The Diwali Openings

 

The much-awaited festive week has begun, but I have to admit, I am not feeling euphoric.

The Diwali Openings

 

With Rs. 45 crores at stake during the Diwali and Idd week this year, the entire industry was hopeful that the three major releases -- GARAM MASALA, KYON KI… and SHAADI NO. 1 -- would embark on a flying start at the ticket window.

 

But if the initial trends are an indicator, GARAM MASALA has indeed opened big, while SHAADI NO. 1 is at No. 2 position [good average to average opening] and KYON KI… at No. 3 [average to dull].

 

However, everyone's optimistic that the business would gather momentum from Thursday, while a bigger push should come in from Idd. Yet, all said and done, the 5-day weekend [the films have opened on Wednesday, instead of Friday] should benefit the three releases eventually.

 

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Is comedy the new recipe for success? Thanks to the super-success of MAINE PYAAR KYUN KIYA, KYAA KOOL HAI HUM and NO ENTRY, every producer I bump into these days is planning a comic caper. Nothing wrong with following a trend, but an overkill can really ruin the market.

 

Last year, after MURDER and JULIE worked at the box-office, everyone thought that skin flicks were a shortcut to success. But look at how the trend died a natural death within a year itself. Let's hope something similar doesn't happen to comic films.

 

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THIS WEEK, LAST YEAR

 

[Weekend: October 29-31, 2004]

 

It's a normal practice to start promoting a film one-and-a-half months/two months prior to their theatrical release. In the case of INTEQAM, its music was launched on October 19 and the film hit the marquee on October 29 -- after exactly 10 days. Expectedly, the collections of INTEQAM were depressing all over. The film is yet another addition to the long list of 'also ran' projects this year.

 

As for KISS KIS KO, India's first Boy Band film, the poor collections indicated that band zaroor baj gaya. There was no awareness whatsoever -- the promos weren't sufficient, the street publicity was negligible -- and the viewers mistook it to be KIS KIS KI KISMAT [similar titles], thereby giving the film a miss.

 

MORNING RAGA may have won glowing reviews from critics, but the audiences weren't interested. Only goes to prove yet again that most critics have zero knowledge about what works and what doesn't.

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