Times have changed. Earlier, the theatrical business was the barometer to gauge the success/failure of a film. Today, when a producer sells the worldwide rights of his film to a distributor, it's foolhardy to declare the verdict purely on the basis of its theatrical performance in India and Overseas. One has to keep in account the revenue generated from non-theatrical avenues, since the price paid by the distributor is for all rights, not merely theatrical revenue.
The Satellite Rights have come as a saviour for producers today. The Home Video rights are also selling well. The theatrical business has shown an escalation, post July. Overseas is dull, but should brighten once a couple of films work wonders. The Music territory has always been akin to a game of see-saw and will remain that way.
Talking of AISHA, the producers have recovered a substantial chunk of their investment from the sale of Satellite Rights [Rs. 9 cr.] and Music Rights [Rs. 1.5 cr.]. The balance amount [Rs. 3.5 cr. + P. & A., which works out to another Rs. 6 cr.] should be recovered from India and Overseas theatrical and Home Video. The film had a healthy weekend [Midweek Boxoffice] and even though the business has slided downwards from Monday onwards and the opposition this week is tough [PEEPLI LIVE], the makers should easily recover the investment, taking AISHA in the comfort zone.
That brings me to PEEPLI LIVE. The past few days were spent talking about PEEPLI LIVE. The brand Aamir Khan has strengthened with the passage of time and at the cost of sounding repetitive, I must say that he's the biggest crowd puller in the industry today. Movies starring Aamir command the highest price and movies produced by Aamir get the price he demands.
Aamir Khan has already recovered the cost of production of PEEPLI LIVE from the sale of Satellite Rights itself and the revenue from India theatrical, Overseas, Home Video and Music Rights, after deducting the expenses, will only add to the profits. Jab upparwala deta hain, chhapar phaad ke deta hain!
