anupama Chopra. I think this is because Spyder is releasing with subtitles in North India.
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But i think a lot of south indian actors have huge markets overseas.Also, i just realised that i can’t stand bollywood actors in proper masala movies.Like I loved Vijay in Thuppaki. It was the perfect role for him, he could play the proper action hero but he also had an air of coolness. Now it was a departure for him as he mostly played the typical hero who bashes goons and sends them flying in the air. But when Akshay played the same role in holiday, it was too blah for me.Ditto for Mahesh in Pokiri vs Salman in Wanted. I think the south heroes get the pitch right more than their bollywood counterparts in the big commercial films.
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It’s true, they do, especially Telugu in America and Tamil in Malaysia. But the over all global box office, Hindi has been the one consistency in all areas. Telugu doesn’t play at all in Canada, barely in the UK and Australia (for instance). Punjabi has been rapidly growing in Canada and Australia and New Zealand, but hasn’t made that much of a mark in the American or UK market, where Hindi films have been pretty successful. Now I am wondering if the Punjabi film market is beginning to pick up on the disaffected Hindi viewers.
On Tue, Sep 26, 2017 at 12:48 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I’ve heard that punjabi films are huge in Canada. But i guess the growth of any regional industry is good, especially to disprove the notion that “Bollywood movies represent Indian Movies.”
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Dude, I feel the same way! I think the only proper masala movie in Hindi which I really liked was Ajay Devgn in Singham. It wasn’t as good as the original Singam with Suriya but it still worked for me.
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Yay hi 5 😁🤗 Singham 1 worked for me too maybe because Ajay has that macho image. Also Prakash Raj!
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I like Singham too! Had no comparison with the original, I just liked it for itself.
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Can I just third this comment? Something about that southern swag I guess… 🙂
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