Ever since I was a kid and would accompany my father to 'Trade Guide' during vacations, I kept hearing one sentence repeatedly, every time a big film failed at the box-office: It's not the film, but the price [economics] that fails. Strangely, I hear this statement far more frequently these days.
Till we control our budgets, the red marks would continue to shine on our balance sheets. To start with, the actors need to cut down their fees pronto. Sure, a few actors have initiated this, but by merely foregoing a few lacs out of those crores isn't going to help. One needs to re-work on the price structure.
There's no denying that the first two-week business has shown an escalation, if the film works at the box-office. Say, if a film manages to touch Rs. 45 cr. by the end of 14 days [second week], it means that the distributor's share would be anywhere between Rs. 23 cr. to Rs. 25 cr.
Let's assume that the film is priced at Rs. 35 cr. [incl. P & A expenses]. It would mean that the distributor would comfortably recover the investment from Overseas theatrical, Audio, Satellite and non-theatrical avenues, depending on the merits of the film. But if the cost is anywhere between Rs. 50 cr. to Rs. 60 cr., just imagine the plight of the distributor.
That brings me to LONDON DREAMS. After a strong Sunday, the business held well at some multiplexes of big centres [plexes mainly] on Monday, although the single screens continued to behave indifferently. However, at some plexes, the Monday figures were lower than Friday, which is not a positive sign. Again, the business witnessed a further decline on Tuesday.
The audience feedback is positive, but the numbers are clearly missing. Given its unstable business in India and dull performance in Overseas, it would be difficult for LONDON DREAMS to recover the investment.
On the other hand, ALADIN has proved a debacle of epic proportions. It's shockingly low business has sent shock waves across the industry. Sadly, its distributors would lose a massive chunk of their investment.
